social impacts Reagan Flashcards
(32 cards)
how did reagan catagorise the poor
-scrougers (lazy benefit cheats)
-the deserving poor (those who are tryingband need help)
What did obra (1981) finance cuts traget the most
federal spending on programmes for the poor
why did reagan rise to the top on the basis of the new religious right
rose to the top on the back of the new religious right
he stated he was a ‘born again christian’
championed family values, ironic as he was first president to be divorced and had a bad relationship with two of his children
what were the conservative social policies reagan promoted as role model for the Religious Right
-banning abortion
-traditional family values
-restoring prayer in schools
-allowimg the teaching of ‘creationism’
what were the issues reagan wanted to tackle that were hurting ‘family values’
-rising divorce rates
-teenage pregnancy
-homosexuality
-working women
what did reagan do to ‘tackle’ abortion
-persuaded congress to ban medicaid funded abortions
-created ‘chastity centres’ that discouraged sex all together
-BOWEN VS KENDRICK (1988) supreme court denied federal funding to pro choice clinics. this supported a government move to blovk federally funded pregnancy clinics from even discussing abortion with patients
-failed to overturn Roe Vs Wade or pass a constitutional agreement to ban abortion
reagan response to aids outbreak
Some people accused him of ignoring the AIDS epidemic until the death of his friend, Rock Hudson who died of AIDS.
However, others point out that he addressed meetings on the epidemic, and that the administration provided funding for AIDS research from 1982.
What is clear though is that Reagan’s supporters and the Republican party opposed gay rights.
attitude towards sexuality
-did very little during the AIDS outbreak as conservatives believed it was linked to immoral behaviour
-by 1990 100,000 people had died from aids (it managed to spread and infect blood banks)
another 24 states, plus washington dc had laws against deviant behaviour
how many people died during the aids outbreak
-by 1990 100,000 people had died from aids (it managed to spread and infect blood banks)
impact on womens rights
POSITIVE:
-appointed first woman to Supreme Court (sandra day- was also pro choice)
under regan more women entered the workforce than ever before and there was a slight shift in the gender pay gap
NEGATIVE
oppossed the equal rights ammendment- which was never passed through congress
-socially conservative womens groups grew drastically (beverly La Haye’s Concerned Women For America had 500,000 members, more than NOW)
what did they want to change welfare to
‘welfare’ to ‘workfare’ by reqiring at least one working parent before it paid out family benefits
why did workfare fail to help poor families
much of the work provided paid below minimum wage and sometimes less than benefit making families struggle
-despite to gov promise of childcare, single parents found childcare hard ro find making working impossible
w many families were looking for a low income home in 1985? what did reagans administeation do that meant families could not find one?
-by 1970 there were almost 2.4 million low income homes available to families that applied for them
-by 1885 there were 3.7 million families who qualified for a low income home but there were no houses available bc reagan slashed fedweal funding for low cost homes (led to huge increase in homelessness)
w did funding for low cost housing change
-the federal government spent 32 billion on low cost housing products previously
-by 1988 it was spending just 9.2 billion
how did federal funding for homelessness change
in 1984 federal funding for the homeless was 300 million, by 1988 it was 1.6 billion
what was the McKinney act and what did it do to try tackles homelessness
-1987
-set up the federal emergency management agency
-FEMA matched state grants to local homelessness projects hall and half the state had to choose the project
-set up a federal housing project for transitional hosuing with an emphasis on the elderly, disabled, native americans, veterans, families with children
-gave emergency medical care to homeless and provided homeless children with education, and job training that favoured homeless veterans
How did Congress tackle
homelessness?
In 1987, Congress pushed through a bill giving some federal help to projects for the homeless. In 1984, federal funding available to the homeless was $300 million; in 1988, it was $16 billion. FEMA was also set up in the 1987 McKinney Act, helpful for less fortunate.
How did Reagan change leisure
time?
Workers found themselves stretched in other ways, by the removal of many federal regulations on working conditions
Many had to work longer hours and had LESS leisure time.
In 1973, workers had on average, 26 hours of leisure time; by 1987, it was 16 hours. Worse still, people fought in overtime in competitive markets.
How did wages change for new employees under Reagan?
It had become harder to juggle leisure and work time. Thus many were persuaded to move sideways and down into part-time or temporary contract work. Only paid for the hours they worked.
reagans homeless welfare measures
1982 JOB TRAINING PARTNERSHIP ACT
job training up to states/private schemes, don’t have to pay trainees the minimum wage
1987 MCKINNEY VENTO HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT
-sets up federal emergency management food and shelter program to be run by FEMA
1988 FAMILY SUPPORT ACT
-family only eligible for benefits if at least one parent is working 16 hours a week
How did Reagan change part-time jobs?
A two-tier wage structure emerged in many businesses. Established workers kept the wage rates and benefits negotiated when they took the job. While workers just joining a business could be offered a lower salary, on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. This affected the youth and even experienced workers too.
How did Reagan fail to support
blacks?
The desire to cut back on federal involvement meant that the administration was unwilling to extend civil rights legislation or push for affirmative action.
mentality of black people
Hard-working, well-educated, middle class, conformist black Americans could get ahead as they helped fill minority quotas for cynical businesses. However, unedu- cated, young, poor black men often went under. Even successful black people felt under pressure of being in the minority - of being held back, and being merely a ‘quota’ hire. Black people felt increasingly less part of the political environment. The civil rights movements was scattered and the conservative backlash was heavy. This environment had led young black Americans increasingly to angry, violent and defeatist rap music as their anthem.
How did Reagan fail to support
Hispanics and in- ner city minori- ties?
in 1982, The Crisis, magazine of the NAACP, pointed out that Reagan’s inaction had harmed all minority groups. Pointing to his abandonment of busing students into various schools as something particularly harmful to blacks and Hispanics. Because it virtually guaranteed that children in the poorest areas would have to attend schools in these areas, creating segregated schooling. Also withdrawal of 40% of funding for bilingual education.
