Deck 30: America Moves to the Right

Question 1

What was Richard Nixon's "southern strategy" for winning the presidential election in 1968?

A) He hoped to woo white southerners away from the Democratic party.
B) He attempted to gain the black vote by promising new civil rights legislation.
C) He devoted little time to campaigning in the North.
D) He introduced labor unions to the South in order to capture labor's support.

Answer 1

He hoped to woo white southerners away from the Democratic party.

Question 2

Which of the following was true of court-ordered busing during Nixon's presidency?

A) After significant effort, he persuaded Congress to end it.
B) He fiercely enforced it, particularly in northern and western schools, as part of his southern strategy.
C) Despite riots elsewhere in the country, the people of Boston peacefully accepted it in 1974.
D) After he appointed four new justices to the Supreme Court, the court imposed strict limitations to achieve racial balance.

Answer 2

After he appointed four new justices to the Supreme Court, the court imposed strict limitations to achieve racial balance.

Question 3

What was Phyllis Schlafly's agenda in her 1964 book A Choice Not an Echo?

A) To praise the Republican party for its moderate views and policies
B) To praise the liberal elite eastern establishment for its rationalism
C) To press for the easing of Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union
D) To push Barry Goldwater's presidential candidacy

Answer 3

To push Barry Goldwater's presidential candidacy

Question 4

What was a consequence of the nuclear accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1979?

A) All nuclear power plants in the United States were closed for inspection.
B) Further development of the nuclear power industry was stalled.
C) Deadly radiation was discovered for several miles around the reactor core.
D) All nuclear power plants in the United States were decommissioned.

Question 5

For what crime did the House Judiciary Committee vote to charge President Nixon as one of the grounds for impeachment?

A) Tax evasion
B) Perjury
C) Obstruction of justice
D) Warrantless wiretapping

Question 6

What triggered the Watergate scandal that began in 1972?

A) An accident involving a U.S. senator who drove his car into the Potomac River
B) The discovery that Nixon campaign workers had broken into and bugged Democratic party headquarters in Washington, D.C.
C) Reports that Democratic party aides had stolen campaign strategy information from Republican party headquarters in Washington, D.C.
D) A newspaper report that Republican government officials had been collecting campaign funds from lobbyists

Question 7

Before winning the presidency, Jimmy Carter's political experience included

A) serving as a senator from Georgia.
B) acting as mayor of Atlanta.
C) serving as governor of Georgia.
D) working as a Democratic party activist in Georgia.

Question 8

Following the 1972 election, Americans learned that President Nixon and his associates had been guilty of

A) taking campaign contributions from the Mafia.
B) stuffing ballot boxes in the election.
C) harassing "enemies" through illegal means.
D) wiretapping CIA and FBI headquarters to protect presidential power.

Question 9

What was the significance of a number of conservative Democrats changing their party affiliation beginning in 1964?

A) Democrats were losing the solid South.
B) African Americans in the South would be voting in growing numbers.
C) Republicans were going to have a difficult time winning elections in the South.
D) Democratic politicians in the South were solidly behind federal civil rights legislation.

Question 10

What spurred the resignation of Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, in 1973?

A) An investigation that revealed his part in the Watergate break-in
B) His refusal to turn over the Oval Office tapes to the special prosecutor
C) An investigation that revealed he had taken bribes while governor of Maryland
D) The revelation that he had had an extramarital affair with one of his aides

Question 11

To address the nation's dependence on foreign oil, President Carter established the

A) Department of Energy.
B) Department of Health and Human Services.
C) Energy Protection Agency.
D) Bureau of Energy Conservation.

Question 12

What did the Democratic Congress aim to do after President Nixon's resignation?

A) Control the activities of the CIA
B) Guard against future abuses of government power
C) Fund universal health care
D) Clarify the laws of succession

Question 13

Which of the following was a surprising development in the 1972 presidential race between Richard Nixon and George McGovern?

A) Nixon received strong support from conservatives.
B) Nixon was popular among southern, Catholic, urban, and blue-collar voters.
C) McGovern was popular among southern, Catholic, urban, and blue-collar voters.
D) McGovern defeated Nixon in the popular vote.

Question 14

After President Nixon resigned from office in August 1974, he

A) retired to Virginia.
B) was tried and sentenced for his offenses.
C) was pardoned by President Gerald Ford.
D) ran for governor of California.

Question 15

President Nixon saw Chief Justice Earl Warren's retirement in 1969 as an opportunity to put what kind of justice on the Supreme Court?

A) A liberal female
B) A conservative male
C) An African American
D) A conservative female

Question 16

In its 1978 decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the Supreme Court

A) declared affirmative action unconstitutional.
B) established rigid quotas for affirmative action at universities.
C) allowed universities to base affirmative action on strict racial classifications.
D) limited the range of affirmative action.

Question 17

Which of the following describes the agenda of the new conservative movement of the 1970s?

A) It supported the advances of the Great Society.
B) It criticized the government's intrusion into the individual's economic life as a hindrance to prosperity and personal responsibility.
C) It extolled government involvement in the individual's economic life as a stimulus for economic growth and strong communities.
D) It lauded Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a vital source of progress in American life.

Question 18

Which of the following economic developments characterized Jimmy Carter's presidency?

A) The nation's economic fortunes improved.
B) U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals gained little from new legislation.
C) The president taxed upper-income Americans to ensure the solvency of Social Security.
D) The president cut federal spending in order to compensate for rising inflation.

Question 19

Which of the following factors helped Jimmy Carter win the presidency in 1976?

A) His association with special-interest groups
B) His strong political background
C) His distance from Washington, D.C., politics
D) His outstanding humanitarian and foreign policy experience

Question 20

What can you infer was the intended effect of California's Proposition 13?

A) To cut property taxes
B) To increase all taxes
C) To legalize gay marriage
D) To desegregate public schools

Question 21

What was President Reagan's initial strategy to fix the lagging U.S. economy?

A) Lower interest rates
B) Introduce a massive tax cut
C) Pump federal money into the economy
D) Increase taxes

Question 22

When he took office in 1976, President Carter promised to approach American foreign policy

A) with the intention of ending policy of détente spearheaded by President Nixon.
B) by applying human rights principles.
C) by avoiding the use of economic pressure or sanctions against other nations.
D) with the goal of abiding by the decisions made by the United Nations.

Question 23

According to the map titled "The Fight for the Equal Rights Amendment," states in what region were least likely to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment?

A) The Pacific Northwest
B) The Deep South
C) The Midwest
D) New England

Question 24

During the 1980s, as Americans' average personal income increased, how did the level of economic inequality in the United States change?

A) It also increased.
B) It decreased.
C) It remained unchanged.
D) It disappeared altogether.

Question 25

The American hostages were held in the U.S. Embassy in Teheran by their Iranian captors

A) until President Carter sent troops to rescue them.
B) until President Carter was able to negotiate their release with Ayatollah Khomeini.
C) for nearly four years, nearly all of Carter's term in office.
D) until the day President Carter left office.

Question 26

By 1990, about what percentage of married women with young children worked outside the home?

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 60 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 27

How did President Carter respond to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?

A) He established a new program to shore up Muslim dictatorships in neighboring countries.
B) He barred U.S. athletes from participating in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
C) He requested legislation requiring all nineteen-year-old men and women to register for the draft.
D) He asked the United Nations to expel the Soviet Union from the Security Council.

Question 28

Who founded the Moral Majority in 1979?

A) Former civil rights activists, who were dedicated to nonviolence
B) Advocates of expanding the nation's social welfare system
C) Jerry Falwell, to fight left-wing social welfare bills
D) Ralph Nader, to fight for corporate responsibility

Question 29

Who was Walter Mondale's running mate in the presidential election of 1984?

A) Hubert H. Humphrey
B) Reverend Jesse Jackson
C) Shirley Chisholm
D) Geraldine A. Ferraro

Question 30

Which of the following was among the reasons the Iranian government was hostile to the United States after the shah left the country?

A) The CIA helped to overthrow the Mossadegh government.
B) The United States and Iraq had a history of military alliances.
C) Iran blamed the U.S. government for allowing Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.
D) The United States held several hundred Iranian students in prison on political charges.

Question 31

What was one of President Carter's major accomplishments in mediating the political crises in the Middle East?

A) Dissuading Egypt from attacking Israel in 1977
B) Persuading Menachem Begin that Israel should give up the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
C) Convincing Egypt to recognize Israel and Israel to gradually withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula
D) Brokering a temporary peace between the state of Israel and the Palestinian refugees

Question 32

What was the outcome of the Reagan administration's decision to deregulate the banking industry?

A) Savings and loan institutions' financial position was strengthened dramatically.
B) A crisis in the savings and loan industry occurred, placing an added burden on taxpayers.
C) Nearly all American savings and loan institutions declared bankruptcy.
D) A flurry of mergers and bankruptcies left the country with just five major banks.

Question 33

In 1977, the United States and Panama completed treaties that arranged

A) Panama's takeover of the Panama Canal in 2000.
B) for the United States to purchase the Panama Canal in 2000.
C) for the United States to continue leasing the Panama Canal indefinitely.
D) for unlimited use of the Panama Canal by the United States.

Question 34

Before he won the presidency in 1980, Ronald Reagan had been

A) a professional football player and then the mayor of Los Angeles.
B) a nationally known attorney in a Los Angeles law firm.
C) a longtime Republican activist and chair of the Republican National Committee.
D) a well-known actor and then the governor of California.

Question 35

What was the ultimate result of President Reagan's two substantial tax cuts?

A) They benefited the wealthy.
B) They had little effect on the economy.
C) They had essentially no effect on the economy.
D) They made a significant difference to the average taxpayer.

Question 36

Why was Ronald Reagan often liked even by those who disagreed with his policies?

A) He was confident, easygoing, and optimistic.
B) He was known for his keen insights and accuracy with facts and figures.
C) He maintained his close ties to moderate political organizations.
D) He was always willing to compromise on important issues.

Question 37

What calamity led President Carter to sponsor legislation to create the Superfund?

A) The environmental disaster at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York
B) The bankruptcy of the Chrysler Corporation
C) The emergence of AIDS crisis in the United States
D) The recession caused by stagflation in 1979

Question 38

Which of the following factors was a significant part of Ronald Reagan's appeal to voters?

A) His promise to expand the role of government to improve people's lives.
B) His ability to downplay the so-called misery index.
C) His promise to take government off the backs of the people.
D) His praise for the achievements of the Great Society.

Question 39

What was the result of President Reagan's pledge to reduce federal spending?

A) Cuts in spending for social welfare programs
B) A reduction in the federal budget deficit
C) Lower interest payments on the national debt
D) A reduction in the national defense budget

Question 40

What made the election of 1980 so significant?

A) It signaled a resurgence of support for the Great Society.
B) It signaled conservatives' loss of dominance in the Republican party.
C) It revealed that conservatives had come to dominate the Republican party.
D) Voter turnout was the highest it had been since 1932.

Question 41

"Homosexual activists have all but completed their campaign to persuade the nation's educational establishment that homosexuality is normal 'alternative' behavior, and thus any adverse reaction to it is akin to a phobia, such as fear of heights, or an ethnic prejudice, such as anti-Semitism. The movement now stands on the verge of fully realizing its use of law to . . . intimidate heterosexuals uncomfortable about coming into contact with it. . . . The movement seeks to win sinecures through the state, and over any objections by 'homophobic' opposition. With a cloud of a heavy fine or even a jail sentence hanging over a mortgage lender, a rental agent, or a job interviewer who might be discomforted by them, homosexuals under these laws can win employment, credit, housing, and other economic entitlements. Heterosexuals would have no right to discriminate against homosexuals, but apparently, not vice versa. . . .
Heterosexuals and even 'closeted' homosexuals will be at a competitive disadvantage for jobs and housing. . . ."
According to Carl F. Horowitz, what group would be at risk if gays were given full rights?

A) Children
B) Heterosexuals
C) Religious leaders
D) Conservative politicians

Question 42

Who was active in the new grassroots conservative movement? What issues most concerned those Americans?

Question 43

What groups failed to benefit from President Reagan's economic philosophy?

Question 44

Briefly explain the theory of supply-side economics. How did that theory influence two policies in the Reagan administration?

Question 45

Which of the following describes President Reagan's Star Wars initiative?

A) It eased tensions with the Soviet Union because it was a defensive, rather than an offensive, program.
B) It surprised Reagan's advisers and elicited an angry response from critics and the Soviet Union.
C) It met with overwhelming approval at home and abroad.
D) It carefully adhered to the terms of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty.

Question 46

What did the independent prosecutor charged with investigating the Iran-Contra scandal conclude about President Reagan and Vice President George Bush?

A) Both were guilty of clear violations of the law.
B) Both had little knowledge of efforts to divert funds to the Contras or of plans to hide those efforts.
C) Both had knowingly participated or at least acquiesced in covering up the scandal.
D) Neither had played any role whatsoever in the scandal.

Question 47

What was the New Right? How did it influence the Reagan administration?

Question 48

Evaluate the successes and failures in the 1970s and 1980s of the two following groups: feminists and gay and lesbian rights activists.

Question 49

What was the status of the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union at the time President Reagan left office in 1989?

A) They were on the brink of nuclear war.
B) They had resolved all of their disputes and had agreed to destroy their nuclear arsenals.
C) They had agreed that communism and capitalism could coexist peacefully.
D) They had reached their highest level of cooperation since World War II.

Question 50

In April 1983, a suicide attack on a U.S. embassy in which nation killed sixty-three people?

A) Iran
B) Syria
C) Egypt
D) Lebanon

Question 51

What did President Nixon's Oval Office tapes reveal about the president? How did they contribute to his decision to resign in August 1974?

Question 52

"I quote our diocesan resolution: 'Whereas this Convention, without making any judgment on the morality of homosexuality, agrees that homosexuals are entitled to full civil rights. Now therefore be it resolved this Convention supports laws guaranteeing homosexuals all civil rights guaranteed to other citizens.' The Bible stands for justice and compassion for all of God's children. To deny civil rights to anyone for something he or she cannot help is against the clear commandment of justice and love, which is the message of the word of God. As a New Yorker I find it incredible that this great city, populated by more gay persons than any other city in the world, still denies them basic human rights. They make an enormous contribution to the commercial, artistic, and religious life of our city." Which of the following arguments did Bishop Paul Moore advance for granting gays and lesbians full civil rights?

A) Other countries have interpreted the Bible differently and accept gays and lesbians.
B) Gays and lesbians could be made to pay higher taxes if they were granted full civil rights.
C) It is unfair to deny people rights based on attributes they cannot change.
D) If they are not granted full rights, gays and lesbians might violently rebel.

Question 53

What happened to American defense spending under President Reagan?

A) It rose to $500 billion per year.
B) It increased beyond the level of spending during the Vietnam War.
C) It fell by almost 30 percent.
D) It grew because of the federal budget surplus.

Question 54

How did President Reagan respond to the growing black protests against the racist system of apartheid in South Africa in the mid- to late 1980s?

A) He sent economic and military aid to support the black protesters.
B) He convinced the South African government to liberalize its apartheid policies.
C) He imposed economic sanctions against the South African government.
D) He sided with the South African government in the escalating conflicts.

Question 55

How did President Nixon respond to efforts to reform racial disparity in U.S. schools?

Question 56

What was the Iran-Contra scandal? How did the Reagan administration violate congressional instruction in its decision to fund the Contras?

Question 57

What did President Carter do to address the energy shortage when he took office in 1977?

Question 58

What did the Reagan administration do when Congress blocked its efforts to help opponents of the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua?

A) It acted secretly and illegally to undermine congressional authority.
B) It funneled money and arms to the Contras through the FBI.
C) It persuaded European countries to cut off trade with Nicaragua.
D) It gave up its plan of ousting the Sandinista government.

Question 59

Despite the antifeminist tone of the Reagan administration, feminists and the administration found common ground in

A) lobbying for the Equal Rights Amendment.
B) expanding abortion rights.
C) expanding child care for poor working women.
D) the collection of court-ordered child support payments for single mothers.

Question 60

What was the Carter Doctrine? What events were factors in its formulation?

Question 61

Match the term with the definition.
Legislation passed by Congress in 1981 that authorized the largest reduction in taxes in the nation's history. The tax cuts benefited affluent Americans disproportionately and widened the distribution of American wealth in favor of the rich.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 62

Match the term with the definition.
Economic theory that claims tax cuts for individuals (especially the wealthy) and businesses encourage investment and production (supply) and stimulates consumption (demand) because individuals can keep more of their earnings. Despite promises to the contrary, under President Reagan this theory created a massive federal budget deficit.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 63

Match the term with the definition.
Constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1972 that would require equal treatment of men and women under federal and state law. Facing fierce opposition from the New Right and the Republican party, the amendment was defeated as time ran out for state ratification in 1982.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 64

Match the term with the definition.
Situation that began in 1979 after the deposed shah of Iran was allowed into the United States following the Iranian revolution. Iranians broke into the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and took sixty-six Americans captive.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 65

Match the term with the definition.
Nuclear disarmament agreement reached between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, signifying a major thaw in the Cold War. It eliminated all short- and medium-range missiles from Europe and provided for onsite inspection for the first time.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 66

In the 1970s and 1980s, the bases and central issues of the Democratic and Republican parties changed significantly. Describe the factors that accounted for these changes and their impact on American politics in those decades.

Question 67

Match the term with the definition.
1977 agreement that returned control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama in 2000.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 68

Evaluate Ronald Reagan's legacy as president. What were his administration's most significant domestic achievements? its failures?

Question 69

Match the term with the definition.
Legislation that penalized manufacturers of gas-guzzling automobiles and provided additional incentives for energy conservation and development of alternative fuels, such as wind and solar power. The act fell short of the long-term, comprehensive program that President Carter advocated.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 70

To what extent did President Carter succeed in making human rights the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy?

Question 71

Match the term with the definition.
President Reagan's project to deploy lasers in space that would destroy enemy missiles before they could reach their targets. The Soviets protested that it violated the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty. The project cost billions of dollars without producing a working system.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 72

Match the term with the definition.
Politically active religious conservatives who became particularly vocal in the 1980s. These conservatives criticized feminism, opposed abortion and homosexuality, and promoted "family values" and military preparedness.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 73

Match the term with the definition.
Agreements between Egypt and Israel reached at 1979 talks hosted by President Carter. Egypt became the first Arab state to recognize Israel, and Israel agreed to gradual withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 74

What events led to President Nixon's resignation in August 1974?

Question 75

Match the term with the definition.
Term referring to the 1972 break-in at Democratic party headquarters in Washington, D.C., by men working for President Nixon's reelection campaign, along with Nixon's efforts to cover it up. The scandal led to Nixon's resignation.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 76

Match the term with the definition.
Reagan administration scandal that involved the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for its efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Lebanon and the redirection of the proceeds of those sales to the Nicaraguan Contras.

A)Camp David accords
B)Economic Recovery Tax Act
C)Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D)intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement
E)Iran-Contra scandal
F)Iran hostage crisis
G)National Energy Act of 1978
H)New (Christian) Right
I)Panama Canal treaty
J)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
K)supply-side economics
L)Watergate

Question 77

Evaluate Ronald Reagan's legacy in international affairs. What were his administration's most significant international achievements? its failures?