Chapter 29 GT.

Notes
Vietnamization​
The process created by president richard nixon, at which american troops would be pulled from south vietnam, and
southern vietnamese troops would be given economic support to build up their own military in order to take the US
military’s place.​
Nixon Doctrine​
The nixon doctrine, a parallel to the vietnamization plan, which stated that the US would protect its asian allies in wars,
but required them to use their own troops, rather than relying on american ground troops. ​
Kent State​
This was a brutal incident, where 4 students were killed for protesting at Kent State University ohio, for protesting the
expansion of the vietnam war into cambodia. The national guard troops open fired on the students while in protest​
My Lai​
A massacre in Vietnam, by US troops , which took the lives of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, which included women,
children, and the elderly. When it was made known in 1970, 2 years after its occurrence, it staunchly increased resistance
for the war.​
Pentagon Papers​
A study into the government operations during the Vietnam War. It found massived deception from the government ,
which was leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, a former Department of Defense Analyst.​
The paris accords of 1973​
It was a formal agreement between North Vietnam, South Vietnam,US, and the Vietcong, to stop US involvement in the
war. It was signed in Jan of 1973, and started a cease fire, returned all american POWs, and started free elections in
vietnam​
Detente​
An era of relaxed tensions between the Soviet Union, and the United states even calling for the removal of nuclear
weapons through SALT treaties. ​
SALT ​
These were military agreements between the SOviet Union and the United States, which limited the amount of nuclear
weapons created and in each country's arsenal.​
Middle East War 1973​
A joint attack on Israel from Syria and Egypt, to reclaim lost land in the 6 day war, on the day of Yom Kippur. Ended in
the favor of Israel due to 2 billion dollars of aid to Israel from the US.​
OPEC​
A Cartel formed after the Middle East War, to limit the distribution of Oil to countries which supported Israel, including
the US, which took a massive hit, as oil prices skyrocketed domestically, even causing a recession in the country. ​
Title IX​
A landmark US Law which prevents the discrimination of people according to their sex in Education.Best known for
supporting women’s sports programs, and increasing female athletes.​
Burger Court​
The Supreme court held by the Supreme Judge Warren E. Burger, appointed by Nixon, to rule more conservatively, but
holding some landmark liberal decisions, such as upholding Desegregation in buses, adn ruling on Roe V. Wade. ​
Roe V. Wade​
A Landmark case, which ruled that the right to abortion is a constitutional right to all women, to ensure that they can do
with their body’s as they wish.​
George McGovern​
The Democratic Nominee, who campaigned against Richard Nixon. A very Liberal, Anti-War, and Anti-establishment
Candidate.​
 Chapter 29 GT. Notes
Watergate Scandal
A break-in at Democratic National Committee HQ, orchestrated by Nixon loyalists, exploded into a labyrinth of lies and
abuse of power. As investigations dug deeper, Nixon’s inner circle crumbled, revealing a presidency filled with corruption
Facing impeachment, Nixon resigned in 1974.
War Powers Act
An act made by congress to limit the president’s military ability. The law yanked back the president’s power to wage
undeclared wars, a direct consequence to the unchecked authority that dragged the U.S. into the Vietnam War.
Ford’s Nixon Pardon
Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon in 1974. Critics howled about a rigged system letting the powerful skate free, but Ford
insisted it was bitter medicine to stitch the country back together. The move haunted his legacy.
Saigon’s Collapse: America’s Humiliation
April 1975. Helicopters scrambled atop the U.S. Embassy as North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon. The frenzied
evacuation sealed America’s defeat in Vietnam, leaving the South to a grim communist takeover, and the U.S. to lick its
wounds.
Pol Pot’s Killing Fields
Cambodia’s nightmare began in 1975. The Khmer Rouge, led by madman Pol Pot, turned the nation into a slaughterhouse.
Farms became mass graves; cities emptied at gunpoint. By 1979, 1.7 million were dead, starved, shot, or worked to death.
The world watched, did little.
Jimmy Carter: Peacemaker, Underdog
Peanut farmer turned president, Carter bet big on moral diplomacy. He nailed the Camp David Accords in ’78, bridging
Egypt and Israel. But the Iran hostage crisis, 52 Americans caged for 444 days, sank his reelection. History remembers
him as decent, if unlucky.
Panama Canal Handover
Carter’s 1977 treaty with Panama was a diplomatic Molotov cocktail. Critics screamed about surrendering U.S. might, but
the deal finally ended a colonial-style grip on the canal, promising full Panamanian control by 2000. A risky bet on
fairness over firepower.
Camp David’s Mirage of Peace
In 1978, Carter locked Egypt’s Sadat and Israel’s Begin in a Maryland retreat. Thirteen days later, they emerged with a
shaky truce: Egypt recognized Israel, Sinai changed hands. A fragile win, but the Middle East still waited for real peace.
Iran’s 444-Day Hostage Hell
Angry students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, snatching 52 hostages. Carter’s botched rescue attempt,
helicopters crashing in deserts, became a symbol of American impotence. Reagan’s inauguration day saw their release, a
final twist of the knife.
Soviets Invade Afghanistan
Moscow’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan lit a Cold War powder keg. The U.S. funneled cash and Stingers to mujahideen
rebels, bleeding the Soviets dry. A decade later, the USSR limped home, but the chaos birthed new demons: the Taliban,
Al-Qaeda.
Cesar Chavez: Fields on Fire
Chavez didn’t ask nicely for farmworkers’ rights, he fought. Boycotts, hunger strikes, the iconic “¡Sí se puede!” mantra
turned grape growers to the table. His United Farm Workers clawed out better pay, but the struggle never really ended.
AIM’s Fists Up
The American Indian Movement burst onto the scene in ’68, done with begging. They seized Alcatraz, occupied Wounded
Knee, put centuries of broken treaties on blast. Militant? Maybe. But when peaceful pleas get ignored, sometimes you
gotta riot.
Stonewall: Queer Rebellion
 Chapter 29 GT. Notes
Cops raiding NYC’s Stonewall Inn in 1969 picked the wrong night. Drag queens, street kids, and activists fought back,
bottles flying, fists swinging. That fiery June birthed Pride, turning shame into unapologetic demand: “We’re here. Get
used to it.”
Earth Day’s Green Thunderclap
April 22, 1970: 20 million Americans flooded streets, parks, campuses. Rivers choked with sludge, skies brown with
smog, Earth Day made pollution personal. Nixon, scrambling, greenlit the EPA. A movement became a machine.
Exxon Valdez’s Black Tide
March 1989: Drunk on negligence, the Exxon Valdez cracked open in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Eleven million
gallons of crude smothered otters, birds, fish. Cleanup crews scrubbed rocks for years. Big Oil shrugged, cashed checks.
Three Mile Island’s Near-Meltdown
Pennsylvania, 1979. A reactor at Three Mile Island teetered on the edge of catastrophe. Malfunctions, missteps, panic. No
explosions, but trust in nuclear power shattered. The industry never fully recovered.
Chernobyl: Soviet Hubris Burns
April 26, 1986: Reactor No. 4 in Pripyat, Ukraine, blew sky-high. Soviet lies slowed the response; radiation poisoned
thousands. A concrete “sarcophagus” entombed the wreck. Ghost towns, cancer clusters, a permanent exclusion zone.
Clean Air Act: Breathing Room
The 1970 law didn’t mess around. Factories now had to choke their smokestacks, cars to clean their exhaust. Acid rain
slowed, cities stopped gagging on smog. Not perfect, but lungs thanked them.
EPA: Nature’s Bodyguard
Born in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency became corporate America’s eco-nemesis. Fines for polluters, rules
for toxins, a watchdog with teeth. Love it or hate it, the planet’s a bit safer.\
Clean Water Act: Rivers Reborn
Before 1972, rivers burned. Factories dumped poison; sewage choked lakes. The Clean Water Act flipped the script,
permits, pollution limits, wetlands protected. Fish returned. Swimmable, drinkable? Closer than ever.​
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Guided Questions​
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1. Before Nixon resigned, he reduced Cold War tensions with China and the Soviet Union, and led the US to a time called
detente, an era of relatively eased cold war tensions.​He ended U.S. direct involvement in the Vietnam War through
Vietnamization and the Paris Accords of 1973​At home, though many of his operations during the war were flawed. He
shifted some federal power back to the states with his New Federalism plan and took steps to control inflation with
temporary wage and price freezes​. He also established important environmental institutions like the EPA. ​

2. The Watergate scandal began when burglars were found at the DNC offices​. Investigations into the incident exposed
Nixon on major points of corruption, and abuses of power. It was a big deal because it showed that no one, not even the
president, was above the law, and it shattered public trust in government, which would influence politics for a while after
nixon. The situation caused Nixon to resign as president. ​
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3. After Islamic revolutionaries overthrew the Shah of Iran, Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and
took more than 50 Americans hostage​. The crisis lasted 444 days and exposed American vulnerability on the world stage​.
It symbolized the beginning of a new era of U.S. struggles in the Middle East that would continue for decades, including
later conflicts with Iran and terrorist groups, and the war in Iraq.​
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4. Title IX was a very important development during this time, because it was a huge step for women's rights because it
banned gender discrimination in schools and colleges receiving federal funds​. Its paved the way for women’s athletics and
 Chapter 29 GT. Notes
gender equality across the board. ​
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5. Ford said he pardoned Nixon to end the “national nightmare” and move the country forward​. I think it was a
controversial but understandable decision. It may have healed the country faster, but it also made many Americans feel
like Nixon escaped justice, deepening cynicism about politics.

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