-176620 CHAPTER 31—ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE LATE 20TH CENTURY Murrin, Johnson, McPherson, Fahs, Gerstle, Rosenberg & Rosenberg Copyright © 2008 Wadsworth Group Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, 5e 0704lep5e.bmp
Times Instructions: Identify the following term(s). During the 1970s and 1980s, the fastest growing region in the United States was the "Sun Belt." Northeast. "Rustbelt" Midwest. Northwest. A Least Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 The space program launched by President Kennedy with the goal of sending a manned mission to the moon was the Saturn program. Sputnik program. Mercury program. Apollo program. Moon shot. D Least Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 During the 1970s and 1980s, most immigrants to the United States came from Eastern Europe. Canada. Western Europe. Africa. Latin America. E Least Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 The majority of Spanish-speaking Americans in the United States are from Mexico. Puerto Rico. Honduras. El Salvador. Spain. A Least Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 The charismatic union leader who organized many thousands of agricultural laborers into the United Farm Workers was George Meany. Lane Kirkland. Cesar Chavez. Jimmy Hoffa. Juan Valdez. C Average p. 984 Factual 1 In the early 21st century, 13 percent of the U.S. workforce was unionized; in the 1950s this figure was 80 percent. 64 percent. 43 percent. 30 percent. 18 percent. D Average p. 984 Factual 1 All of the following statements regarding immigration are true except in 2000, the percentage of Americans born outside the United States was an all-time high. since 1965, immigration to the United States has become more diverse. ninety percent of all Mexican Americans settle in the Southwest. in 2000, 3 million Puerto Ricans lived in the United States and 4 million lived in Puerto Rico. in the early 21st century, only four Latin nations had more Spanish-speaking people than the U.S. A Most Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 The purpose of the Sundance Film Festival was to influence Academy Award nominations. encourage independent filmmakers. show European films to an American audience. experiment with special effects. fight censorship. B Average p. 989 Factual 1 One characteristic of the so-called New Hollywood was its willingness to experiment with new ideas. its increasingly close involvement with the television industry. its rejection of the new technologies. its reduction in the cost of theater tickets. it emphasis on foreign films. B Most Difficult p. 990 Analytical 1 The "Great Awakening" since the 1960s refers to people who suddenly decided that religion was important in their lives. the domination of religious thought by conservatives. the rejection of the counterculture in favor of traditional dominations. a renewed interest in the teachings of colonial Puritan thought. the tremendous diversity of religions that have come to exist in the U.S. E Most Difficult p. 992 Factual 1 The Rainbow Coalition is best associated with Robert Drinan. Pat Robertson. Jesse Jackson. George McGovern. Jimmy Carter. C Least Difficult p. 994 Factual 1 All of the following statements regarding health care are true except in 2005, more money went to health costs than was spent on food. since 1960, the cost of medical care has doubled. in 2005, the cost of family health care was equal to full-time minimum wage worker's annual pay. in 1960, health costs were 5 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product. in 2005, the cost of family health care was double the annual pay of the average Wal-Mart worker. B Most Difficult p. 984-985 Factual 1 The ability of humans to manipulate genes has been controversial in the field of regeneration of human tissue. genetically modified foods. reproductive processes. fetal stem cell research. all of the above. E Least Difficult p. 981 Factual 1 By the early 21st century, Wal-Mart employed one out of ____ all U.S. workers. 3,200 1,400 600 340 120 E Average p. 982 Factual 1 In sports entertainment, Vince McMahon, Jr. made a successful brand name with Major League Soccer. Indianapolis 500. World Wrestling Entertainment. Ultimate Fighters. X-Games. D Average p. 985 Factual 1 The television personality considered the "most trusted" newscaster in the nation was Ted Koppel. Mike Walace. John Chancellor. Walter Cronkite. Peter Jennings. D Average p. 991 Factual 1 In the late 1990s, the United States business community had a concentration of corporate ownership unseen since a century before. resisted "downsizing." had yet to globalize their operations. saw the auto industry in the worst shape in its history. all of the above. A Average p. 983 Factual 1 Since 1970, arguably the most successful examples of unionization have been in the field of light industry. agriculture. sports. finance. retail. C Average p. 986 Factual 1 Population growth in the Sunbelt was partly the result of strong labor unions that attracted workers. the emergence of high-tech weapons and aerospace industries in the South and the West. the availability of cheap land in California and Texas. a decrease in immigration. all of the above. B Average p. 974 Factual 1 Under the Immigration Act of 1965, quotas based on national origins determined the number of immigrants admitted each year. no immigrants from Central and South America were allowed into the United States. immigrants with family ties in the United States or with special skills were given priority. only those fleeing persecution by Communist governments were admitted. only the wealthy were admitted. C Most Difficult p. 976-977 Factual 1 Which of the following was not a result of business changes from the 1980s to the 1990s? Fast food and travel industries standardized products and services. The rate of personal savings rose to the highest level in U.S. history. Many foreign investors purchased U.S. companies and real estate. U.S. companies moved production and assembly plants to foreign countries. Personal bankruptcies soared. B Most Difficult p. 983-984 Factual 1 The labor movement in the 1990s successfully organized office, restaurant, and hotel workers under the leadership of the AFL-CIO. suffered because of the high unemployment rate. lost political power as union membership declined to less than 15 percent. failed to organize government employees and health-care workers. excluded women. C Most Difficult p. 984 Analytical 1 All of the following religious figures faced charges of corruption or immorality except Jesse Jackson. Jim Bakker. Jimmy Swaggart. Billy Graham. Pat Robertson. D Average p. 994 Factual 1 The immigration of Hmong to the United States grew following the Vietnam War. persecution by the Chinese government. normalization of relations with China. devastating typhoons in Cambodia. all of the above. A Average p. 977 Factual 1 The television industry of the 1990s and early 2000s saw the three major networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) attract 80 percent of the viewers. increased the number of programs designed to appeal to older, rural viewers. avoided controversial and sexually explicit programming. lost much of its audience to newspapers and news magazines. was characterized by competition between the networks, independents, and cable companies. E Most Difficult p. 987 Factual 1 Unlike cultural critics of the 1950s, analysts of the 1990s viewed mass culture as inferior to the classical culture of Western civilization. trivial and unworthy of serious study. symbolic of the ignorance and laziness of modern Americans. worthy of academic analysis and study. too heavily influenced by Europe. D Average p. 991 Analytical 1 Which cable network debuted in 1980? Cable News Network (CNN) Music Television (MTV) Fox News Channel (FNS) Black Entertainment Television (BET) Fox Television Network A Average p. 987 | p. 991 Factual 1 All of the following movies were box office successes except Braveheart. Gigli. My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Star Wars. The Blair Witch Project. B Least Difficult p. 989 Factual 1 A 1996 congressional Commission on Immigration Reform called for ending all controls on the total number of immigration slots. lowering the total number of available immigration slots. granting a general amnesty to all illegal immigrants in the United States. building a wall between Mexico and the United States. closing the United States to all new immigrants for one year. B Average p. 977 Factual 1 The television show "The Simpsons" was initially introduced by NBC. was the first big success for the independent Fox network. was a movie prior to being introduced to television. failed to attract a significant viewing audience in its first years. was a reality show featuring a real family. B Least Difficult p. 987 Factual 1 All of the following statements regarding MTV are true except many of its music videos sexually objectified women. in its early history, critics complained it excluded people of color. it quickly abandoned its all-music video format. the "MTV" aesthetic" emphasized a fast-paced visual style. it debuted in 1981. C Average p. 990 Factual 1 The diversification of religious beliefs in the United States was increased by all of the following except the Black Power movement of the 1960s the Immigration Act of 1965 the Cold War the counterculture of the 1960s alternative faiths. D Most Difficult p. 992 Factual 1 By the late twentieth century, most Americans were likely to remain in the same occupation for their entire life. switch occupations once. switch occupations several times before retiring. take a long time to settle on a career. be unable to find jobs. C Average p. 985 Factual 1 After 1970, the fastest growing states included all of the following except California. Florida. Colorado. Arizona. Nevada. C Most Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 During the 1980s, television changed as the percentage of viewers watching network programming hit its peak. hundreds of new independent stations first went on the air. most independent stations were bought by various giant media corporations. networks poured more money into their news divisions. reality programming began to dominate the ratings. B Least Difficult p. 987 Factual 1 Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon in 1968. 1969. 1970. 1971. 1972. B Least Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 People from which of the following were most likely to win the right to immigrate to the United States during the 1980s? Cuba El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Ecuador A Most Difficult p. 976 Analytical 1 Since 1990, the percentage of African Americans has increased in rural areas. decreased in suburbs and increased in urban centers. decreased in both suburbs and urban centers. increased in both suburbs and urban centers. increased in suburbs and declined in urban centers. E Average p. 979 Factual 1 In the early 21st century American manufacturing accounted for ____ of corporate profits. 10 percent 20 percent 30 percent 40 percent 50 percent A Average p. 983 Factual 1 Since 1970 the population of the United States has grown more slowly and become older. more rapidly and become older. very little. more rapidly in the North and more slowly in the South. younger in the South and older in the North. A Average p. 974 Analytical 1 In recent years political power has shifted as Southern states lost congressional seats. the West lost electoral votes. Northeastern states lost congressional seats. Northeastern states gained electoral votes. voter registration has been reduced. C Average p. 974 Analytical 1 In the 1980s, the largest portion of the American population belonged to the age range of 0-15 years old. 16-24 years old. 25-44 years old. 45-59 years old. 60-up years old. C Average p. 974 Factual 1 The Refugee Act of 1980 provided equal treatment for those fleeing oppression, regardless of the political orientation of their home country. excluded those who were escaping economic oppression. had no significant impact on the immigrant population of the United States. led to an increase in the number of Central Americans coming to the United States. excluded Cubans from the U.S. B Most Difficult p. 977 Analytical 1 The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 significantly reduced illegal immigration to the United States. gave preference to immigrants with families living in the United States. was vetoed by President Reagan. gave preference to refugees from economically depressed countries. imposed penalties on employers of illegal immigrants. E Most Difficult p. 977 Factual 1 By the end of the twentieth century, central cities had been transformed into primarily financial, administrative and entertainment centers. served as residential areas primarily for upper- and middle-income people. had solved the problems associated with affordable housing. continued to be the most important centers for retail shopping. had solved the problem of air pollution. A Average p. 944 Analytical 1 Between 1970-2000, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union moved most of its members to Mexico and Canada. was the most successful of all U.S. unions in retaining its membership. focused all of its organizing activities outside of the United States. held the longest strike in American history. lost most of its membership. E Average p. 984 Factual 1 The Human Genome Project was a program intended to provide a more effective means of birth control. science fiction movie. project dedicated to gender equality. program without controversy. project that mapped the human genetic code. E Average p. 981 Factual 1 The largest private sector employer in the United States is Microsoft. Wal-Mart. McDonald's. General Motors. IBM. B Most Difficult p. 982 Factual 1 In the late twentieth century business restructuring involved huge mergers that concentrated corporate power. saw the revival and growth of small, independent businesses. meant remarkable growth in the number of U.S. manufacturing jobs. required increased government regulation. meant higher wages for all Americans. A Average p. 983 Analytical 1 All of the following statements regarding labor unions are not true except in the 1970s, efforts to organize farm labor in California failed. by the early 21st century, union membership had declined to around 3 percent. between 1950 and 1970 union membership only slightly declined. since 1970, unions have enjoyed their greatest success in the garment industry. in the 1950s union membership was more than 65 percent. C Most Difficult p. 984 Factual 1 By 2000, 92 percent of homes in the United States had cable television. F Average p. 987 Factual 1 Most immigrants from Puerto Rico have settled in Florida. F Least Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 Federal court decisions in the 1990s imposed greater restrictions on credit card issuers. F Average p. 984 Factual 1 By the early 21st century, San Juan, Puerto Rico, was the only city with more Puerto Ricans than New York City. F Most Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 In the 1980s and 1990s, the population of the United States grew an average of 1.8 percent a year. F Average p. 974 Factual 1 In the 21st century, the video screen is the preeminent symbol of American culture. T Average p. 987 Factual 1 Today, Wal-Mart employs 5 percent of all retail workers in the United States. T Average p. 982 Factual 1 In 2005, Americans spent more money on medical health costs than on food. T Average p. 984 Factual 1 Between 1991 and 2004, there was a resurgence in the number of Americans who belonged to a union. F Average p. 984 Factual 1 Because of its controversy, the Human Genome Project was ended in 1999. F Least Difficult p. 981 Factual 1 In 2000, urban crime rates were soaring in most large cities. F Average p. 981 Factual 1 The Refugee Act of 1980 made it easier for immigrants who could prove economic hardship to enter the United States. F Average p. 977 Factual 1 "Downsizing" was a reduction of women's clothing sizes to follow the national fashion trends of the 1990s. F Average p. 983 Factual 1 The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 succeeded in reducing the number of undocumented immigrants entering the country. F Average p. 977 Analytical 1 In 2000, the percentage of Americans born outside the United States was at an all-time high. F Average p. 976 Factual 1 In 2003, Wal-Mart workers earned, on average, $9 per hour. F Average p. 985 Factual 1 The Immigration Act of 1965 sharply curtailed immigration. F Average p. 976-977 Analytical 1 The computer revolution began before the Second World War. F Least Difficult p. 945 Analytical 1 Movie attendance in 1980 was at the same level as it was in 1960. T Average p. 987 Factual 1 Economists warned that the shift to the postindustrial economy was putting people out of work because the jobs for which they were trained no longer existed. T Least Difficult p. 985 Analytical 1 The gap between the highest and the lowest incomes continues to grow larger. T Average p. 985 Factual 1 Between 1970-2000, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union held the longest strike in U.S. labor history. F Average p. 984 Factual 1 The "Challenge of Peace" (1983) was written by scientists concerned about nuclear proliferation. F Most Difficult p. 993 Factual 1 A 1996 congressional Commission on Immigration Reform called for ending all controls on the total number of immigration slots. F Average p. 977 Factual 1 During the 1970s and 1980s, the number of immigrants arriving from Europe exceeded the number arriving from Asia and Latin America. F Average p. 976 Analytical 1 Government employees and health care workers accounted for the major growth in organized labor during the 1980s. T Average p. 984 Factual 1 Population growth slowed in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. T Average p. 974 Factual 1 CBS was the first network to introduce controversial comedy programming during the 1970s. T Average p. 987 Factual 1 Chain stores have transformed consumer buying in the United States but have not impacted other countries. F Least Difficult p. 982 Analytical 1 In 2000 the dot.com stock prices collapsed dramatically. T Average p. 982 Factual 1 The 2006 film Miami Vice exemplified the "MTV aesthetic" in its visual look. T Average p. 990 Factual 1 In recent years, China allowed Starbucks to open a branch in Beijing. T Average p. 982 Factual 1 Jobs in the expanding service sector tend to be high paying. F Average p. 985 Factual 1 Most of the workforce of Wal-Mart is unionized. F Least Difficult p. 985 Factual 1 By the late twentieth century, most Americans were likely to remain at the same job all of their career. F Least Difficult p. 985 Factual 1 Filmmaker Woody Allen was influenced by European films. T Most Difficult p. 989 Factual 1 The Landmark movie chain specializes in independent films. T Most Difficult p. 990 Factual 1 DVD technology gives viewers expert commentary previously only available at a film school. T Least Difficult p. 990 Factual 1 The songs on music CDs tend to focus on a single theme. F Average p. 991 Factual 1 By the 1990s many evangelicals embraced the cause of environmental protection. T Most Difficult p. 992 Factual 1 The ____________________ Act obliged banks to invest in low-income neighborhoods. Community Reinvestment Most Difficult p. 981 Factual 1 0 The practice of buying consumer products over the Internet is known as ____________________. e-commerce Average p. 982 Factual 1 0 The practice of cutting back or trimming the workforce is called ____________________. downsizing Average p. 983 Factual 1 0 Following Mexico City, the largest number of Mexicans live in ____________________. Los Angeles Average p. 976 Factual 1 0 The first astronaut to walk on the moon was ____________________. Neil Armstrong Least Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 0 Women's sports in colleges were promoted by ____________________ of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title IX Average p. 986 Factual 1 0 The ____________________ was the first hit program for the Fox network. Simpsons Least Difficult p. 987 Factual 1 0 In the 1990s the Los Angeles newspapers listed more than____________________ different religious denominations. 600 Average p. 992 Factual 1 0 By 1990, more than 1 in ____________________ Americans lived in California. 10 Most Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 0 By 2000, about ____________________ of all Miamians were of Cuban descent. half Average p. 976 Factual 1 0 Since 1970, arguably the most successful examples of unionization have been in the field of ____________________. sports Average p. 986 Factual 1 0 The Cable News Network was introduced by ____________________. Ted Turner Average p. 987 Factual 1 0 The television network that challenged the three major networks in 1988 was ____________________. Fox Average p. 987 Factual 1 0 The largest number of non-European immigrants during the 1970s and 1980s came from ____________________. Mexico Least Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 0 The new immigration likely changed ____________________ more than any other state. California Average p. 978 Factual 1 0 Housing suburbs built farther away than ever from city cores have been labeled ____________________ by demographers. "exurbs" Most Difficult p. 979 Factual 1 0 The development since the 1960s of a tremendous diversity in religion in the United States is referred to as the new ____________________. Great Awakening Most Difficult p. 992 Factual 1 0 By 2000, scientists had successfully mapped the entire human genetic code through the ____________________ Project. Human Genome Average p. 981 Factual 1 0 In the 1970s, ____________________ percent of television viewers watched network programming during prime time. 90 Average p. 987 Factual 1 0 The International Ladies Garment Workers Union lost ____________________ of their membership between 1970-2000. two-thirds Average p. 984 Factual 1 0 In 2000, ____________________ percent of Americans had been born outside the United States. 12 Average p. 976 Factual 1 0 In the new immigration, the largest number of non-European immigrants come from ____________________. Mexico Least Difficult p. 976 Factual 1 0 One out of every ____________________ retail workers are employed by Wal-Mart. 20 Least Difficult p. 982 Factual 1 0 The remote control for television were first available in the ____________________ decade. 1960s Average p. 987 Factual 1 0 In 1975, the Federal Communication Commission ordered that the first sixty minutes of prime time must be ____________________ programming. family Most Difficult p. 991 Factual 1 0 An older central city that experiences a boom in new construction and investment in select areas is called ____________________. "gentrified" Average p. 979-980 Factual 1 0 Between 1990 and 2001____________________ gained six seats in the House of Representatives. Florida Most Difficult p. 974 Factual 1 0 In 1986, the space program was stalled for years by the explosion of the shuttle ____________________. Challenger Average p. 974 Factual 1 0 Since the 1960s, the Protestant evangelicals and ____________________ have grown at a rate faster than the U.S. population as a whole. Mormons Average p. 992 Factual 1 0 In the 21st century, the ____________________ is the preeminent symbol of American culture. video screen Most Difficult p. 987 Factual 1 0 e-commerce: the practice of buying and selling products over the Internet. Despite a rapid rise and bust of many Internet-based companies in the late 1990s, it remains an important and growing segment of the economy. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Sun Belt: the western and southern states including California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida that have experienced large increases in population since the 1970s. Reasons for this shift include affordable air conditioning, expanded tourism and retirement communities, and immigration from Latin America. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Space Shuttle: reusable aircraft that can travel in space and return. Beginning in the 1980s, these shuttles replaced the Apollo program which had focused on landing humans on the moon. Shuttles instead focused on scientific experiments. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Immigration Act of 1965: landmark legislation that eliminated quotas based on country of origin, replacing it with a total of 20,000 persons per country per year. The change significantly increased the diversity among immigrants as well as the total number of immigrants entering the United States. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Human Genome Project: the mapping of the entire human gene code. Completed in 2000, this knowledge opened the door to potential revolutions in modified crops, regenerated human tissue, and a host of other controversial possibilities. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 "New Hollywood": volatility in the movie market encouraged Hollywood to make fewer, more special-effects laden spectacular films in search of blockbuster returns. The film industry became safer, making movies based on well-known old television shows, and by targeting films for specific audiences and age groups. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Cesar Chavez: founded and brought the United Farmworkers Union to prominence during the late 1960s and early 1970s by his charismatic leadership. Undertook effective boycotts of grapes and lettuce. Won major contract victory in 1970. Steadily lost ground in the late 1970s and 1980s due to employer resistance and the influx of new immigrants eager for work at any wage. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 microchip: boosted the hardware capability and reduced the size and cost of computers. With powerful memory capacities and processors, they have transformed the information and industrial systems throughout the world. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 "exurbs": the building of new suburbs farther away from city centers than ever before. By using less expensive land, housing prices are lower and purchasers can get more for their money though they inherently expand commute time and the use of energy for transportation. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 "Great Awakening": a late 20th-early 21st century cultural development in which the United States has never had more religious diversity in its society. This was encouraged by influences such as increased diversity in immigration, the counterculture's interest in alternative faiths during the 1960s, and the rise of the New Right. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Describe the nature of, and the reasons for, the major demographic and geographic shifts that occurred in the United States during the second half of the twentieth century. The period after 1970 marked a watershed in twentieth-century history as the U.S. population was becoming older and more racially and ethnically diverse. In addition, the center of power and economic development was increasingly moving from the Northeast to the South and the West. One of the more startling developments was what was referred to as the "aging of America." With the decline of the birthrate to one of the lowest levels in U.S. history and with the raising of life expectancy, the median age of Americans subsequently rose significantly. This shift placed an increasing burden on a smaller and smaller part of the population to provide for those of retirement age and became a major public issue by the late 1980s. A second significant shift affected regional balance in the United States. Between 1970 and 1990, most of the population growth came in the South and the West. The "Sunbelt" emerged for several reasons. First, the availability of affordable air-conditioners made the formerly oppressive summers of the South and West far more comfortable. These changes in job location and living standards acted as magnets for workers. Finally, new waves of immigration made the nation's population become more ethnically diverse. Immigrants from Latin America and Asia were far more numerous than those from Europe. Los Angeles, a city in which more and more school children spoke English as a second language (if at all), became a symbol for the increasing ethnic diversity in the United States. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the reasons for, and effects of, the population shift to the Sun Belt. Since the 1970s, the western and southern states including California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida have been the fastest-growing in the country for thirty years. Today, more than ten percent of the nation's population live in California. This is why the state gained eight additional seats in the House of Representatives in the 1990s alone. Reasons for this shift include land speculation and a large home building industry, the invention of affordable air conditioning, expanded tourism and retirement communities, and massive immigration from Latin America, most of which has ended up in the Sun Belt. Some of the effects of this shift are obvious. The Sun Belt's gain is other states' loss. New York, for example, lost five seat in the House in the 1990s. Presidential elections are increasingly more turned by results in these states. Other effects are less apparent. Some, but not all, Sun Belt states have lower labor costs, and are more likely to be unfriendly to unions. They have attracted high-tech industries--of course, Silicon Valley is centered in California--and many have considerable military-related industries. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the changes in immigration patterns and the public and government response to those changes in the late twentieth century. After 1960, increasing numbers of new immigrants who entered the United States came from Asia and Latin America. Between 1924 and 1960 a majority of immigrants to the United States were Europeans who settled in the Northeast and Midwest. The number of immigrants admitted each year from outside the Western Hemisphere was determined by a quota system based on the national origins of the population of the United States. In 1890, this system discriminated against Asians. In 1965, the quota system was eliminated and a limit of 20,000 immigrants per country was established. With the lowering of immigration restrictions, the number of immigrants from Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific islands was increased. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter also admitted thousands of refugees from Indochina in excess of the set limits because these people had supported the United States in the Vietnam War. A majority of immigrants, legal and illegal, were Spanish-speaking peoples from Mexico and Central America. Throughout the twentieth century, Mexicans crossed back and forth across the border either to work temporarily in agriculture and industry or to settle permanently in the southwestern states. Along the Atlantic seaboard, a majority of the Spanish-speaking peoples were Puerto Ricans who were U.S. citizens--and not theoretically immigrants--or Cubans who fled the Communist government of Fidel Castro. As the numbers of immigrants from Asia and Latin America increased, the federal government passed new restrictions designed to control and reduce the influx. The Refugee Act of 1980 admitted those escaping from political persecution (that is, from leftist or Communist governments) but not those seeking economic opportunities (that is, those from right-wing, capitalist countries). To stem the tide of illegal immigrants, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1987, which penalized U.S. companies that hired undocumented workers but legalized those employees who had lived in the United States for five years. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Explore the economic changes that transformed American life in the 1990s. In the thirty years between 1960 and 1990, a technological revolution transformed American life. The biotechnological innovations broadened scientific knowledge of genetics, human and animal reproduction, disease control and creation, hybridization of plants, and environmental interrelationships. The federal government invested billions of dollars in research, and scientists experimented with new processes--such as cloning--that raised new debates over the appropriate role of science in modern life. Advances in computer technology increased efficiency, simplified processes, expanded operations, and lowered costs. The microchip transformed the computer from a giant room full of interconnected machines to the compact, high-capacity home computer. Typewriters became antique oddities as Apple and IBM competed to provide the American consumer with easily accessible, reasonably priced, high-performance machines. With the computerization of society, the United States moved beyond the age of Industrial Revolution into the new age of the Information Revolution. Satellites and fiber optics made possible instantaneous communication between people all over the world. From the convenience of one's own home, via the Internet, modern Americans can visit libraries, museums, government offices, and friends and family. International databases provide access to information, and computerized communicators facilitate home banking and shopping. The exchange of information that once took days through the postal service ("snail mail"), now takes seconds through electronic mail and fax transmissions. Consumers carry cellular phones so they can place and receive phone calls wherever they may be. These changes have taken place so quickly and are so far-reaching in their consequences that modern ethics and philosophy have yet to catch up with the changing pattern of human and electronic interaction. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Describe the changing nature and role of television in American culture from the 1970s through the 1990s. Essay should address several key points: A. Network-dominated television in the 1970s 1. Networks sought "sponsors" for broadly appealing programs 2. Shift toward young urban and suburban viewers a. Some programming became increasingly sophisticated and controversial (All in the Family) b. Implications B. Challenges to network domination during the 1980s 1. Growth of independent stations a. Fox Television b. Others 2. Growth of cable-based industry 3. MTV C. Debate over role of television 1. FCC attempts to "dedicate" some television viewing to "family" programming a. Reasons for regulations b. Television industry cries "censorship" 2. Growing role of television programming in American culture
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Outline and examine the growth of the "new women's movement" in the late twentieth century United States. Essay should address several key points: A. Historical connection to 1960s activism 1. Brief overview of 1960s social activism 2. Connections with women's movement B. New women's movement 1. Changing role of women in society (1960-1995) 2. Reaction to Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique C. Goals of women's movement 1. Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) a. Called for end to sex discrimination in employment, housing, and education b. Opposition to, and defeat of, ERA 2. Growing concern with gendered division of power a. Concern for relationships between political and personal issues (for example, housework, child rearing, and so on) b. Explosion of women's rights-oriented organizations c. Traditional male-only organizations crumbled D. Diversity of feminist thought 1. Growth of black feminism 2. Debates over pornography and sexual harassment a. Differences among feminists themselves b. Supreme Court ruling of 1986 on sexual harassment 3. Symbolic role of Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas case a. Brought issues of sexual harassment to forefront b. Significant gains for women in elections of 1992
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Outline and examine the growth of the "New Right" in the late twentieth century United States. Essay should address several key points: A. Historical connection to "old right" 1. Conservatives such as William F. Buckley, Jr. and Phyllis Schlafly 2. Opposed to liberal social and political policies B. Neoconservatives 1. Liberal heritage of neoconservatives 2. Bolted the party with George McGovern candidacy a. Denounced feminism b. Defended capitalism C. Religious Right 1. Mobilized after Roe v. Wade (1972) a. Rise of fundamentalists and evangelists b. Opposition to abortion and defense of "family values" 2. Rise of religious broadcasting as a political force a. Jerry Falwell, Listen America b. Pat Robertson and cable television D. "Fringe" groups on the far right
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1