Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

Page 26 text:

R f, ER 'UNITED HSuhliteb i '- 3+. Vi

Page 25 text:

Decade: National When Richard Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia in April 1970. more and more Americans became disillusioned with the war in Vietnam. A series of riots broke out at Ohiois Kent State University, where National Guardsmen ended up killing four students and woulding nine more. At least some of the young guardsmen had apparently panicked and fired in the face of jeering students who threw only rocks and spent tear-gas canisters. The tragic incident was quickly followed by strong protests at 441 other colleges. By May 1971. 60 percent of all Americans were op- posed to the Vietnam War. Public confusion and anger over Kent State were heightened when a federal judge ordered the dismissal of charges against eight guardsmen for violating students' rights. Kent State became 21 symbol of national frustration and grief over the war and of the gap between AmericaTs youth and their government. In 1971. 25 million l8eyear-olds became eliv gible to vote for the first time in US. history. The measure took the form of the Twenty- sixth Amendment to the Constitution. ratified on June 30. The 1972 election saw George McGovern challenging Richard Nixonls strong national support. As most of the polls predicted, Nixon won, but by a bigger margin than anyone had thought possible; he earned all but 17 of the nationls 538 electoral votes. Until John Dean testified in the Senate Wa- tergate hearings, most Americans were simply confused by the growing uproar surrounding the break-in at Democratic National Head- quarters. But in the dramatic hours ofhis testiv mony, Dean startled millions of television viewers by accusing the president himself of complicity in the cover-up. The former White House lawyer told senators he had discussed Watergate with Nixon during a time in which the president has been resolutely denying any involvement in the affair. However, when Nix- onTs own taped discussions demonstrated his involvement in the cover-up from the begin- ning. a congressional committee voted to im- peach him. In August. he became the first president ever to resign. Later, many Ameri- cans were startled and enraged when Gerald Ford issued his predecessor a presidential par- don. The year 1976 was a red. white and blue year for the United States as it celebrated its 200th birthday. The year-long festivities cul- minated on July 4 with patriotic events taking place all over the country. W Scott Smith DccudelNational 21

Page 27 text:

Decade: National The Feminist Movement in the Seventies overturned traditional views of home and of- fice. proved that a womanTs place is not neces- sarily in the kitchen, and even set men to reth- inking the role society had assigned them. Women won the right to have abortions and later fought to retain it against a surging back- lash. On the average, they continued to earn less than men. But in 1978, more as a result of economic need than feminist principle, 50 per- cent of all women had jobs. The Equal Rights Amendment was stalled just short of ratifica- tion. partly through the efforts of an Illinois housewife named Phyllis Schlafly who orga- nized a potent anti-ERA campaign. Within only a few short years. millions of women had attained a measure of equality w on the job, in the military, and even as ministers of the church. In 1973. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, react- ing to the latest Israeli-Egyptian war, cut oil production and declared a boycott on ship- ments to lsraelts arms suppliers. The resulting disruption not only convulsed Europe and pro- duced the first gasoline lines in the United States. but also emphasized the level of power achieved by the loosely organized cartel. Within weeks. OPEC announced a quadru- pling of basic oil prices. As the prices contin- ued to spiral. Saudi Shiek Ahman Zaki Yamae ni warned that oil was a diminishing resource and that the West must learn to use less and pay more. Since each 10 percent rise in the price of oil added one percent to the US. cost of living, the price to Americans was high in- deed. Gasoline lines became even longer dur- ing a crisis in the late Seventies as an odd-even license plate rationing system went into effect and gas at the pumps climbed over the one- dollar mark. On July 20. 1976, - seven years to the day after the first men walked on the moon e the Viking Lander set down on Mars and began radioing information back to earth. What the cameras saw was a rock-strewn and apparent- ly lifeless plain, resembling deserts in Arizona and Northern Mexico. Disco surfaced as a new form of self-expres- sion in the late Seventies. In the pulsing. flash- ing atmosphere of the discotheque, 37 million people danced to the thumping bass beat of disco music. The craze became a $4 billion business comprising some 10.000 discotheques across the nation. New Yorkls Studio 54. the most famous and most controversial of the dis- cos. attracted celebrities from around the world. W Scott Smith DecadelNalional 23