Unit 10: Contemporary America
Timeline
Primary Sources
First Woman V.P. ButtonThis button, although just another campaign relic, provides so much more insight then noticed at first glance. This is a button from Ronald Reagan's 1984 presidential campaign. On it is a photo of Geraldine Ferraro with the words "America's First Woman Vice Pres." as she was Reagan's political partner in the election.
This was highly important, as Geraldine Ferraro made history as the first woman nominated for major political office. The button, which was undoubtedly highly distributed, spread this message of change to millions of Americans. This was a great political and social accomplishment for the feminism and women's rights movements, and also a step toward modern equality in the United States. ~Aaron W. |
Roe v. Wade Court SyllabusThis document details the supreme court decision from the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. It introduces the case from the pregnant mother (Roe) who challenged the abortion law in Texas. The decision was in conjunction to Doe v. Bolton, and in the decision, Roe had the right to sue. Not only that, but this case decided that a woman has the right to choose whether to have abortion or not, and she has the right to privacy under certain amendments. However, the decision works with a trimester of a woman's pregnancy, so after a certain trimester it is up to the state laws to cover abortion rights from there, and they should choose what is deem fit for the mother and child's health.
This landmark case introduces a new controversy that has grown to be one of the biggest today--abortion. It prompted national debate and many still question at what point is abortion okay, at what point should the government regulate and cover, and more. Now, there are many pro-life or pro-choice campaigns as well as their counterparts flourishing today. Not only that, but the question of how much religion and morality should be a part of certain laws also brings in another conflict. In making abortion more legal than it was at the time, it allowed woman to ask for abortions more freely, and possibly helped save many women's lives from illegal abortions like coat hanger abortions. However, the debate still carries today to what extent should abortion be legal. -Ingrid C. |
Women in the WorkforceThis is a chart of the women that worked between 1950 and 1985. It shows how many single women, women in general and how many workers in general worked. As shown in the graph, all three of the categories went up as the years went on. It increasingly went up after the 1970s.
This chart shows the women that worked. It shows how they have become more independent from the men and able to take care of themselves. The amount of women working in the factories went up significantly in the 1970s because that is when the Vietnam war ended. ~Kayla M. |
Oil costs strain US foreign relationsBy the contemporary period in America, most everything from power plants to cars relied on oil or oil derivatives. Thus it became imperative that the government of the United States took every measure necessary to ensure that oil costs stabilized. Organization of Oil Producing Countries, or OPEC, grouped together and hiked the cost of oil just to antagonize the US. When Kuwait's oil fields were jeopardized, the US was quick to step in and save its oil thirsty constituents.
Oil had become an absolute necessary, and the United States - in reality, the western world- had to play by the oil producers rules or else play dirty. After the first energy crisis in the 70s, the movement to free the US from dependency on foreign oil lost momentum just as soon as the cheap oil started flowing again. ~Daniel T. |