decades-1970's

=**__The 1970's__**=

By Danielle Gensburg, Danny Lowinger and Gaurav Ajmani Inspired by Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and Daniel Wade's "Paint It Gilded"
 * “We Didn’t Start the Counter-Culture”**

’70 Kent State, First Earth Day, Stonewall Rebellion, Pride March for Gay’s, Benjamin Spock, Intel’s microprocessor, Apollo 13

’71 Anti-war march, Vietnam, Pentagon Papers, Elton John Daniel Ellsberg, Jesse Jackson, Apollo 14

’72 SALT 1, Joyce Oates, Munich Olympic Games, Watergate George Wallace, platform shoes, Apollo 17

’73 Arab Oil Embargo, Roe vs. Wade, Paris Peace Accords, Happy Days Nixon’s pledge, The Brady Bunch, how about the Bee Gee’s?

We didn’t start the counterculture It was formed by hippies In the 1960’s We didn’t start the counterculture But we brought it into Mainstream life and values
 * CHORUS**

’74 Gerald Ford, Nixon resignation, clogs, America’s Economic Recession, Apollo 18, Patty Hearst, “far out” bellbottoms

’75 Jaws, VCR, International Year of the Woman, Chevrolet Car Indian Self-Determination Act, John Lennon, he wore denims

’76 Hot pants, Reggae, Face on Mars, No way! Rock and Roll, The Who, along with Billy Joel

’77 Annie Hall, Jimmy Carter, Star Wars, hip hugger T-Shirts, David Bowie, on the floor Disco

We didn’t start the counterculture It was formed by hippies In the 1960’s We didn’t start the counterculture But we brought it into Mainstream life and values
 * CHORUS**

’78 Grease, Test Tube Baby, Love Canal, All in the Family, John Travolta, Aerosmith, “fab” Bob Marley

’79 Iran Hostage Crisis, Three Mile Island, The Who, ”4-sho” Led Zeppelin, Apocalypse Now, Elton John, “Radical” Rocky

We didn’t start the counterculture It was formed by hippies In the 1960’s We didn’t start the counterculture But we brought it into Mainstream life and values
 * CHORUS**

Women’s rights and GLBT, movements that led for increasing legal equality, Annie Hall gave a new look for women, of neck ties and baggy pants: the traditional men, While Roots, a show of the flight for freedom of blacks, Was for the public new and all that

Three Dog Night, Pink Floyd and Electric Light led the 70’s in its musical plight, Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 along with school integration, Effected the schools and campuses all across the nation Words like “Awe Sooky Sooky” and “Far Out” Were representations of a 70’s slang no doubt

We didn’t start the counterculture, But we mixed it into mainstream life and value, And how it will bloom Bloom, bloom, bloom….
 * CHORUS**

The 1970s have generally been known as the decade that followed the 1960s. While the 1970s had its share of unique events, the decade is important because it saw the emergence into mainstream culture of the values, beliefs, ideas, and customs that were only popular with the few participants in the counterculture (hippie) movement during the 1960s.


 * Foreign Policy**

The 1970s saw the beginning of the phases of detente and cooperation during the Cold War, as the United States and Soviet Union began to ease their hostility and conduct negotiations. The United States was also heavily involved in the Middle East, and a significant portion of their involvement was related to oil. Also in Asia, the United States strengthened its relations with China, as President Nixon visited. In Vietnam, the war continued fruitlessly, and the United States began its bombing campaign in Cambodia and invasion of Laos. However, the Vietnam War ended in 1973, when the U.S. pulled out. In Latin America, the United States was opposed to socialist Salvador Allende as President of Chile, and assisted the military coup that stripped Allende of his power and instated Augusto Pinochet in 1973.


 * Political Events**

__Pentagon Papers__- In 1971, top-secret military papers were leaked out and submitted to the New York Times, which subsequently published them. The papers, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, contained military information regarding U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and essentially questioned American involvement and likelihood of victory in Vietnam. This leak served to discredit the government severely with regards to its involvement in Vietnam. The government and New York Times faced off in a court case over the legality of the papers being published, but the New York Times won the case, citing the 1st Amendment.

__Vietnam War__- President Nixon came to power advocating a policy of Vietnamization of the war. Heavy bombing of Cambodia continued, and Agent Orange was used extensively over the land. Many troops were pulled out of Vietnam gradually over the course of the last few years of the war. Peace talks were conducted in Paris and, on January 27, 1973, a ceasefire was called, though Marines remained to protect the embassy, so the last Americans killed in the war died on April 30, 1975.

__Watergate__

On June 17, 1972, 5 burglars broke into the headquarters of the Democratic Party’s National Committee at the Watergate Hotel, working on bugging the offices. They were actually there to fix bugging equipment that they had set up during a May 28 burglary of the same year. The burglars, or “plumbers,” were caught, and connections were made to their affiliation with the Republican Party and President Nixon’s re-election campaign. The five burglars were tried along with two others believed to be deeply involved in the scandal. All seven either pleaded guilty or were convicted.

A Senate Watergate Committee was formed and began to conduct hearings. President Nixon fired two of his closest advisors, while others close to him stepped down from office as well. He asked the White House Counsel John Dean to prepare a report on Watergate, but Dean went on trial against Nixon, exposing an immense amount of illegal activity that had been performed by the administration during its reign.

When the Senate Committee is informed of the existence of the White House taping system, they demanded that the tapes be released. After Nixon refused, they appealed to the Supreme Court, which decreed that Nixon must hand over the tapes. Nixon refused and instead tried to fire the chief prosecutor, Archibald Cox. During the Saturday Night Massacre, Nixon ordered his Attorney General (who refused and resigned), then deputy Attorney-General (who refused and was fired), and then the Solicitors-General (who agreed) to fire Cox.

Nixon eventually had to release the tapes, and an 18 ½ minute gap is discovered, though Nixon’s secretary denied tampering with the tape. As calls came for Nixon’s impeachment, a House Judiciary Committee was formed to decide whether or not to impeach. Nixon was forced to hand over more of the tapes, and, though edited, they still portrayed Nixon as foul-mouthed. As articles of impeachment were passed by the House Judiciary Committee, Nixon released tapes that revealed him ordering the FBI to not investigate the break-in at the Watergate Hotel. These were called the Smoking Gun tapes.

On August 8, 1974, Nixon resigned from office, and Gerald Ford was sworn in. On September 8th of the same year, President Ford granted Nixon a presidential pardon.

__SALT- Strategic Arms Limitations Talks__- a series of discussions and treaties between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding armament. The first round of these talks lasted from 1969 to 1972, but another series of talks lasted from 1972 to 1979, which placed limits and restrictions on nuclear weapons.

__Iranian Hostage Situation__- In the hopes of preventing Iran and its oil from moving towards the Soviet Union, the United States supported Reza Shah Pahlavi in his attempt to seize control of the country. Even though the influx of American aid led to prosperity in the country, the people grew resentful towards the increasing Western influence. As protests broke out, the Shah fled the country, and the man who had lead a failed uprising earlier, Ruhollah Khomeini, returned from exile. Then, on November 9, 1979, students overran the United States embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 hostages. President Carter unsuccessfully tried to force the release of the prisoners by putting economic pressure on them until, eventually, he tried to use military force. On April 11, 1980, operation Desert One was approved, but it was never enacted for three helicopters failed and another crashed into a transport plane. Eventually, right after Nixon was elected president over Carter, the Iranian government released the prisoners.

Environmentalism – The decade began with the mainstream acknowledgment of the need to protect the earth that was conveyed by a few during the 1960s. On August 22, 1970, the United States celebrated its first Earth Day. Rachel Carson was extremely important to this movement. Also, the first moon landing at the end of the 1960s showed the earth as a whole, which continued to influence this movement.
 * Social Events**

Feminism – 1970 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment (Women’s suffrage), so the movement certainly took off during the 1970s by using the momentum generated in the 1960s.

Gay Rights – The movement began in 1969 with the Stonewall Riots, and led to the passing of gay rights legislation in some major cities and even the election of openly gay political figures. People began “coming out of the closet” (admitting they were gay or lesbian) as never before, which culminated in a gay rights marched in Washington on October 14, 1979 that drew over 100,000 people.

Art and Architecture – Varying styles of art and architecture developed during the 1970s, including geometric design, pop-art, and deconstructivism. One example of the a 1970s achievement is Chicago’s Sears Tower, which at the time was the tallest building in the world. The Sears Tower was one of the great architectural accomplishments of the 1970s. http://www.ginpalacejesters.com/Searstower/tower4.jpg
 * Cultural Events**

Books and Literature – The books and literature of the 1970s typically centered on how much society lacked and how difficult it was for people to find meaning from it. John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, Kurt Vonnegut, and Toni Morrison are major writers from this decade.

Education – Students began to gain more power in schools and universities. The decade also saw the continuation of anti-war protests and other pledges for social causes from the nations universities. However, often protests resulted in violence, such as the unforgettable events that happened at Kent State in 1970. For the first time more women attended universities than men.

Fads – Many fads developed during the 1970s including: pet rocks, Rubik’s cube, smiley face stickers, sea monkeys, and mood rings How can we forget that the 1970s gave us the Rubik's cube? http://www.its.caltech.edu/~matthewf/Cube.png

Fashion – To say fashion was unique during the 1970s would be an understatement. New styles included leisure suits, platform shoes, earth shoes, bellbottoms, and hot pants.

Technology – Many technological advances were made during the 1970s. Intel developed the first microprocessor, the first test tube baby was born, Atari created some of the first videogames, the VCR emerged, genetic engineering started to be practiced, the neutron bomb was created, and there were continued space missions such as the Apollo 17 and 18.

Music – Rock and roll developed into a bunch of forms of rock including soft rock, punk rock, hard rock, country rock, shock rock, and folk rock. Even Bob Marley and the Carpenters became famous. However, how could you forget that the 1970s brought the United States DISCO?

Movies – 1970s movies began employing special effects. Movies such as //Star Wars// became instant hits, while other movies such as //Grease// and //Jaws// were also immensely popular.

Television – //All in the Family// was probably the most popular TV show throughout the 1970s, which showed that certain topics were no longer off limits. //Saturday Night Live// emerged, while //Happy Days// allowed people to remember the past.

Sports – Professional sports reached new heights during the 1970s, as it became much more of a business than before. Players began receiving much larger contracts than they ever had, and the television became immensely powerful in increasing the popularity of sports. The 1972 Munich Olympic Games opened a wound when the Israeli team suffered heavy losses as Palestinian terrorists entered the Olympic village and took hostage many Israeli athletes and eventually killed them.


 * Economic Events**

__Arab Oil Embargo__- On October 17, 1973, members of OAPEC, the Arab members of OPEC decided to no longer sell oil to countries that had supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. This included the United States, and oil prices increased greatly because of a tremendous shortage of available petroleum. What resulted was a movement within the U.S. to conserve fuel and also to discover renewable energy sources.

__1979 Energy Crisis__- When the Ayatollah Khomeini gained control of Iran after the Shah fled the country, protests that had occurred in the country had caused the supply of oil to decrease. This increased prices, which OPEC nations countered by increasing supply, but there was still a panic over the small loss that had occurred. In the United States, price controls were instituted, but not on imported oil, so, while domestic oil increased, the lack of price controls on foreign oil led to a great deficit of oil and call for energy conservation similar to 1973.

American Soldiers Accused of Murdering Entire Town of Vietnamese Civilians Aswan High Dam Completed Beatles Break Up Computer Floppy Disks Introduced Palestinian Group Hijacks Five Planes [|Kent State Shootings] London Bridge Brought to the U.S. United Kingdom Changes to Decimal System for Currency VCRs Introduced //M*A*S*H// T.V. Shows Premiers Mark Spitz Wins Seven Gold Medals Pocket Calculators Introduced [|Terrorists Attack at the Olympic Games in Munich] Watergate Scandal Begins Abortion Legalized in U.S. Paul Getty Kidnapped Sears Tower Built U.S. Pulls Out of Vietnam U.S. Vice President Resigns Halie Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, Deposed Mikhail Baryshnikov Defects Patty Hearst Kidnapped [|Terracotta Army Discovered in China] U.S. President Nixon Resigns Arthur Ashe First Black Man to Win Wimbledon Civil War in Lebanon Microsoft Founded Pol Pot Becomes the Communist Dictator of Cambodia Nadia Comaneci Given Seven Perfect Tens North and South Vietnam Join to Form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Tangshan Earthquake Kills Over 240,000 Elvis Found Dead Miniseries //Roots// Airs South African Anti-Apartheid Leader Steve Biko Tortured to Death //Star Wars// Movie Released [|First Test-Tube Baby Born] John Paul II Becomes Pope Jonestown Massacre Ayatollah Khomeini Returns as Leader of Iran Iran Takes American Hostages in Tehran Margaret Thatcher First Woman Prime Minister of Great Britain Mother Theresa Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Nuclear Accident at Three Mile Island Sony Introduces the Walkman From: http://history1900s.about.com/library/time/bltime1970.htm
 * Timeline**
 * **1970** ||
 * **1971** ||
 * **1972** ||
 * **1973** ||
 * **1974** ||
 * **1975** ||
 * **1976** ||
 * **1977** ||
 * **1978** ||
 * **1979** ||

Relevant Sites and Sources Used [|**Kingwood College Library – American Culture and History (1970-1979)**] [|Wikipedia – 1970s] [|Watergate.Info] [|American Experience-Jimmy Carter-People & Events] [|The Pentagon Papers Case] [|Battlefield Vietnam]