1980s

=The 1980s=

=Ronald Reagan= The 40th President of the United States, was originally a Democrat but in 1962 switched parties to become a Republican. - defeated for the presidency when he ran in 1968 and in 1976, but finally won in the election of 1980 - credited with changing the U.S. economy, expanding the millitary, and contributuing to the end of the Cold War - re-elected in a landslide of votes in 1984, but left the presidency in 1989 after revealing that he had been diagnosed with Alzhiemer's disease [] = = =**The Cold War**= The Cold War was the outcome of years of tension and conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. This war lasted from the mid 1940s to the early 1990s. The tensions were fueled by the "space race" which was an informal race between the United States and the Soviet Union to see who could make the further advancements into space first. both sides fought proxy wars such as this before officially going to war with each other. At this time the United States and the Soviet Union possesed the two most powerful militaries, backed by nuclear weapons. The conflict was over balance of power, and which nation would be the worlds reigning nuclear power. [] =What it Meant to be an American in the 80's= - This was the generation of status seekers - Binge buying became a way of life, labels were everything to this generation - Tim Wolfe dubbed the baby boomers as the "splurge generation" [] =Different Ethnic Backgrounds= = = - Collin Powell is appointed Joint Cheifs of staff, the highest army post ever to be held by an African American officer - In this decade Martin Luther King jr.'s Birthday was established as a national holiday - Jesse Jackson, the American Civil Rights activist, ran for President in 1984, and 1988 =How the Eighties Contributed to American Culture= - Some movies that came out in the eighties that we still watch today are: A Christmas Story, The Breakfast Club, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Ghost Busters, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Sixteen Candles - Cocaine and Crack use was at an all time high during this decade, which inspired Presidential First Lady Nancy Reagan, to accelerate the War against drugs with the "Just Say No" campaign - Michael Jackson was by far the most popular entertainer of the eighties, with his moonwalk - Video games were making their entrance, one of the originals from this period is Nintendo -Carmen San Diego also came into the limelight here (and swiftly ran away so the game player was forced to find her) -AIDS virus is discovered, thus wrecking a lot of peoples fun -Though first appearing in Britain, people world wide begin the hunt for the infamous red and white striped Waldo (1987) [] [] =Economy in the Eighties=

- The eighties was a time in history when poverty in the African American community hit an all time high
=== - In 1989 the census bureau reported that the poverty rate was down to the lowest it had been in ten years ===

- Bailouts (such as those seen today) were also occurring the the early eighties, Jimmy Carter put in 1.5 billion to save the Chrysler corporation
__[] __ [] =How Religion Affected the 80's= Early puritan beliefs did much to shape politics, their beliefs were strongly reflected in the Democrats party, and in the Progressivists. They looked for social and economic equality, and a loose view of the constitution. Religious beliefs were a strong back-bone to the Progressives, but was the bane of the liberals. Liberals saw those ideals as detrimental, thus felt that god was unconstitutional. Ronald Regan supported the more Religious of the two views, a piece which helped to make him popular with the average person. The muslim extremeists also begin to appear at this time, and slowly become increasingly threatening

=Politics in the 80's= - 3 presidents, Jimmy Carter (1980), Ronald Regan (1981-1989), George Bush (1989) - Cold War affected what used to be peaceful international affairs, such as the olympics. The U.S. boycotted the olympics when they were to be held in Moscow, and the Russians did the same when the Olympics were scheduled to be held in Los Angeles -Muslim extremists come to power, most notably Saddam Hussein -Politics were based mainly with the goal of globalization in mind

After WWII, nations were still establishing themselves in the new world. The last two standing superpowers were the United States of America and the USSR. The two nations turned all things of international importance into a competition, in their quests to be the most dominant nation in the world. The Space Race was one such example. -America shifts greatly from isolationistic to capitalistic in its attempt to gain power, such as the involvement in the Iraqi conflict and invasion of Greneda -1989, the USSR dissolves, leaving the United States as the world's last remaining super power. Hoor-rah. -With the U.S. as the only superpower, more freedoms are granted in terms of excersizing will around the world (greneda, middle east) and the economy grows
 * __American Globalization__**

[] [] =Multiple Choice Questions= 1.) Who was responsible for the assassination attempt on President Reagan? a.) John Wilkes Booth b.) John Hinckley Jr. c.) Lee Harvey Oswald d.) Franz Ferdinand

2.) Who was the African American Civil Rights Activist that ran for president in 1984 and 1988? a.) Jesse Jackson b.) Collin Powell c.) Martin Luther King jr. d.) Michael Jackson

3.) What was The Cold War a battle over? a.) who would be the world's reigning Nuclear power b.) which country would be the first to develop a cure for polio c.) which country would hold the olympics in the forties

4.) Which superpower was in possesion of the most nuclear weapons? a.) USSR b.) United States c.) Britain

5.) Who was the first American woman to journey into space? a.) Jenny Fly b.) Elizabeth Starr c.) Sally Ride

6.) Mr. Goduti is going to give this project an a.) A b.) A c.) A+

Did the USSR help or hurt the growth of the United States? Explain.
 * __SHORT ANSWER__**


 * Bonus* Where is Carmen San Diego? Or Waldo?