Period 9: 1980–Present

"The economic program of this administration is based on the premise that the key to economic growth and stability is to reduce the role of the federal government in the economy. This requires slowing the growth of government spending, reducing tax rates to stimulate work and investment, and removing the burden of unnecessary federal regulations."

—Economic Report of the President, 1982

Which of the following economic approaches is most directly reflected in the goals described in the excerpt?

Population Changes in Select States, 1980–2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Which of the following was a major political consequence of the demographic trends shown in the table?

"This government will enforce this law with all the urgency of a nation at war. . . . The bill I am about to sign into law—the USA PATRIOT Act—takes into account the new realities and dangers posed by modern terrorists. It will help us protect our citizens by providing law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the tools necessary to detect, disrupt, and prevent acts of terror. It will allow us to share information more freely, and update our surveillance technologies to meet the challenges of the digital age."
—President George W. Bush, Remarks on Signing the USA PATRIOT Act, October 26, 2001

The debates sparked by the legislation described in the excerpt most closely reflect historical controversies during which of the following earlier periods?

"America is crying out for relief from the suffocating burden of federal regulations and taxes that have stifled our economic growth and leadership. We propose a systematic reduction in tax rates to stimulate investment and job creation, alongside a significant deregulation of key industries, particularly energy, to restore American productivity."
—Republican Party Platform, 1980

Which of the following historical developments did the goals expressed in the platform excerpt most directly support?

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Estimate, "Soviet Policy Toward the West Under Gorbachev," 1988.

"The Soviet Union is facing its most severe economic stagnation since the post-World War II reconstruction era. Stagnant growth, systemic industrial inefficiencies, and a widening technological gap with the United States have forced the leadership to recognize that the USSR can no longer sustain both its massive military expenditures and its extensive foreign commitments. General Secretary Gorbachev's domestic programs of *perestroika* (restructuring) and *glasnost* (openness) represent an urgent attempt to modernize the Soviet administrative and economic system. To secure the international stability and economic resources necessary for these internal reforms, Soviet foreign policy is shifting toward diplomatic compromise and major arms control agreements with the West."

Which of the following developments during the late 1980s best supports the main argument of the excerpt?

The table below shows select U.S. federal financial statistics from 1980 to 1990:

Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Historical Tables.

Which of the following best explains the trend in the total public debt during the period shown in the table?

"We must define our effort not as a boundless 'Global War on Terror,' but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America... Beyond the use of force, we must also recognize that security is not a matter of military action alone. Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. That’s what our democracy demands."

— President Barack Obama, Address at the National Defense University, May 23, 2013

The perspective expressed in the excerpt most directly reflects which of the following developments in United States foreign policy during the early twenty-first century?

"Our objective is only to establish a reasonable, fair, orderly, and secure system of immigration on our borders and not to discriminate in any way against particular national or ethnic groups. . . . The employer sanctions program is the keystone and the major element that will make this program work. . . . At the same time, this bill provides a legalization program that is both generous and humane. It will enable those who have lived in the United States without legal status for many years to step out of the shadows and into the sunlight of American life."

— President Ronald Reagan, Statement on Signing the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, November 6, 1986

The enactment of the policy described in the excerpt was most directly a response to which of the following late-twentieth-century developments?

"We must also pay attention to the integration of immigrants—their transition from newcomers to full participants in our society. The Commission defines integration as a two-way street: it is the process by which immigrants become part of our communities and by which our communities welcome them. A successful integration policy must emphasize the acquisition of the English language and an understanding of American civic values, while simultaneously recognizing the cultural contributions that diverse populations bring to the nation."
— U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, *Becoming an American: Immigration and Immigrant Policy*, 1997

Based on the excerpt, the ideas expressed by the Commission most directly reflect which of the following post-1980 developments in the United States?

"Our coordinate task is clear. We must work to restore traditional moral values to our classrooms and families, resisting the secular humanism that has invaded our public institutions. At the same time, we must free the productive capacity of the American enterprise system from the regulatory excesses of the federal bureaucracy. These two struggles are not separate; they are the twin pillars of a renewed America."
— Moral Majority political platform document, 1980

Which of the following historical developments in the late twentieth century is best reflected by the sentiments expressed in the excerpt?

Read the excerpt below.

"For too long, the federal government has treated the traditional family not as the cornerstone of our republic, but as an obstacle to social engineering. Through tax policies that penalize marriage, federal court decisions that ban prayer in schools, and the growth of a welfare bureaucracy that displaces parental authority, the state has encroached upon the private sphere. To reverse this, we must unite the defenders of free enterprise with those who seek to preserve our moral heritage."
—Campaign pamphlet, 1980

The sentiments expressed in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following shifts in the American political landscape by 1980?

“The Keystone XL pipeline is not just about moving oil; it is about energy security and American jobs. For too long, the United States has been dependent on volatile foreign regimes for our energy needs. By expanding our pipeline infrastructure to import oil from a stable ally like Canada, and by continuing to develop our own domestic oil and natural gas resources, we strengthen our economy and bolster our national security. Environmental concerns must be balanced against the immediate economic needs of American families and the strategic interests of our nation.”

— Representative Lee Terry (Nebraska), House of Representatives debate on the Northern Route Approval Act, May 2013

The argument expressed in the excerpt most directly reflects which of the following debates in the early twenty-first century?

Source: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Address to the Aspen Institute, August 5, 1990.

"We have seen the collapse of the system which for forty years threatened our security and denied basic human rights to the peoples of Eastern Europe. This happened because the internal contradictions of the communist system finally proved unsustainable, and because the West remained strong, united, and resolved. We maintained our defense, we kept our faith in freedom, and we offered a path of cooperation to those who chose the way of reform. Now, the cold war is over. The task before us is to build a new partnership, extending the area of stability and democracy to the East, while preserving the alliances that secured our peace."

Which of the following historical arguments is best supported by Thatcher's analysis of the Cold War's end in the excerpt?

“The military commission convened to try Hamdan lacks the power to proceed because its structure and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949. ... The Executive ought to be allowed wide latitude in wartime, but that latitude does not extend to the creation of military tribunals that bypass the established laws of war and the explicit statutory boundaries set by Congress.”

— Justice John Paul Stevens, majority opinion in *Hamdan v. Rumsfeld* (2006)

The Supreme Court decision excerpted above was most directly a response to which of the following developments during the War on Terror?

Source: President George H.W. Bush, National Security Directive 23, "United States Relations with the Soviet Union," September 1989.

"For forty years, the United States has led the West in a policy of containment... Today, we must look beyond containment to a policy that seeks the integration of the Soviet Union into the community of nations... Our policy must encourage the Soviet Union to move toward greater political openness, economic reform, and respect for human rights. But we must also remain vigilant, recognizing that the Soviet military threat, though changing in character, remains substantial."

Which of the following developments in the Soviet Union most directly contributed to the foreign policy transition described in the directive?

“The globalization of the economy, driven by rapid technological change and corporate-led trade policies, has created a world in which capital and goods flow freely across borders while workers' rights and living standards are pushed downward. Computer systems and global communications networks now allow companies to coordinate production globally, bypassing the regulatory and social protections that workers spent decades building in industrial democracies. In this new global labor market, American manufacturing workers find themselves in direct competition with workers in developing nations who are paid a fraction of their wages...”

— AFL-CIO Executive Council, statement on globalization, 1997

Which of the following economic shifts in the United States during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries was most directly accelerated by the technological and corporate trends described in the excerpt?

The transition from the 'Rust Belt' to the 'Sun Belt' after 1980 was fueled not just by the allure of warmer climates, but by a structural realignment of the American economy. As traditional manufacturing centers in the Midwest and Northeast contracted, southern and western states actively courted businesses with right-to-work laws, lower corporate tax rates, and modern infrastructure funded largely by federal defense contracts. This internal migration of millions of Americans seeking employment in service, technology, and defense sectors dramatically reshaped the nation's political landscape.

—Adapted from a historical analysis of late twentieth-century demographic shifts

Which of the following was a major political consequence of the demographic shifts described in the passage?

"The dramatic expansion of domestic natural gas production, driven by technological breakthroughs in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, has altered the nation’s energy landscape. It has created jobs, lowered utility costs for working families, and reduced our reliance on foreign energy sources. At the same time, we cannot ignore the growing concerns of communities experiencing the environmental impacts of this boom, from potential water contamination to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Our policy must ensure that we harness our energy resources responsibly, using federal oversight to safeguard public health and protect our ecosystems."

— Representative Edward Markey, statement on natural gas drilling and environmental impacts, 2011

The debate described in the excerpt most directly illustrates which of the following continuous tensions in United States history?

"For years, our borders have been wide open, and our public schools, clinics, and social services have been overwhelmed. We are not a nation of infinite resources. It is only fair that the taxpayers of this state are protected from shouldering the heavy financial burden of providing services to those who have entered the country unlawfully."
—Excerpt from promotional materials supporting a California ballot initiative, 1994

Which of the following late-twentieth-century developments is most directly illustrated by the excerpt?

The following excerpt is from a speech delivered by President Bill Clinton at the White House Conference on the New Economy in April 2000.

"We are patchworking together a new economy. It is a transition as profound as the transition from the agricultural age to the industrial age. The computer, the microchip, the Internet, and the globalization of trade have created an economy that is growing faster, with lower inflation and lower unemployment, than we have seen in a generation. But this transition also brings challenges. The nature of work is changing, and the economic distance between those with technological skills and those without is growing."

Which of the following was a primary domestic consequence of the economic transition described in the excerpt?