Figure 1. An illustration in a psychedelic style depicts a man in a bell-bottomed suit and hat, leaping across an expanse of green land. In the background, a massive rainbow sprouts from a cloud, and bright birds and flowers sail through the air.

This module provides an overview of the political, social, and economic changes experienced by the American people during one of the most important and controversial decades in U.S. history. As the U.S. military continued active interventions into various portions of the globe during the Cold War, the American people became increasingly alarmed at the social and economic costs of militarism. A culture war with political overtones erupted during the late 1960s, and would divide the American people into opposing ideologies that remain visible today. The 1960s marked the height of optimistic hopes that the government could solve the nation’s domestic problems. However, the morality of government as well as its ineffectual role was questioned as a result of the Vietnam War. The dominant reform movement of the era was the African American struggle for equality which would change forever the way Americans viewed one another.

Module 7 also covers the complex events that embroiled the nation during the 1970s, including the Watergate crisis, the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the feminist movement. The black struggle for equality continued, but ran into more obstacles, including less support in Washington, D.C. and from the American people. Foreign issues such as the war in Vietnam, continued tensions with the Soviets, and conflict in the Middle East created significant problems for the United States. In the continuing effort to fulfill the American dream, African Americans, women, and Native Americans were joined by Vietnam veterans, Latinos, and advocates for gay and lesbian liberation in an effort to improve the quality of life for all Americans.

From May 4 to November 4, 1974, a universal exposition was held in the city of Spokane, Washington. This world’s fair, Expo ’74, and the postage stamp issued to commemorate it, reflected many of the issues and interests of the 1970s. The stamp features psychedelic colors, and the character of the Cosmic Runner in the center wears bellbottoms, a popular fashion at the time. The theme of the fair was the environment, a subject beginning to be of great concern to people in the United States, especially the younger generation and those in the hippie counterculture.

In the 1970s, the environment, social justice, distrust of the government, and a desire to end the war in Vietnam—the concerns and attitudes of younger people, women, gays, lesbians, and people of color—began to draw the attention of the mainstream as well.

From Cold War to Culture Wars (1980-2000)

Figure 2. A panel of graffiti on the Berlin Wall shows a wide-open mouth, within which are the words “ACT UP!”

Figure 2. This striking piece of graffiti from the Berlin Wall, now housed in the Newseum in Washington, DC, contains the name of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), a group formed in 1987 in New York City to combat the spread of AIDS and the perception that AIDS was the product of immoral behavior.

“Act up!” might be called the unofficial slogan of the 1980s counterculture. Numerous groups were concerned by what they considered disturbing social, cultural, and political trends in the United States, as the election of Ronald Reagan signaled a conservative push-back against the progressive policies of prior decades. Internationally, Cold War tensions throughout the decade culminated in 1989 when German protesters began “acting up” and tearing down large chunks of the Berlin Wall, essentially dismantling the Iron Curtain. This symbolic act foreshadowed the collapse of Communist governments in both Central and Eastern Europe, marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

In contrast, the 1990s were a time of relative peace, prosperity, and a blurring of political-party lines. In 1991 Republican President George H.W. Bush signed landmark Civil Rights legislation with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In 1996, Democrat President Bill Clinton allied with conservative Republicans in Congress in “ending Welfare as we know it” by cutting programs like the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).^[1] Economic growth in the 1990s, such as the rise of the internet, cell phones, and new international economic agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) led to comfortable growth until the collapse of the dot-com bubble and fears of”Y2K” economic collapse near the end of the millennium. Meanwhile, racial tensions such as the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and domestic terrorism like the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing showed that deep rifts remained.

In term of foreign policy, the 1980s and 1990s also saw the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union (USSR) and a brief moment of the U.S. enjoying the period of relative peace before the shock of the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 shattered such illusions.

Vobejda, B. (1996, August 23). Clinton Signs Welfare Bill Amid Division. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/welfare/stories/wf082396.htm ↵

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