1970’SBy Jonathan Askew

KEY POLITIAL FIGURES There were quite a few key political figures in the 70s, Senator Jon Kerry was a

great man of the people, he tried to give them what they wanted. President Nixon was a key political figure on what happened in America when he was in office. The only thing was that he wasn’t the most loved man at that time, in fact after the Watergate Scandal, when he was caught with all the tapes of the oval office, even the government didn’t like him. Some other pretty important figures in the 1770s, ere Shirely Chisholm, who was the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Also Andrew Young, who was the first African American male to be elected to the U.S House of Representatives. Eugene Cernam became the eleventh and last man to walk on the moon. Phyllis Schafly was the fearless leader of anti-feminist movement. Believed women should stay in subordinate roles in society. Jimmy Carter was one more president who promised the American people he would never lie to them.

TRENDS AND FADS The 1970s were a time of some crazy hipster trends. During the late 1960s, tie-die

cloths and disco were just starting to be popular, so in the 1970s it really shot off and got more creative. Going to disco clubs were really big, so everyone had to dress to impress. For example, skin tight colorful cloths were big, also flashy and big baggie cloths were very popular. A lot of the time they were worn all at the same time. The cloths they wore were not the only outrageous trends they used to stand out. Their hair and shoes, were also a huge part of the disco outfit, and the infamous platform shoes were the only way to go in the 1970s. The taller they were the better. Even a lot of men would were them. Hair stiles back then ranged from greased and slicked back, long and shaggy or mullets, to afros or just really big poofy hair. It really depended on what click you belonged to, which is till pretty similar to how we act today. The thing about the 1970s, is the more you stand out the better.

One fad that was just as big as the disco, was all of the different kinds of drugs that were experimented during this time. Pretty much everyone in the 70s were ether on drugs, trying drugs, or over doceing on them. Like the king of rock Elvis Presley. There were a lot going on in the 70s, that everyone decided to turn to drugs and music to side track them from all their problems.

During the 70’s there were lots of flower child movements, which was where hippies would protest. All these movements became really popular and soon enough everyone became some kind of hippie.

SPEECHES AND QUOTES FROM INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

In the 1970s there were lots of people who were always trying to influence others, and create movements. For example “make love not war;” was an extremely popular phrase that all of the flower children hippies would protest to the government on a daily bases. Here is a video to explain more about these anti-war movements. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDDRqaQ-Gbs)

Other important quotes like this one by Senator Jon Kerry were attempts to satisfy the needs and demands of America. “We need to guarantee equal rights and civil rights and say that, here in America, workers have the right to organize - women have the right to choose - and justice belongs to everyone regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation.” woman atavists movements were all over also, one quote from

POPULAR ENTERTAINMENTWhen everyone wasn’t at the disco they were spending their time doing other interesting things. Music was really how most of the people back then got their entertainment. Bands were really big in the 1970s, they were both entertaining and trend setting. The bands New York Dolls and T.Rex were very popular, and also introduced the glittery glam look. The bands Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Sex pistils gave us the punk look with all their leathery ripped clothing and mohawks. The Jackson 5 sang lots of different kinds of music, but to satisfy the disco needs of the 70s they sang lots of disco. The Beatles were a band that touched everyone's hearts and lives, and helped people get through rough times with their reassuring music about love and peace. When the band broke up, it was devastating. People go to see all of these bands to have fun and go crazy. Television shows were also big entertainment for people. For example the shows Freaks and Greeks, which was huge for teens of that time. Mr. men, school house rock and pink panther were all shows that were mostly for the kids. Huge hit movies like Star Wars were extremely popular with all ages. People also loved to watch sports, and boy was there sports to watch! Baseball and football were really big in America in the 1970s. Magazines like “Tiger Beat” were also big in the 70s. It was a fans magazine for mostly girls, a lot like our teen magazines today.

POPULAR MUSICMusic was not just music in the 1970s, it was more like a life style! Everything was based around music. There was a lot of hostile tension between the government and the people. Music was literately one of the best ways that everyone found for them to get their minds off of everything and vent from all the chaos. The Beatles were perfect for that, until they broke up in the year of 1970. Other bands like The Jackson 5 and Queen, followed in their footsteps to where they were making happy up beat music to bring up the spirits of America. Bands like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin were great bands also, they brought a new crazy style of rock, that excited a lot of people. Most of the music in the 70s were trend starters, and a lot of people back then just wanted to be different, so a lot of their trends were picked up and loved. Just being able to zone out and just focus on the tunes and the lyrics of all the songs kept everyone both sane, and also insane, depending on what they were listening to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXD4G1iSfcs

IMPORTANT SPORTS FIGURESSports were getting really exciting in the 1970s. Records were being broken and were also being set. In 1974 Henry Louis, hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's once untouchable record, that stood for thirty-nine long years. Also in 1976 the Pittsburg Steelers were the first NFL team to win four super bowls. In fact, nine players from the Pittsburgh franchise that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s are in the Hall of Fame: Greene, Swann, Bradshaw, Harris, Lambert, receiver John Stallworth, center Mike Webster, linebacker Jack Ham and cornerback Mel Blount.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOhXQ3SJIFU

SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS

Science is everywhere, especially in the 1970’s. During this decade people were inventing all sorts of cool and interesting things. For example in 1971 the Microprocessor was introduced, which was the foundation to all computers. Also in that same year the first cell phone battery introduced. In 1972 the first video game was created by Nolan Bushnell. That game was called pong! By 1973 the first portable cell phone was finalized and made in new York city. Things got a bit skinnier in 1947, because a gynecologist from Rome by the name of Giorgio fisher invented liposuction. The worlds largest telescope of 600 cm began working in USSR in 1976, and by the end of 1976 into 1977 Apple’s first computer was created by Steve Wozniak. 1977 was a fun year, because a man named Scott Olson invented shoes with wheels on them and called them roller blades. Finally during 1978 the ultrasound was used for the first time. The 70’s was a lot more then just drugs, music and protests, there was a lot of brilliant minds who invented some outstanding things.

SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS OR ART MOVEMENTSArt in the 1970s was all about going green, and loving the earth. So many artists came up with Earth art, which is “a movement that combined environmental and minimalist ideas on a large scale.” Some of the artists who would create this art were Michael Heizer, Walter de Maria, Robert Smithson, James Turrel, Alice Aycock, Claes Oldenburg, and Richard Serra. This art was used in many ways. Mostly to open the eyes of the world to how we are destroying the earth, and how we need to take care of it to keep it beautiful. There were also artists who created art to express all the women's rights movements. For example, “Lynda Benglis, Jackie Winsor, and Judy Chicago, who created the feminist art exhibition, The Dinner Party.”

SIGNIFICANT BOOKSThere were tons of amazing books published in the 1970s, like for example, “Princess Bride,” by William Goldman, and “Bridge to Terabithia,” by Kathedne Paterson. These books were adventurous, romantic and just all around exciting. However not all the books published in the 1970s were fun exciting books. There were also books who’s main purpose was to create movements and to open the eyes of America to all of its flaws. For example “Roban Morgan, ed., “Sisterhood Is Powerful”: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement.” Also “Hazel Henderson, “Creating Alternative Futures” The End of Economics.” That book talked about what the thought America could look like in the future. Last but not least, Wendell Berry, “The Unsettling of America,” which talked about all of the not so great parts of the American culture and agriculture. (Mark satin)

SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL EVENTS

There was a lot going on in the 1970s. Whether or not it was a good thing or not is another story. Starting from the beginning the Apollo 13 mission failed in 1970. the voting age was lowered to 18 instead of 21 in the USA in 1971 for obvious reasons. Also China joined the US in this year. E-mail was invented by US computer engineer, Ray Tomlison in 1972. Opec doubled the price of gas in 1973 which led to the major gas crises we had in this decade. This was also the same time that the Vietnam war ended. More sad historical events like on this day, 4/3/74 day, 148 tornadoes devastated 13 US states killing 330 and injuring 5000. In 1974 president Nixon was caught with some illegal tapes he recorded in the oval office of some important meetings, and was impeached, which was called the Watergate scandal. One more devistateing moment in history was in 1977 an 8.2 earthquake in tangshan killed over 240,000. Also back in the states the king of rock died from an overdose on prescription meds.

IMPORTANT BUSINESSES OR INDUSTRIESIndustries reached an all time low in the 1970s, due to all of the protesting about hourly pay rate. Lots of industries were suffering due to the two oil crises in 1973-1974 and in 1979. these oil crises, put America in a really bad place, where most of our big automobile industries were depending desperately on the oil market and the preference of who was the best, based on the people. The Scottish found a bunch of oil in their waters, so they pretty much had power over us in that sense. “The U.S. steel industry was losing its market share to European and Japanese manufacturers.” The aviation manufacturer Lockheed Aircraft Corporation was forced to “bailout,” the federal government was forced to funded them to keep them from going bankrupt.

000-000-488-920-C

WARS OR MILITARY CONFLICTSThe 1970s were full of wars and conflicts between the people and the government about said wars. By the end of the 1960’s America was sick and tired of the Vietnam war. As the president of the United States, Nixon wanted to continue at war. After a long and painful war, the congress and the public protested and tried to cut off financial and military support. When the election of 1972 came around, Nixon had to make a decision on jeopardizing his reelection, and losing the south Vietnam to the communists. Then came the cold war, which was pretty much just America and Russia threatening each other with their nukes. One problem during this time was that there was a very high demand for soldiers, only by 1970 just about everyone in America was sick and tired of all the wars and all the death and sorrow it came with.

TIME LINE1970

• Biafra surrenders after 32-month fight .

• U.S. troops invade Cambodia

1971

• Anti-war militants attempt to disrupt government business in Washington.

• Voting age lowered

TIME LINE1973

• War in Vietnam ends.

• President Nixon accepts responsibility but not blame for Watergate.

• U.S bombing in Cambodia stops.

1974• Nixon was

impeached for three federal offences.

• Richard M. Nixon announces he will resign the next day, the first president to do so . Vice President Gerald R. Ford of Michigan is sworn in as 38th president of the U.S.

TIMELINE1976

• Supreme Court rules that blacks and other minorities are entitled to retroactive job seniority.

• Court rules that death penalty is not inherently cruel or unusual and is a constitutionally acceptable form of punishment

1977

• Nuclear-proliferation pact, curbing spread of nuclear weapons, signed by 15 countries, including U.S. and USSR

•

COMPARISON CHARTIN THE 1970’S NOW IN 2013

Gas prices- $0.36 a gallon Bread- $0.24 Milk- $1.15 Eggs- $0.62 Movie ticket- $2.00 Music- record/album- $4 to

$5 High school graduation

requirements- Population- 4 billion Unemployed-4,088,000 National debt-382 billion

Gas prices- $3.50 a gallon Bread-$3.25 Milk- $2.75 Eggs- $3.00 Movie ticket- $7.50 Music- album- $15 or online for

free. High school graduation

requirements- Population- 7,111,286,509 Unemployed- 202 million National debt- 50, 435,

605,734, 749

WORK CITED PAGE Scott Smith. “Super Bowl Dynasty of the 1970s: Pittsburgh

Steelers.”Sportingnews NFL. Web. 3 Feb. 2012. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2012-02/super-bowl-dynasties/story/super-bowl-dynasty-of-the-1970s-pittsburgh-steelers

"The 1970s: Business and the Economy: Overview." American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Apr. 2013 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3468302597.html.

Charles Gillis. “American Cultural History.” Lone Star College – Kingwood. Web. August 2010. http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade70.html

Emily Freifeld “Important People of the 1970‘s” Quia. Web. 9 september 2009. http://www.quia.com/jg/325184list.html

Mark Satin. “25 Best “New Age” Political Books of the 1970s.” Radical Middle Newsletter Thoughtful Idealism, Informed Hope. Web. October 2010. http://www.radicalmiddle.com/seventies_books.htm

RLS. “Industry in the 1970s” 16 November 2012. http://rls.org.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-001-489-L