For the period 1970-1980, identify factors that caused many Americans to lose confidence in their country.

By 1970, the good times the United States had largely experienced in the wake of World War II were over.

The deteriorating situation in Vietnam, capped off in 1968 by the Tet Offensive, had convinced a growing number of

Americans that the war was unwinnable. Domestically, the 1960s had produced a number of cultural challenges like

the Civil Rights Movement, which supported by Democratic Party, challenged the status quo across the country and

often sparked violent clashes that leaders appeared unable to prevent or contain. Some Americans may point to the

ongoing war in Vietnam as a major cause of disillusionment during the 1970s. However, the Watergate scandal and

worsening economic crisis contributed far more to the growing loss of faith in American institutions. Therefore, the

Vietnam War, Watergate scandal, and economic crisis of the 1970s caused many Americans to lose confidence in

their country.

Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968, partially because he campaigned on bringing an end to the

conflict in Vietnam with a call for “Peace with Honor.” By the early 1970s, this plan took shape as Nixon’s policy of

Vietnamization, whereby the US would draw down its presence in Vietnam while continuing to help the South

Vietnamese to continue the war. This, coupled with Nixon’s change to a lottery-based draft, help reduce protests

against the war. Nixon’s increasing favorability was not without its setbacks including the 1970 US incursion into

Cambodia, which rekindled anti-war protests that contributed to the deaths of four students at Kent State. Under

pressure, Nixon appealed directly to the American people when he asked the Silent Majority to stand with him in

supporting his policies in Vietnam. In 1973, the last combat troops left Vietnam bringing an end to the most

unpopular war in American history.

While Nixon’s foreign policy might have garnered him some political support, especially in his landslide 1972

reelection, the deepening Watergate scandal did little to inspire confidence among the American people. When the

Watergate break-in was first reported in 1972 it was not initially connected to the Nixon White House. However,

during the course of the subsequent investigations, Nixon himself was implicated in the effort to cover-up Watergate

by White House Counsel John Dean. Further discrediting Nixon’s defense was the discovery of a secret taping

system in the Oval Office. After initially refusing to surrender the tapes claiming executive privilege, the Supreme

Court in U.S. v Nixon ordered the president to surrender the recordings. These recordings definitively established

that President Nixon had obstructed justice during the Watergate investigation. In response, the House of

Representatives moved to impeach Nixon. To avoid this, Nixon became the first president to resign. Ironically, this

was not the first scandal inspired resignation from the Nixon Administration. Months earlier, Vice President Agnew
had been forced to resign after he was implicated in a corruption ring during his time as governor of Maryland. This

loss of confidence in the presidency was not helped when a few months later newly sworn in President Ford issued

Nixon a full pardon.

While Watergate may have caused some Americans to lose confidence in the Executive Branch of

government, all Americans were increasingly frustrated by the government’s inability to address the deepening

economic recession of the 1970s. By the end of the 1960s, it was clear that the post-WWII economic boom was

ending as the nation slipped into a recession by the early 1970s. This economic phenomena, known as stagflation,

was caused by a number of ominous economic factors to include: increasing global competition, economic

slowdown, rising unemployment, and high inflation. Arguably, the most vexing factor for Americans were rising

prices associated with inflation. During the 1970s, inflation was exacerbated by two energy crises stemming from

U.S. policies in the Middle East. In retaliation for U.S. support of Israel and the Islamic Revolution in Iran, oil prices

dramatically increased in the U.S. The challenge of stagflation would ultimately bedevil three presidents by 1980.

Richard Nixon attempted a variety of policies including a 90-day price and wages freeze, but ultimately was forced to

increase the federal deficit to make up for the financial short fall. During his short presidency, Gerald Ford

unsuccessfully attempted a more conservative approach with his voluntary WIN initiative and cutting some taxes.

Lastly, Jimmy Carter was also stumped by stagflation and in frustration chastised the American people for their loss

of confidence in his infamous Malaise Speech. The New Deal inspired expectation that the government would steer

the economy to avoid pitfalls caused many Americans to lose confidence – especially in the Democratic Party - by the

end of the 1970s.

In the 1980s, many people would credit President Ronald Reagan with helping to restore American

confidence with significant change in economic policies and a contagious patriotism. (out of time)
 Writing APUSH Essays - Key Things to Remember
STEP 1: Break down the prompt
 What type of essay is this? (CCOT, Causation, Comparison)
 What are you being asked to do by the prompt?
 Draw a three column chart shown below and brainstorm what you remember for each column.
Pre-Context Time Period of the Prompt Post-Context

STEP 2: Analyze the Documents (Don’t forget that documents are always presented in chronological order.)
 Use the H.I.P.P.1 strategy to analyze the 7 documents.
 As you H.I.P.P. the documents keep in mind what type of argument you’re crafting:
If it’s a CCOT argument, ask yourself “Does this evidence support continuity or change?”
If it’s a Comparison argument, ask yourself “Does this evidence support similarities or differences?”
If it’s a Causation argument, ask yourself “Does this evidence support cause or effect?”
*YOU MUST EXPLAIN HOW EACH PIECE OF EVIDECE SUPPORTS THE ARGUMENT YOU’RE MAKING!
 As you H.I.P.P. the documents, think about possible outside evidence you might use to further support your argument.
STEP 3: Organize your essay and write your thesis
 Use the THESIS FORMULA [X. However, A&B. Therefore, Y.]
X = Your counter argument
However, A&B = The themes you’re going to build your argument around
Therefore, Y = Your judgment (This is the most critical part of your thesis!)
 If need be, the thesis formula could serve as a quick outline for your essay.
Intro Paragraph Pre-Context + Thesis
Body Paragraph 1 Your counter argument (If your prompt does not lend itself to a separate counter
argument paragraph, skip it and include your counter argument in your other body paragraphs where appropriate.
It’s OK if you only have 2 body paragraphs!)
Body Paragraph 2 The first theme you listed in your thesis.
Body Paragraph 3 The second theme you listed in your thesis.
Conclusion Try to make a contextual connection between the topic of the prompt and a
historical event that came after the time period of the prompt.
STEP 4: Write your essay (Keep in mind the following)
 Your body paragraphs need topic sentences to strengthen and organize your argument.
 Be mindful that transitions make your essay easier to read.
 Try to always preface evidence with a sentence of context.
Body paragraph breakdown (Ideally, each body paragraph will contain the following elements.)
 A topic sentence
 Context as needed to maximize your evidence.
 Specific evidence to support your argument. (Outside Evidence and/or Documentary Evidence)
 An explanation as to how the evidence supports your argument; more specifically, how the evidence supports the CCOT, Causation, or
Comparison argument you’re trying to make.
A Reality Check about the APUSH Writing Rubrics:
DBQ Rubric (7 points total) LEQ Rubric (6 points total)
Contextualization (1 pt) Earn this point in your intro paragraph. Contextualization (1 pt) Earn this point in your intro paragraph.
Thesis (1 pt) Use the formula and earn this point every time. Thesis (1 pt) Use the formula and earn this point every time.
Doc/Content (1 pt) Accurately use at least 3 docs in your essay. Outside Evidence (1 pt) Accurately use a minimum of 2 pieces of OE.
Doc/Support (1 pt) Correctly use 6 docs to support your argument. Evidence Supports Argument(1 pt)Use evidence to support argument.
Doc/HIPP (1 pt) Correctly use HIPP at least 3 times in your argument. Argument Framing (1 pt) Organize your argument by explaining how
Outside Evidence (1 pt) Correctly use a minimum of 1 piece of OE. your evidence supports CCOT, CC, CE.
Complexity (1 pt) If you explained how your evidence supports your Complexity (1 pt) if you explained how your evidence supports CCOT,
CCOT, Comparison, or Causation argument, you will earn this point. Causation, or Comparison, and you provided context for all of your
evidence, you will earn this point, and you provided pre and post context
you will earn this point.

1
H.I.P.P. stands for historical context, intended audience, purpose, point of view.
*ALL STRATEGIES AND TIPS CAN BE USED ON BOTH DBQs AND LEQs.