Ronald Reagan

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Ronald Reagan

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New Conservatism

• New Right A political coalition of conservative
  groups
• Cut govt funded social programs
• Restore Christian values
• 1980 Election gained Presidency Congress

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Changing Economy

• Supply-Side Economics
• Theory that tax reductions will increase
  investment and thereby encourage business growth
• Main goal was to spur business growth
• Dubbed Reaganomics

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• Cutting taxes would put more into the hands of
  businesses and investors (those who supplied the
  goods for consumers)
• Businesses would then hire more people produce
  more goods economic growth

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Changing the Government

• Cutting Regulations
• Reduced the EPA
• Challenged labor unions
• Fired air traffic controllers (PATCO) following
  their refusal to return from a strike

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• Showing Federal Growth
• Cut back the federal govt
• Reduced unemployment comp., welfare benefits,
  spending on food stamps
• New Federalism Reagans plan to cut back the
  role of federal govt while giving more
  responsibility to state local govt
• Never worked as planned

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Reagans Foreign Policy

• Believed in tough approach towards Soviets (evil
  empire)
• Favored large defense budgets to strengthen both
  military forces nuclear arsenal

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• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
• Star Wars proposed creation of satellite
  shield in space to intercept and destroy incoming
  Soviet missiles

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Patriotic Renewal

• 84 Olympics
• Boycotted by USSR US won unusually high amount
  of medals
• Refurbished the Statue of Liberty in 86
• Centennial celebration

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• 200th anniversary of the Constitution
• Renewed publics appreciation of govt

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Continuing Social Debates

• Civil Rights
• MLK Jr. B-day National Holiday
• Determines our 1st Semester Finals
• Appointed federal judges who worked to end some
  affirmative action programs

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• Womens Movement
• Anti-abortion groups went after the Roe v. Wade
  decision
• Texas woman challenged a state law forbidding
  artificial termination of a pregnancy. Court
  upheld the womans right to choose
• Must act before the first trimester is over
  unless complications arise

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• Sexual Orientation
• AIDS acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome, a
  virus that killed many people starting in the
  early 80s
• Most victims were drug users and homosexual men
• Resistance to gay rights grew more vocal

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• Conservatives on the Supreme Court
• Sandra Day OConnor became the nations 1st woman
  Supreme Court justice
• Promoted Wm. Rehnquist to Chief Justice
• Appointed 3 justices total

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Reagans Hands-off Style

• Reagan delegated authority to those who worked
  for him
• S L Scandal
• Savings loan banks took advantage of
  deregulation by making risky investments
• Banks had to close and govt had to pay back 2.6
  billion in lost deposits

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• Iran-Contra Affair
• Feared communist spreading to Nicaragua
• CIA trained armed Contras
• Nicaraguan guerrillas Spanish for
  counterrevolutionaries
• Reagans admin. took from arms sales to Iran
  and sent profits to Contras after Congress shut
  down the mission
• Reagan claimed no knowledge