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First Celebration of Earth Day
With Emergence of the EPA, New interests in saving the world and being more observant and aware of our surroundings came about. So people came up with Earth Day in accordance with these new interests. Millions of Americans joined in participating in anti-pollution demonstrations which included, walking to school instead of riding the bus. In New York City, mayor John Lindsay shut down fifth Avenue and made central park available for the earth day celebrations, which many people attended. -
Kent State Massacre
Four students who went to Kent State University who were killed while protesting against the Vietnam war spreading into Cambodia, and nine others were wounded. The students were killed while protesting by the national guard, there were hundreds of people at this protest, there was a state of emergency the night before which is why the guard was there in the first place. This was only one of many protests revolving around the Cambodian campaign. Over 4 million students throughout the U.S. joined. -
26th Amendment
The senate approved this Amendment on march 10th 1971, which lowered the voting age from 21 years old to 18 years old. It was officially ratified by the states on June 30th 1971. The argument made was that if you can be drafted at the age of 18 you should therefore be able to vote at that age as well. The first four states to ratify were Alaska, Hawaii, Georgia, and Kentucky. This Amendment was passed during the presidency of one Richard Nixon, during his first term. -
Nixon's Peace Trip to USSR
President Nixon becomes the first United States president to visit Moscow. Had a week of discussions, that led to SALT one, a strategic arms pact that was signed by both Nixon and by Brezhnev. Following this week of discussions, the United States of America also announced that they would be selling American wheat to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics this began a Detente between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America. This lowered the Cold War tensions. -
Watergate Begins
Bernard Barker, James McCord, Frank Sturgis, Eugenio Martinez, and Virgilio Gonzalez were arrested by police for breaking into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters located at the Watergate building in Washington D.C. These five were referred to as the Plumbers, it was uncovered that they also tried to discredit Lewis J. Fielding who leaked the Pentagon Papers. This occurred on the same day that Okinawa was returned to Japan from The United States of America's possession. -
Roe v Wade
Roe v Wade was over a woman who wanted an abortion in Texas but her Doctor wouldn't do it. So the woman, know as Jane Roe, Went against her District Attorney Henry Wade. It went all the way to supreme court and they decided that banning abortions was unconstitutional and protected the baby after 6 months of pregnancy. Surprisingly throughout the case, Jane had her baby and she later became pro life herself. -
Paris Peace Accords
Richard Nixon, in the heads of North and South Vietnam signed a peace treaty which officially ended the Vietnam War and restored peace between the two different parts of Vietnam. It called for a withdrawal of United States troop within sixty days, the return of prisoners of war, the withdrawal of troops from Laos and Cambodia, and a cease fire in South Vietnam. -
Nixon Resigns
President Richard Nixon resigns from the Presidents office, most likely to avoid the impeachment process as a result of his role in the Watergate Scandal. This made Nixon the first president to ever resign from the presidents office. He was replaced by his new vice president, Gerald Ford who pardoned Nixon for all of his involvement in the Watergate affair. -
Carter Wins Election
Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in Presidential Election of 1976. Carter a relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, won in a very closely fit election. Winning the Electoral College two hundred ninety-seven to Ford's two hundred forty votes. Carter also slightly won the majority of the popular vote. Carter mostly carried states from the south and in the north-east, and was the only democratic candidate to win a majority of the southern states since 1964. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
For four hundred and forty-four days, ninety total hostages, having more than sixty Americans feared for their lives during the Iran Hostage Crisis. This siege, lasting from November 1979 to January 1981, began when angry Iranians stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iran and took hostages. The Iranians were three thousand militant student followers of Ayatollah Khomeini. They were kidnapped because Khomeini wanted the former Shah of Iran to be forced to return and stand trial.
