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Hunter Berry
APUSH
Mr. Reinking
13 April 2016
The 1970s
The 1970s was the beginning of a new time for America. Civil rights activist across the
nation led to Congress passing numerous laws to insure a greater equality for all African
Americans and other ethnicities, and technology continued to flourish and be innovated
throughout the entire country. All of this came with the country reaching its bicentennial mark in
1976, showing the countrys continued success and strength since declaring independence in
1776. However, things in the USA were not as perfect as things seemed. With the government
giving the people false hope throughout the Vietnam War, the first and only war the country has
ever lost, and the Watergate Scandal dominating newspapers across the country, many Americans
began to look down upon politicians and public trust levels fell significantly. Combined with
high inflation rates and a bad economy, the 1970s began to be a rough period for the United
States.
On Saturday, June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Convention,
attempting to wiretap office phones and take photographs of Democratic documents. After being
arrested that same day, an investigation began into the matter. President Richard Nixon and his
fellow staff and administrator, began a cover up of the break-in, which was later deemed to be
ordered by them. This cover-up, nicknamed the Watergate Scandal after the complex that was
broken into, rocked the Nixon administration. As people across the country found out about the
illegal money transfers, burglaries, and cover-up attempts, that were conducted by the President,

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his cabinet, and different government bureaus and organizations, people began to question how
trustworthy our politicians and officials were. With 68 government officials being charged and
almost 50 being convicted, Americans worried about how the government was being ran. Public
approval of officials fell significantly, especially amongst Republicans, who lost their majorities
in the House and Senate. While the Democrats suffered less, the party was still hurt in general by
the public's growing worry of corruption in politics. Furthemore, the law profession suffered
disapproval from the public for numerous reasons, the major two being that lawyers used their
privileges to attempt to withhold information and the second being that many involved in the
scandals were former lawyers. Many believed that lawyers should be directly governed by the
federal government instead of by courts and the Bar Association and that some of their rights,
such as client-attorney privilege, should be revoked. Because of the Watergate Scandal, political
figures and lawyers all across the nation, no matter their level or reputation, were disliked by the
people and thought of as individuals who were corrupt, stealing money, manipulating the system,
and more. This distrust in the political and legal system spread across the country, and this fear of
corruption and scandalous activity still lasts today.
Another political issue during the 1970s was the Vietnam War. Since the 50s, America
had been helping and supporting Vietnam with monetary aid and tactical advice. In the 1960s,
the first ground troops were sent over to support South Vietnam against the communist to the
north. However, a large amount of the fighting took place in the 1970s, when the draft began
and the majority of troops were sent over. Troops being deployed and families back home were
promised that the war would result in a quick and easy victory for the United States and its allies.
However, this was not the case. The war was a long, drawn-out, and painful one for the USA,
that would result in a withdrawal of troops and the first war America ever lost. Without American

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support, North Vietnam was able to invade South Vietnam and put a communist system of power
into place, the exact opposite of what America wanted from the war. People back in America
were extremely angry with the government for the way they handled the war. The major thing
that angered civilians was the lie from the government that America was winning and would
continue to win the Vietnam War. Since it was halfway across the world, it was hard for people to
get any kind of news that wasnt in the country. Because of this, America was able to control the
press and deem the war not only fundamental to its national security but also not a threat to us
either. However, once families began to receive letters from their families and journalist shed
more light on the war, the people began to realize that the war was not going in Americas favor
as the government was claiming it to be. Casualties were high, much higher than expected, as the
Tet Offensive plowed through American troops, with the North Vietnamese's even controlling a
US military base for a time. Not only were they being lied to, but families also were infuriated by
the loss of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and fathers and mothers. The Vietnam War
was not the simple and quick war as promised, but instead a bloody, long, and drawn-out war
that destroyed Americas reputation, fueled distrust and disapproval of the government by the
people, and left hundreds of thousands of Americans dead. The Vietnam War was yet another of
many problems the country faced in the 1970s.
The third and final major issue that made the 1970s a rough time in America was the
economy. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the US economy flourished, even being nicknamed
the magic economy for its exceptional growth during the time. However, as the United States
entered the 1970s, the economy stagnated as energy prices rose alongside interest and inflation
rates. One of the causes of this was government overspending on the Vietnam War and the
Great Society plans. With less government funds available to help keep costs low and give out

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grants (as more funds were being delegated to direct government programs and, more so, the war
effort), interest rates increasing from an average of one percent to the low teens by the end of the
decade. This was also a result of the gold standard. Up until the 1970s, the US dollar had its
value anchored to the price of gold. While this had been relatively good for the currency, when
gold markets began to fall, then the dollar became weaker and weaker until inflation rates rose
by two hundred percent in parts of the country. Prices for everyday goods went up, meaning less
and less money in the peoples pocket. Another thing that greatly affected the economy was the
OPEC embargos. Twice during the 1970s, in both 1973 and 1979, OPEC, the Organization of
Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, issued an embargo on oil. As a result, oil barrel prices in
the USA rose from roughly three dollars all the way to twelve dollars a barrel. With oil prices
quadrupling, prices for travel, power production, shipping, and much more skyrocketed, and
Americans were left to either shell out the money or go without goods and services. With higher
interest rates, a weaker dollar, higher unemployment rates, and higher gasoline prices, the
American economy was left with terrible blow after terrible blow, only fueling the decades
restlessness.
While America did have some high points, the 1970s is commonly thought of as a poor
decade for the country. The Vietnam War left more than sixty thousand American soldiers dead,
and still ended in the countrys defeat, the rise of communism in Vietnam, and low public
approval ratings for all of the government. The Watergate Scandal only fueled these flames more
as 68 high ranking government officials were accused of corruption and various crimes,
damaging the reputation of lawyers and politicians everywhere. To make matters worse, America
began to fall out of its former booming economy and into a slum as interest rates and oil prices
skyrocketed, the gold standard hurt the US dollar, and the country was left with a large debt

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because of the Vietnam War and the Great Society. All together, the 1970s were a dent in the
pride of the great nation, and one that still impacts the country today in many ways, having
changed the political system immensely. It is a decade that, while bad, makes our country the
great and strong nation it is today.