1970 - 1980 Essay -- Essays Papers

1970 - 1980 During the 1970’s, the United States experienced "Watergate," the most famous political scandal in American History. It was a scandal that began with a break in and ended in resignation. On June 17, 1972 five intruders were caught and arrested for illegally entering the rooms of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington’s Watergate Complex. "The investigation of the break-in lead directly to the reelection campaign of President Richard M. Nixon and unraveled a web of political spying and sabotage, bribery and the illegal use of campaign funds" (Washingtonpost.com). Two-and-a-half-years later along with a number of court hearings led to the 1974 resignation of Richard M. Nixon. Nixon became the first President in U.S. History to resign. During all the political drama the United States brought an end to an unpopular war and made great strides in space exploration. The Vietnam War finally came to an end on January 27, 1973 when the United States and North Vietnam signed the Paris Peace Accords. Under its terms, U.S. troops would with drawl from Vietnam. Even though this ended many years of warfare, the "Vietnam War badly burdened the American economy" (Bondi 125). Turning away from the problem of increased debt, America saw technology at its best. On November 16, 1973 NASA gave us Skylab, our country’s first space station: "Skylab offered is an opportunity to do what none had done before – to study the Sun from space" (Eddy xiii). Despite the happenings of Watergate and the weight of the Vietnam War, this ground- breaking space exploration brought excitement and opportunity to the United States. During the 1970’s the world experienced many events, however, there were a few that made history. On... ...od of the piece captured my imagination, and my thoughts for several days" (Michaels 1). Along with Tim O’Brien another popular author during the 1970’s was Alice Walker. Alice Walker was involved in the Black Nationalism movement in the early 1970’s. This group fought to bring economic equality to the African American community. They also wanted to promote a separate identity and a sense of pride. One of their slogans was "Black is Beautiful". This is seen in Walker's short story "Everyday Use." In this story, she involves characters from both sides of the African-American culture. Some represent "new black" and others remain "traditional." Walker is trying to show that African Americans should not be ashamed of their culture or their African American heritage (Raz). In other words they should follow the slogan of the Black Nationalism movement "black is beautiful."