Ford & Carter Domestic Policy- Page 224 in Textbook
Background:
The state of the US in 1974:
● Political- lack of trust in government due to the Watergate scandal.
● Economic- stagflation (stagnation in the economy and high inflation). Energy crisis
● Social divisions- Women’s rights, gay rights, civil rights, hippy/ counter culture.
● Internationally- Vietnam is close to the end. Detente with China and the USSR.
Gerald Ford: August 1974-77 → Jimmy Carter: 1977-81
Gerald Ford 1974-77:
● Background
- Republican
- Widely seen as a decent and honest man, providing a stark contrast to the scandal-ridden presidency of
Nixon
- Respected congressman (1948-73)
- Accepted VP position after Spiro Agnew resigned after tax fraud in 1973
- Becomes president August 1974
- Made the statement ‘A Ford, not a Lincoln’- describes himself as an honest and practical leader.
Restoring trust after nixon’s scandal.
➢ Different from Nixon. Less formal. Nixon put himself on a pedestal ‘if the president does it it's not
illegal’- interviews with David Frost.
- FLOTUS (First lady of the United States) - Betty Ford, much more influential than Ford herself. Quite
Popular.
- Media often mocked his intellect due to his sporting background (college football star), but he studied law
and Yale and graduated top 3 in his class
➢ Pardoned Nixon Sep 1974- sparked public outrage and hurt his approval ratings- dropped from
71% to 50% in one month.
➢ Reputation for physical clumsiness- falling down the stairs of air force one.
➢ Former sporting achievements- LBJ- hit in the head too many times- mock his intelligence.
➢ Political satire- SNL- 1975- Chevy Chase’s portrayal further emphasised his clumsiness and dull
persona—negatively shape public perception
● Ford Pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed during Watergate.
- Popularity never recovered
- Lack of legitimacy to issue pardon since he had never been elected as president or vice president
● Leadership and challenges
- He wanted a ‘regular guy’ in the white house
- Newsweek- ‘nothing different from your next door neighbour’
- When he pardoned Nixon his popularity never recovered
- Considered and exceptionally poor leader
- Unlucky in facing growing economic problems, several international crises, congressional determination
to reign in imperial presidency, decreased respect for presidency, increased social divisions
- Congress determined to reassert authority after Nixon’s ‘imperial presidency’
- In 1975, Congress refused to provide further military aid to South Vietnam. Without U.S. support, Saigon
fell to North Vietnamese forces, marking the end of the Vietnam War.
● Policies & achievements
- No landmark legislation
- Unable to cope with US economic problems and congress
- First president to not be elected
1974- Ford becomes president
● 8 September 1974- Ford grants a full and unconditional pardon to Nixon for any crimes he may have committed
during Watergate
● Meant Nixon would avoid any criminal persecution
● Caused outrage in media and general public
● Why?
- Best way to end the ‘American tragedy’- trial would result in an obsession with watergate/ wanted to
move on from it
, - Concerned republican prospects in 1976 would suffer if Nixon’s mistakes were still being spoken about in
the media
- Though it Christian to show mercy
- ‘I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough’. Thought Nixon was suicidal
- Antagonism towards nixon was so great that it might be impossible to meet supreme court standards for
an unbiased jury
- Didn’t want to degrade Nixon’s presidency
- Rumours he did a deal in exchange for the presidency. However- no evidence.
- This could be why the media mercilessly mocked him because they hated him for pardoning Nixon.
Jimmy Carter 1977-1981:
● Background
- Democrat
- Rejected excessive formality
- Sold presidential yacht and wore casual clothes for televised broadcasts
- ‘Washington outsider- not a national politician
- A baptist and a peanut farmer
- Role when he won 1976 election- Serving his first term as Governor in Georgia- extremely inexperienced.
Out of his depth.
- ‘I will never lie to you’ ‘I’m a moral man’, Christian - Stark contrasted the disgraced Nixon administration.
- First lady- Rosalind. Like Betty Ford before her, far more popular than her husband during his time in
office
● Leadership and challenges
- Considered an exceptionally poor leader
- Unlucky in facing growing economic problems, several international crises, congressional determination
to reign in imperial presidency, decreased respect for presidency, increased social divisions
- Faced a major energy crisis, with fuel shortages and rising gas prices leading to national frustration
- Foreign policy problems- Iranian hostage crisis- USSR invasion of Afghanistan
● Policies and achievements-
- Won nobel peace prize 2002
- Helpful to impoverished African Americans
- Streamlined state government
- Presidential election victory described as a political miracle
- Helped bring greater stability to middle class
- However- considered ineffective president. Fails to control congress. Poor legislative record. Foreign
policy unimpressive.
- Incapable of dealing with economy, energy crisis, and Iran
- Headline ‘Can Carter Cope’
- Legacy- some debate over whether he was a visionary president
● Nov 1980- lost election to Ronald Raegan
Social Issues
Women’s Liberation:
Background:
● Second wave of feminism- focus on women's rights, equality and abortion
● 1970s poll- only ⅔ female college students agreed that ‘the idea that the woman’s place is in the home is
nonsense’. Ongoing cultural resistance.
● Persisting economic challenges.
- Gender pay gap- Women earned 73% men’s salaries
- Around 66% of adults classified as poor were women.
● ERA- Equal Rights Amendment. Aimed to end sex discrimination in the constitution by guaranteeing equal rights
for all (regardless of gender) under law.
- Approved by congress in 1972, during a Democrat majority. Sent to the states for ratification.
- To be added to the constitution, the ERA needed approval from 38 states (¾) by the 1979 deadline.
- It failed to pass.
Ford:
● ERA was championed by Betty Ford- outspoken first lady of ford
● Publicly supported the ERA and women’s rights.
● Beloved figure among liberals but loathed by conservatives
, ● Raised national awareness about breast cancer and encouraged Ford to appoint more women to high-level
government roles
● Equal Credit opportunity Act (1974)- prohibits discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction (borrow money/
access good and services)
● 1975- South Dakota became the first state to make Marital rape illegal. However, only in all stats by 1993
● In 1976, the U.S. women accepted to work in the military
● However Ford did little to help women- A Republican without a mandate did not want to push for minority rights
Carter:
● Carter supported women's rights on moral grounds but also saw political capital. Misjudged the strength of
conservative backlash.
● Carter supported the ERA and insisted on considering at least one female candidate for each cabinet post.
● Appointed two women to the cabinet and more women to hgh level roles than any president before him
● 1978 pregnancy discrimination act made employment discrimination based on pregnancy illegal
● Helped fund shelters for victims of domestic violence
● By 1980, more women than men were voting in the presidential election
● Mixed public reception
- Many women were frustrated that he did not speak out more himself instead of letting his wife Rosalynn
Carter speak for him
- Influence over her husband led to her nickname Mrs President
- Many frustrated by his opposition to federal funding of abortion except in the limited cases of incest, rape
or endangerment of mother’s life.
Opposition to the ERA:
● There was a conservative backlash to the ERA
● Opponents argued for traditional gender roles, suggesting men should fight in wars and women should remain
focused on the home and family
● Largely led by Phyllis Schlafly- Catholic lawyer and mother of six
● Nicknamed the ‘sweetheart of the silent majority’
● In 1972 she founded ‘stop ERA’, attracting 50,000 members
- However, only 8,000 supporters gathered in 1978
● ‘The american people do not want government funded abortion, lesbian privileges or universal childcare’
● Campaigned for woman’s skirts to be 2 inches below the knee
● Many conservatives agreed with Schlafly over the ERA. opposition closely associated with republican party and
Henry Hyde
- Hyde- part of conservative coalition that blocked ERA progress
- Hyde Amendment (1976) banned federal funding for most abortions. Strong Catholic.
● 1979, Beverly LaHaye, a San Diego housewife, founded Concerned Women for America, which grew to 50,000
members by the mid-1980s, opposing both ERA and abortion rights.
● Irony- despite advocating for stay-at-home motherhood, frequently traveled and made public appearances; she
told Time magazine in 1978, “I have cancelled speeches whenever my husband thought I had been away from
home too much.”
Reproductive rights:
● Before 1973 abortion was a crime in 30 states but legal in limited cases (rape, incest, or a threat to womens life)
in the other 20.
● Wealthier women could often access safe abortions while poor women were forced into dangerous and illegal
procedures
● Abortion became central to women’s rights. National Abortion Rights Action League lobbied reform in 1971,
arguing for bodily autonomy
● ‘We can get all the rights in the world and none of them mean a doggone thing if we can't own the flesh we stand
in’
● Roe v Wade (1973)- sparked by a Texas women seeking to avoid raising a child in poverty. Supreme Court
legalised abortion during the first 13 weeks where a fetus could not survive independently. Supported by Betty
Ford, NOW, and planned parenthood.
● Betty Ford ‘great great decision’
● Conservatives outraged and actively opposed ruling.
- National Rights to Life Committee established by Catholic church in 1968 to oppose abortion
- Used mass mailings and highly emotive language- ‘baby killers’
- 50% of those contacted by NRLC donated at least $25
- Campaign against abortion affected 1980 congressional elections- several liberals defeated including
McGovern
Background:
The state of the US in 1974:
● Political- lack of trust in government due to the Watergate scandal.
● Economic- stagflation (stagnation in the economy and high inflation). Energy crisis
● Social divisions- Women’s rights, gay rights, civil rights, hippy/ counter culture.
● Internationally- Vietnam is close to the end. Detente with China and the USSR.
Gerald Ford: August 1974-77 → Jimmy Carter: 1977-81
Gerald Ford 1974-77:
● Background
- Republican
- Widely seen as a decent and honest man, providing a stark contrast to the scandal-ridden presidency of
Nixon
- Respected congressman (1948-73)
- Accepted VP position after Spiro Agnew resigned after tax fraud in 1973
- Becomes president August 1974
- Made the statement ‘A Ford, not a Lincoln’- describes himself as an honest and practical leader.
Restoring trust after nixon’s scandal.
➢ Different from Nixon. Less formal. Nixon put himself on a pedestal ‘if the president does it it's not
illegal’- interviews with David Frost.
- FLOTUS (First lady of the United States) - Betty Ford, much more influential than Ford herself. Quite
Popular.
- Media often mocked his intellect due to his sporting background (college football star), but he studied law
and Yale and graduated top 3 in his class
➢ Pardoned Nixon Sep 1974- sparked public outrage and hurt his approval ratings- dropped from
71% to 50% in one month.
➢ Reputation for physical clumsiness- falling down the stairs of air force one.
➢ Former sporting achievements- LBJ- hit in the head too many times- mock his intelligence.
➢ Political satire- SNL- 1975- Chevy Chase’s portrayal further emphasised his clumsiness and dull
persona—negatively shape public perception
● Ford Pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed during Watergate.
- Popularity never recovered
- Lack of legitimacy to issue pardon since he had never been elected as president or vice president
● Leadership and challenges
- He wanted a ‘regular guy’ in the white house
- Newsweek- ‘nothing different from your next door neighbour’
- When he pardoned Nixon his popularity never recovered
- Considered and exceptionally poor leader
- Unlucky in facing growing economic problems, several international crises, congressional determination
to reign in imperial presidency, decreased respect for presidency, increased social divisions
- Congress determined to reassert authority after Nixon’s ‘imperial presidency’
- In 1975, Congress refused to provide further military aid to South Vietnam. Without U.S. support, Saigon
fell to North Vietnamese forces, marking the end of the Vietnam War.
● Policies & achievements
- No landmark legislation
- Unable to cope with US economic problems and congress
- First president to not be elected
1974- Ford becomes president
● 8 September 1974- Ford grants a full and unconditional pardon to Nixon for any crimes he may have committed
during Watergate
● Meant Nixon would avoid any criminal persecution
● Caused outrage in media and general public
● Why?
- Best way to end the ‘American tragedy’- trial would result in an obsession with watergate/ wanted to
move on from it
, - Concerned republican prospects in 1976 would suffer if Nixon’s mistakes were still being spoken about in
the media
- Though it Christian to show mercy
- ‘I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough’. Thought Nixon was suicidal
- Antagonism towards nixon was so great that it might be impossible to meet supreme court standards for
an unbiased jury
- Didn’t want to degrade Nixon’s presidency
- Rumours he did a deal in exchange for the presidency. However- no evidence.
- This could be why the media mercilessly mocked him because they hated him for pardoning Nixon.
Jimmy Carter 1977-1981:
● Background
- Democrat
- Rejected excessive formality
- Sold presidential yacht and wore casual clothes for televised broadcasts
- ‘Washington outsider- not a national politician
- A baptist and a peanut farmer
- Role when he won 1976 election- Serving his first term as Governor in Georgia- extremely inexperienced.
Out of his depth.
- ‘I will never lie to you’ ‘I’m a moral man’, Christian - Stark contrasted the disgraced Nixon administration.
- First lady- Rosalind. Like Betty Ford before her, far more popular than her husband during his time in
office
● Leadership and challenges
- Considered an exceptionally poor leader
- Unlucky in facing growing economic problems, several international crises, congressional determination
to reign in imperial presidency, decreased respect for presidency, increased social divisions
- Faced a major energy crisis, with fuel shortages and rising gas prices leading to national frustration
- Foreign policy problems- Iranian hostage crisis- USSR invasion of Afghanistan
● Policies and achievements-
- Won nobel peace prize 2002
- Helpful to impoverished African Americans
- Streamlined state government
- Presidential election victory described as a political miracle
- Helped bring greater stability to middle class
- However- considered ineffective president. Fails to control congress. Poor legislative record. Foreign
policy unimpressive.
- Incapable of dealing with economy, energy crisis, and Iran
- Headline ‘Can Carter Cope’
- Legacy- some debate over whether he was a visionary president
● Nov 1980- lost election to Ronald Raegan
Social Issues
Women’s Liberation:
Background:
● Second wave of feminism- focus on women's rights, equality and abortion
● 1970s poll- only ⅔ female college students agreed that ‘the idea that the woman’s place is in the home is
nonsense’. Ongoing cultural resistance.
● Persisting economic challenges.
- Gender pay gap- Women earned 73% men’s salaries
- Around 66% of adults classified as poor were women.
● ERA- Equal Rights Amendment. Aimed to end sex discrimination in the constitution by guaranteeing equal rights
for all (regardless of gender) under law.
- Approved by congress in 1972, during a Democrat majority. Sent to the states for ratification.
- To be added to the constitution, the ERA needed approval from 38 states (¾) by the 1979 deadline.
- It failed to pass.
Ford:
● ERA was championed by Betty Ford- outspoken first lady of ford
● Publicly supported the ERA and women’s rights.
● Beloved figure among liberals but loathed by conservatives
, ● Raised national awareness about breast cancer and encouraged Ford to appoint more women to high-level
government roles
● Equal Credit opportunity Act (1974)- prohibits discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction (borrow money/
access good and services)
● 1975- South Dakota became the first state to make Marital rape illegal. However, only in all stats by 1993
● In 1976, the U.S. women accepted to work in the military
● However Ford did little to help women- A Republican without a mandate did not want to push for minority rights
Carter:
● Carter supported women's rights on moral grounds but also saw political capital. Misjudged the strength of
conservative backlash.
● Carter supported the ERA and insisted on considering at least one female candidate for each cabinet post.
● Appointed two women to the cabinet and more women to hgh level roles than any president before him
● 1978 pregnancy discrimination act made employment discrimination based on pregnancy illegal
● Helped fund shelters for victims of domestic violence
● By 1980, more women than men were voting in the presidential election
● Mixed public reception
- Many women were frustrated that he did not speak out more himself instead of letting his wife Rosalynn
Carter speak for him
- Influence over her husband led to her nickname Mrs President
- Many frustrated by his opposition to federal funding of abortion except in the limited cases of incest, rape
or endangerment of mother’s life.
Opposition to the ERA:
● There was a conservative backlash to the ERA
● Opponents argued for traditional gender roles, suggesting men should fight in wars and women should remain
focused on the home and family
● Largely led by Phyllis Schlafly- Catholic lawyer and mother of six
● Nicknamed the ‘sweetheart of the silent majority’
● In 1972 she founded ‘stop ERA’, attracting 50,000 members
- However, only 8,000 supporters gathered in 1978
● ‘The american people do not want government funded abortion, lesbian privileges or universal childcare’
● Campaigned for woman’s skirts to be 2 inches below the knee
● Many conservatives agreed with Schlafly over the ERA. opposition closely associated with republican party and
Henry Hyde
- Hyde- part of conservative coalition that blocked ERA progress
- Hyde Amendment (1976) banned federal funding for most abortions. Strong Catholic.
● 1979, Beverly LaHaye, a San Diego housewife, founded Concerned Women for America, which grew to 50,000
members by the mid-1980s, opposing both ERA and abortion rights.
● Irony- despite advocating for stay-at-home motherhood, frequently traveled and made public appearances; she
told Time magazine in 1978, “I have cancelled speeches whenever my husband thought I had been away from
home too much.”
Reproductive rights:
● Before 1973 abortion was a crime in 30 states but legal in limited cases (rape, incest, or a threat to womens life)
in the other 20.
● Wealthier women could often access safe abortions while poor women were forced into dangerous and illegal
procedures
● Abortion became central to women’s rights. National Abortion Rights Action League lobbied reform in 1971,
arguing for bodily autonomy
● ‘We can get all the rights in the world and none of them mean a doggone thing if we can't own the flesh we stand
in’
● Roe v Wade (1973)- sparked by a Texas women seeking to avoid raising a child in poverty. Supreme Court
legalised abortion during the first 13 weeks where a fetus could not survive independently. Supported by Betty
Ford, NOW, and planned parenthood.
● Betty Ford ‘great great decision’
● Conservatives outraged and actively opposed ruling.
- National Rights to Life Committee established by Catholic church in 1968 to oppose abortion
- Used mass mailings and highly emotive language- ‘baby killers’
- 50% of those contacted by NRLC donated at least $25
- Campaign against abortion affected 1980 congressional elections- several liberals defeated including
McGovern
