1 ronald reagan amp the 1980s2
CHAPTER 15 – RONALD REAGAN AND THE 1980s #1 Name ________________________________
Ronald Reagan & America in the 1980s
I. America by 1980
A. By 1980, Americans were ready for new leadership
1. The disaster in Vietnam, hostage crisis in Iran, & new tensions with the USSR left many people feeling like the U.S. was losing its power in the world
2. Stagflation was growing worse & unemployment remained high
3. Johnson & Nixon made many people lose trust in gov’t, while Ford & Carter provided poor leadership in the 1970s
B. The Conservative Movement
1. The 1980s saw the rise of a new conservative movement known as the “New Right”
2. By 1980, government entitlement programs cost $300 billion yearly; Conservatives believed civil rights had goon too far & attacked affirmative action (reverse discrimination) & school busing plans
3. Devout Christians were disturbed by the decline in morality of the 1970s (hippies, sexual revolution, etc); New Right promoted school prayer & tough punishment for crimes; Attacked Abortion, the ERA, & homosexuality
4. Evangelist _____________________________ formed the religious group, the _______________________________________, to promote _________________________________ & to raise money for conservative politicians
5. Conservatives wanted business growth, lower taxes, & free enterprise (freedom from gov’t interference in the economy)
6. The New Right hoped to restore the superpower status of the United States
II. Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989
A. The Election of 1980
1. In 1980, conservative Republican Ronald Reagan ran for president
2. Reagan ran on a platform of lower taxes, less gov’t, & family values
3. Reagan took advantage of Carter’s failures with the economy & in foreign policy by asking “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
B. Reagan believed that the national gov’t had grown too large & needed to be downsized
1. His budget included reducing Medicaid as well as welfare & job training programs
Ronald Reagan & America in the 1980s
I. America by 1980
A. By 1980, Americans were ready for new leadership
1. The disaster in Vietnam, hostage crisis in Iran, & new tensions with the USSR left many people feeling like the U.S. was losing its power in the world
2. Stagflation was growing worse & unemployment remained high
3. Johnson & Nixon made many people lose trust in gov’t, while Ford & Carter provided poor leadership in the 1970s
B. The Conservative Movement
1. The 1980s saw the rise of a new conservative movement known as the “New Right”
2. By 1980, government entitlement programs cost $300 billion yearly; Conservatives believed civil rights had goon too far & attacked affirmative action (reverse discrimination) & school busing plans
3. Devout Christians were disturbed by the decline in morality of the 1970s (hippies, sexual revolution, etc); New Right promoted school prayer & tough punishment for crimes; Attacked Abortion, the ERA, & homosexuality
4. Evangelist _____________________________ formed the religious group, the _______________________________________, to promote _________________________________ & to raise money for conservative politicians
5. Conservatives wanted business growth, lower taxes, & free enterprise (freedom from gov’t interference in the economy)
6. The New Right hoped to restore the superpower status of the United States
II. Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989
A. The Election of 1980
1. In 1980, conservative Republican Ronald Reagan ran for president
2. Reagan ran on a platform of lower taxes, less gov’t, & family values
3. Reagan took advantage of Carter’s failures with the economy & in foreign policy by asking “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
B. Reagan believed that the national gov’t had grown too large & needed to be downsized
1. His budget included reducing Medicaid as well as welfare & job training programs