POLITICS AND POWER (APUSH)
By Natalie Boyle and Collin Bailey
1919 to great depression- Prohibition
prohibition was a time period where alcohol was illegal. This prompted the creation of speakeasies and an increase in bootlegging. This was a movement against the
national prohibition law, which tried to suppress the public’s craving for alcohol.
1933- New Deal
The new deal was a series of domestic programs that were proposed by president Roosevelt. It focused on the three R’s (relief, recovery, reform) that would better society and the government and build them up. Relief for unemployed and poor people, recovery of the economy to normal and better levels, reform of the financial system to prevent another depression.
1947- Taft-Hartley act
restricted the powers of labor unions. It was originally vetoed by Truman who claimed it was an intrusion upon freedom of speech, but that was overturned and the act was passed. It related to the topic because it helped to reduce the power that labor had in America yet at the same time did reduce the freedom and power that those unions had in their opinions and free speech.
1950’s- McCarthism
in the fifties, Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy attempted to hunt down communists in America. This created a public distrust in the government and many peoples lives were ruined because of McCarthy. This connects to the topic because this changed the relationship between the people and the government. It is relevant to the topic because it gave the democratic party more power because of the political changes the new deal made.
1956- federal highway act
this act was created by Eisenhower to build 42,000 miles of highways in America. This made it easier for people to travel and prompted the growth of suburbs because of ease of use. This is an example of how the nations migration patterns and economic growth.
1965-Voting rights acts
Prohibited discrimination in the political right of voting. It was signed by president Johnson at the peak of the civil rights movement. It is important because it enforced the 14th and the 15th amendments. The act lead to federal overview of voting and to equality of all peoples in voting, it gave suffrage to women, blacks, and men equally so that all have the same amount of power and say in the way the government is run.
1972- Watergate scandal
huge political scandal that started with five men breaking into the DNC and Nixon recording conversations during these meetings. Many were tried and incarcerated. It lead to talks of impeachment as well of the abuse of power that Nixon was involved in. it is important because it lead to an erosion of trust of the government from the people, beacsue they figures if their leader, the person in power in America was abusing that power then the government could very well be corrupt.
1973-Roe v Wade
row v wade was a supreme court desition that rulled that abortion is llegal under certain circumstances. This was a huge deal that created controversy. This act has never been overturned. This is significant because this protected a freedom and gave another right to the public.
1993- NAFTA
an agreement signed by Clinton that made North America a free trade zone this was highly protested and increased public dislike towards Clinton. This relates to the topic because this was an example of an act prompting tension between the public and the government.
1996- welfare reform bill
was signed by Clinton and was a plan made to help create jobs so that people living off welfare- that were healthy and able-bodied- could go to work and help support the economy that supports the government that was supporting them. This also helped to ensure that people didn’t take advantage of Welfare. It did this by putting a time limit on benefits that any given individual would receive. Clinton called for the people of America to take up this new welfare reform as a responsibility. It is connected to this topic because Clinton clammed that welfare was no longer a political power and responsibility but now the peoples.