1970s: Watergate and Women’s Rights

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The 1970s was an era when the women's rights, gay rights and environmental movements gained momentum. The Vietnam War came to a close, the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, the United States ended direct involvement in the Vietnam War and President Jimmy Carter grappled with an energy crisis, inflation and the Iran Hostage Crisis.

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The 1970s

Conservative Backlash Some Americans, particularly working class and middle class whites, responded to the turbulence of the 1960s—the urban riots, antiwar protests and the counterculture—by embracing a new kind of conservative populism. Tired of what they interpreted as spoiled hippies and whining protestors, tired of an interfering government that, in their view, coddled poor people and minorities […]

Watergate Scandal

The Watergate Break-In The origins of the Watergate break-in lay in the hostile political climate of the time. By 1972, when Republican President Richard M. Nixon was running for reelection, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War, and the country was deeply divided. A forceful presidential campaign therefore seemed essential to the president […]

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Energy Crisis (1970s)

Background to the 1970s Energy Crisis In 1948, the Allied powers had carved land out of the British-controlled territory of Palestine in order to create the state of Israel, which would serve as a homeland for disenfranchised Jews from around the world. Much of the Arab population in the region refused to acknowledge the Israeli […]

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Three Mile Island

The China Syndrome Construction of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant began in 1968, in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, on a small island in the Susquehanna River just south of the state capital in Harrisburg. Construction ended in 1978 when the second of two nuclear reactors at the site came online to produce electricity. A thriller […]

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How Gerald Ford Tried to Fight Inflation

Ford’s ‘Whip Inflation Now (WIN)’ effort tried to tamp down inflation with a collective, can-do approach. It didn’t work out.

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Apollo 17: Inside NASA’s Final Moon Landing Mission

The Apollo program’s sixth human landing on the moon ended an epic chapter in space exploration.

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How the 1970s US Energy Crisis Drove Innovation

The U.S. energy crisis of the 1970s forced American leaders and researchers to come up with solutions in policymaking, technology and architecture.

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How Title IX Transformed Women’s Sports

The groundbreaking gender equity law made a lasting impact by increasing the participation of girls and women in athletics.

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The 1970s

The 1970s are famous for bell-bottoms and the rise of disco, but it was also an era of economic struggle, cultural change and technological innovation.

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1970s: Watergate and Women’s Rights | HISTORY (12)

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Iran Hostage Crisis

Explore the chain of events that set off the Iran hostage crisis – an diplomatic standoff that would keep Americans on edge and shape the course of Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

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