Question 1

Gerald Ford burned most of the personal political capital he had when he took office in August 1974 by&#10;A) Restarting the war in Vietnam&#10;B) Announcing an end to all social welfare programs&#10;C) Vetoing a tax cut in the middle of a recession&#10;D) Pardoning Nixon for his crimes

Accepted Answer

President Ford's pardon of Nixon was highly controversial and widely criticized. Many Americans felt that Nixon should have faced criminal prosecution for his involvement in the Watergate scandal, and Ford's decision to pardon him was seen by some as an attempt to sweep the matter under the rug. The pardon damaged Ford's credibility and made it harder for him to win the support of the public and Congress.

Question 2

Ford became the most conservative president since&#10;A) Eisenhower&#10;B) FDR&#10;C) Hoover&#10;D) Wilson

Accepted Answer

Ford was known for his cautious and moderate approach to governing, which was similar to that of President Hoover. Both leaders believed in limited government intervention in the economy and favored individual responsibility over government welfare programs.

Question 3

Jimmy Carter's credentials as a political outsider&#10;A) Were attractive to Americans in a post-Watergate atmosphere&#10;B) Were considered a liability by many Democrats&#10;C) Were particularly appealing to young members of the counterculture&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

Jimmy Carter's status as a political outsider, having never served in Washington, D.C., was seen as a positive attribute in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the disillusionment with establishment politicians. This outsider status made him an appealing candidate for many Americans who were looking for a fresh face and a new approach to politics. While some Democrats were initially skeptical of Carter's lack of political experience, his outsider status ultimately proved to be an asset in the 1976 election. Carter's appeal to countercultural youth was not a major factor in his election.

Question 4

The key concern of Americans in the 1976 presidential election was&#10;A) Foreign policy&#10;B) Fears of communism&#10;C) The ongoing war in Vietnam&#10;D) Economic issues

Accepted Answer

The 1976 presidential election occurred during a period of economic turmoil and high inflation, leading to concerns about the state of the economy. Unemployment rates had also risen, contributing to the general unease among Americans about their financial circumstances. Therefore, economic issues were the key concern of Americans in the 1976 presidential election.

Question 5

The Iran hostage crisis was triggered by&#10;A) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict&#10;B) Carter's decision to allow the deposed Shah of Iran to come to the US for medical treatment&#10;C) A US-backed coup that attempted to overthrow the Khomeini government in Iran&#10;D) The OPEC oil embargo

Accepted Answer

The Iran hostage crisis was triggered by Carter's decision to allow the deposed Shah of Iran to come to the US for medical treatment. This decision outraged Iranian students and militants, who seized the US embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The militants demanded that the US government hand over the Shah for trial in Iran in exchange for the hostages' release. The crisis deeply strained US-Iranian relations, leading to economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and a failed US military mission to rescue the hostages.

Question 6

Carter's foreign policy successes included&#10;A) The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel&#10;B) The Panama Canal Treaty&#10;C) Protection of oppressed people in Latin America&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

Carter's foreign policy successes included all of the above. The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel led to a peace treaty between the two nations, the Panama Canal Treaty ensured the transfer of the canal to Panama in 1999, and Carter also placed emphasis on human rights issues in Latin America, including supporting democratic reforms and opposing oppressive regimes.

Question 7

The American economy was in a shambles in the late 1970s, with&#10;A) Inflation hitting double digits&#10;B) Unemployment rates over 8%&#10;C) High unemployment and inflation&#10;D) Continuing military spending on Vietnam&#10;

Accepted Answer

The American economy faced significant challenges in the late 1970s, characterized by a combination of high inflation and unemployment, a situation often referred to as "stagflation." The correct answers that describe the state of the economy during this period are:
a. Inflation hitting double digits: Inflation rates in the late 1970s were indeed very high, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reaching annual rates above 10%. This was one of the most pressing economic issues of the time.
b. Unemployment rates over 8%: The unemployment rate also rose during this period, although it did not consistently stay over 8%. It fluctuated and peaked at different points, reflecting the economic instability of the time.
c. High unemployment and inflation: This is a summary of the economic condition known as stagflation, where the economy experiences the dual burden of high unemployment and high inflation simultaneously, which is generally considered a difficult problem for policymakers to address because measures to reduce inflation may exacerbate unemployment, and vice versa.
d. Continuing military spending on Vietnam: This statement is not accurate for the late 1970s. The U.S. military involvement in Vietnam officially ended in 1973 with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Therefore, by the late 1970s, military spending was no longer focused on active combat operations in Vietnam, although the war had lasting effects on the economy.
In summary, the American economy in the late 1970s was indeed in a difficult situation with high inflation and high unemployment, but military spending on Vietnam was not a contributing factor during that specific time frame.

Question 8

Before becoming president, Reagan's reputation was as a&#10;A) A moderate, coalition builder&#10;B) A fairly left-wing Republican&#10;C) A political outsider&#10;D) A right-wing red-baiter

Accepted Answer

Before becoming president, Ronald Reagan was known as a staunch conservative and anti-communist, often labeled as a right-wing red-baiter due to his strong stance against communism and his activities as president of the Screen Actors Guild, where he was involved in the fight against communist influence in Hollywood.

Question 9

Unusually for a Democrat, in the 1980 election Carter lost the majority of Americans who were concerned with&#10;A) Economic issues&#10;B) Law and order&#10;C) The counterculture&#10;D) Communism

Accepted Answer

In the 1980 election, Carter lost the majority of Americans who were concerned with economic issues. This was largely due to the ongoing recession and high inflation during his presidency. Ronald Reagan, who had a reputation for being a successful governor in California during a time of economic growth, presented himself as a better option for fixing the economy.

Question 10

&#10;-One of the few states that Carter won other than his home state was&#10;A) Minnesota&#10;B) Georgia&#10;C) Massachusetts&#10;D) California

Accepted Answer

Carter won Minnesota in the 1980 presidential election, one of the few states he carried besides his home state of Georgia.

Question 11

_______ of the American electorate voted in 1980.&#10;A) 28%&#10;B) 34%&#10;C) 47%&#10;D) 53%

Accepted Answer

The answer of _______ of the American electorate voted in...

Question 12

The political passivity represented by the low voter turnout in 1980 was&#10;A) Fairly standard for a US presidential election&#10;B) Unusual for the American electorate&#10;C) Comparable to low turnout in Western European countries in the same time period&#10;D) The result of the expansion of the electorate thanks to civil rights

Accepted Answer

The answer of The political passivity represented by the low...

Question 13

The largest number of nonvoters throughout the 1970s came from&#10;A) Well-off suburbs&#10;B) Evangelical Christians&#10;C) The blue-collar and service workers&#10;D) College-educated workers

Accepted Answer

The answer of The largest number of nonvoters throughout the...

Question 14

Most of the Democratic Party's weakness in the 1970s can be attributed to&#10;A) A renewed focus on law and order&#10;B) Their failure to concentrate on traditional economic issues&#10;C) Their support for civil rights&#10;D) Republican ability to become the party of anticommunism

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most of the Democratic Party's weakness in...

Question 15

The New Right galvanized voters around&#10;A) Red-baiting&#10;B) Social issues like abortion&#10;C) Anti-war organizing&#10;D) Anger at desegregation

Accepted Answer

The answer of The New Right galvanized voters around&#10;A) Red-baiting&#10;B)...

Question 16

The New Right fought for issues including&#10;A) Banning abortion&#10;B) Defeating the Equal Rights Amendment&#10;C) Defending the traditional family&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of The New Right fought for issues including&#10;A)...

Question 17

The only variable that connected voters opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment and those opposed to abortion was&#10;A) Social status&#10;B) Education&#10;C) Region of residence&#10;D) Depth of religious commitment

Accepted Answer

The answer of The only variable that connected voters opposed...

Question 18

&#10;-Many new evangelical Christians were supporters of men like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, who were both&#10;A) Television preachers&#10;B) Southern Baptists&#10;C) Catholic priests&#10;D) Conservative politicians

Accepted Answer

The answer of    &#10;-Many new evangelical Christians...

Question 19

Direct mail campaigns were developed by right-wing activists to&#10;A) Overcome the limitations placed on political fundraising by the 1974 campaign finance reform law&#10;B) Mobilize wealthy donors across the country to donate more to Republican campaigns&#10;C) Mobilize Christian evangelicals to support political causes with their money&#10;D) Present voters with facts and figures in an accessible format

Accepted Answer

The answer of Direct mail campaigns were developed by right-wing...

Question 20

The primary means that direct mail campaigns used to mobilize voters was&#10;A) Presentation of facts with primary sources&#10;B) Attacks on Democratic candidates&#10;C) Gentle persuasion&#10;D) To make the voters angry

Accepted Answer

The answer of The primary means that direct mail campaigns...

Deck 14: An Era of Political Malaise