- Loading...
- No images or files uploaded yet.
Football:
The 1980s also had many famous football stars including Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice. In particular, Jerry Rice, the record breaking and setting football player,had a great success. He has the most career catches in NFL history and counting. One most also not forget the memorable moments from people like Walter Payton. The San Francisco 49ers dominated the decade by winning the Super Bowl in '82, '85, and again in '89.
Tennis:
In tennis and for the ATP tour, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe brought media attention wherever they went. Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf had the attention for the WTA tour.
Boxing:
In the 80s, there was the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the International Boxing Federation. These three organizations were competing to see which champion they produced was the actual heavyweight champion. Below are the winners from the various championships: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
As shown above, near the end of the decade Mike Tyson has already began to dominate the heavyweight championships. It is in 1986 that Mike Tyson crowns himself the world Heavyweight Champion at age 22 and becomes the youngest heavyweight champion in ring history.
Music-Kevin
The music of the early 1980's was as diverse and crazy as the clothing of the time. One one side, the more trendy music connected with the wild youth of America, on the other, a group of songwriters and storytellers connected with the truth: economic and political instability, relationship, and an increased awareness of globalization. The wild side of the 80's came through in many different genres. Metal, a genre that in the 70's had just been a label for bands that played with too much gusto (such as Black Sabbath), now was as full fledged and spirited as disco had been a decade earlier. Like many of the “new” genres of music in the 1980's it would reach it's zenith by the mid-eighties, and take a back seat to the more tried and true styles, which too would develop during the 80's. Pop music really started to transform itself with the advent of MTV, which allowed for the music video to shape the image of an artist, creating a required stage presence for artists. Madonna and Michael Jackson dominated the early-to-mid 80's. Thriller would become one of the most played music videos on MTV. Madonna sold out stadiums worldwide, shocking just about everyone with her wild wardrobe that only the designers of the 80's could dream up. Bon Jovi would also start their historic career in the Eighties. Rock would continue to evolve throughout the eighties, with a throwback to the classic rockers of the last 60's and early 70's. Bruce Springsteen would ultimately seal his fate as one of the greatest musicians of all time, with his albums Nebraska and Born in the USA. The latter's title song would serve falsely as a patriotic anthem for Americans for years. In reality, Springsteen wrote the song as a way of dealing with the lingering stench of the Vietnam war, and of all those who had seen the atrocities in “Nam” and had now integrated back into (or at least tried to) everyday American society. Tom petty won the hearts of millions with his "Bad boy" attitude and rockabilly sensibility. The late 80's also gave birth to many songwriters to become self serving musicians, and still make a living. Steve Earle is probably the most famous of these “Americana troubadours”. His 1988 Copperhead Road would give inspiration to hundreds of small bands across the country, requiring the creation of two new genres of music that would eventually shape the 90's: Indie Rock and Alternative Country. In the final years of the 80's, country music eventually took on it's modern form. Studios began to feature drums more regularly and as a more prevalent sound in recording. The electric guitar started to become as versatile as a swiss army knife, being used in both rhythm and lead positions. A large number of new artists began to emerge, such as George Strait, Clint Black, and Alabama. In 1989, Garth Brooks would release his first album, which dominated the charts for months. Part of his success came from his career choice, as he had graduated as an advertising major from Oklahoma State University, which gave him an edge against many of his washed up predecessors; he knew how to appeal to a wide audience. He would eventually become the best selling music artist of all time.
"The Way We Lived"
The 1980's decade as a whole is often marked by many as a decade of growing prosperity and affluence. Moreover, the people named "baby-boomers", which described the unprecedented growth in the population during the 1950's, had become part of the middle-age population, thriving to succeed in the professional industry.In addition, a certain stereotype had thrived in prominence, and over 20 million people were coined the term for their "young affluence" and "well-to-do" careers: a yuppie. This stereotype, which had developed in the 1980's, described a part of the American population between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-nine years old, whose job in management or a profession gave them an income of more than 40,000 dollars a year. More importantly, the colloquial slang characterized this sector of the population as "free spending" and "lavish urban professionals". They wore Ralph Lauren clothes and Rolex watches, drank Perrier water, and drove in the most luxurious cars at the time. In fact, many may have snorted cocaine, the drug of choice among the well-to-do.The term "yuppie" was directly a product of the expanding economy under the Reagan administration. The "yuppie" image symbolized to the world the great opulence of the nation, and attracted a great deal of attention and media in the rising economy. However, it is important to note that they were not a majority of the American population, but rather a small minority.
- A stereotypical image of a "yuppie", a person who was perceived by the nation as "money-spending" and prosperous.
Government & Politics-B
The decade of the 1980's was known as the "Reagan-decade". Ronald Reagan was elected to office in 1980 and served for almost the entire decade. Moreover, his ultra-conservative, anti-communist ideals were essential in shaping the nation's economic and political fortunes. Firstly, the beginning of the decade for the American population was filled with trepidation and apprehension. Moreover, with the likes of the previous president, Nixon's Watergate scandal of 1974, trust in political officials had greatly dwindled, along with the ailing of the economy. As explained in sections previous, America was experiencing a great depth of social problems, economic difficulties, as well as an insurmountable trade deficit. However, Ronald Reagan's election to presidency at the start of the 80's decade would drastically change the optimism of the American people. In his campaign election, Reagan projected an optimistic "can-do" personality, and imagined an extremely well-to-do America, fully restored of its economic prowess. In addition, Reagan displayed an ultra-conservative stance, by issuing that "people should have the right to the economy". To ensure a capitalist and free-enterprise nation, he greatly focused on lowering taxes, balancing the trade deficit, and creating economic success to the unemployed. His conservative beliefs caused him to disparage the idea of direct and large government involvement, a notion that appealed greatly to patriotic Americans. On the other hand, many democrats discredited Reagan's policy as one that would only "take from the poor to further enrich the wealthy". Often characterized as the party of wealth, the Republican party was berated as a party that ignored the poor and focused solely on business' capital and investment growth. However, Reagan's economic policy, known as "Reaganomics", had a entrepreneurial-driven focus that appealed to the public. This idea was not focused on the criticisms of the Democrats, but rather focused on increasing the nation's demand for goods and services, in order to spread the wealth to everyone.
-From the start of Reagan's administration, he ostensibly displayed more and more conservative ideals in his policies.
Leadership-B
To many Americans, the nation's entry into the new decade of the 1980's seemed painfully slow. Moreover, with the likes of Nixon's Watergate scandal of 1972, as well as Carter's inability to decrease interest rates, inflation, and the trade deficit, the American public desired most an end to the economic challenges that characterized the 70's. Towards the end of the 1970's, Carter's liberal economic policy precipitated high interest rates and inflation. These failed attempts played a large role in the decrease in American optimism, which former-acting star Ronald Reagan wanted to bolster. During the year 1980, the election for the fortieth president of the United States played out. With an obvious anti-large government stance, Ronald Reagan used his charming intimacy and excellent public-speaking skills to depict his simple message: "People should have the right to earn your own keep and keep what you earn." With heavily conservative ideals in his economic policies, Reagan promised and promoted capitalist ideas, restoring the idea of a free-enterprise nation and national respect. To display this, Reagan initiated an concept called "Reaganomics" in 1981, which was essentially based on heavy tax cuts and budget reductions for the American people. In addition, this idea was supported by an economic theory known as "supply side", This theory basically stems from the belief that by cutting taxes, people would allocate more of their increased incomes on capital investments, which would in turn promote more work and result in higher profits for all, workers and investors alike. More specifically, the theory of supply side is outlined in the diagram below:
Law & Justice-Evan
-Reasons: -Incentives toward cooperation, study, and learning skills would create a safer environment for staff and prisoners alike. -Give prisoners a bigger chance to redeem themselves. -Reduce high cost of incarcerating drug offenders. -Address inhumane overcrowding of prisons. -Lower possibility of terrorist and extremist plots breeding. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 In 1986, Congress amended the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. Congress felt that the immigration was accounting for too much of the population growth. In fact, it was accounting for about 30 to 50 percent of the population growth. They thought that the best way to control both the illegal and legal immigration was to eliminate the incentive. There they passed a law making it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Also, Congress made it so that it was also illegal to discriminate legal immigrants who appeared foreign. Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 In 1986, Congress also passed amendments to deter immigration-related marriage fraud. Many immigrants were marrying US citizens to become citizens themselves and it was not accepted by the Congress. "Public Law 99-639 (Act of 11/10/86), which was passed in order to deter immigration-related marriage fraud. Its major provision stipulates that aliens deriving their immigrant status based on a marriage of less than two years are conditional immigrants. To remove their conditional status the immigrants must apply at an U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office during the 90-day period before their second-year anniversary of receiving conditional status. If the aliens cannot show that the marriage through which the status was obtained was and is a valid one, their conditional immigrant status may be terminated and they may become deportable ," (USCIS). Immigration Act of 1990 The Immigration Act of 1990 was established to increase the number legal immigrants allowed into the US each year. It also created a lottery system to generate the number of visas given which gave immigration chances to countries that the US usually did not grant visas to and eliminated discrimination of those of certain races and homosexuality. Religion
As Religion expanded along came conflict. Many religions wanted to be recognized. Even though most of the nations were attracted to Protestantism many religions, especially Catholicism were on the rise. Many of the Hispanic as well as low income families turned to being Catholics. It became so popular that Catholic smaller families became more well educated that the Protestant. Religion also greatly affected the politics of the 1980’s many Christians came into office and for time to time they would help spread word of their religion.
Positive Political Cartoon
Negative Political Cartoon
MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?The 1980's were a period of of great diversity, although much of which stemmed from previous generations. The eighties also was a generation of imports; cars, toys, games and policy alike. The culture, ethics, and events of the era shaped way people in America would live, even up to today, even if many of the eighties “fads” would only become an embarrassing memory to those who survived the times. In the 1980s entertainment changed drastically. New video games were being developed and more toys were being produced. America was being shaped towards what we know as modern day. Pop stars and celebrities, such as Madonna, were carrying a tide of change in fashion too. As more technology was being created and used, more people would follow celebrities and mimic them. Sports also turned a new tide. Famous players were rising up in all sports from Mike Tyson to Jerry Rice and Magic Johnson to Jimmy Connors. Much more people were able to follow these stars and increase their fame. Movies were also a big hit. Movies, such as ET, Back to the Future, and Star Wars, hit box offices and instantly rose to fame. Overall, during the 1980s entertainment was booming and America was turning towards entertainment and the future rather than the past. In addition, the drastic change in leadership from President Nixon to President Ronald Reagan was a large factor in the shaping of the public's ideals. Moreover, after Nixon's Watergate scandal, in which he participated in illegal activities to ensure his reelection, the American people had felt betrayed, furious, and pessimistic about the nation's future progress. The public's trust in political officials was incredibly low, yet Reagan's political term in office was imperative to reversing the loathsome thoughts of the American public. His unconditional optimism gave the public a great deal of inspiration, which was desperately needed at the start of the decade. As the 1980's progressed, Reagan's policies were ostensibly more and more conservative, and they won over the hearts of the American people. Under his administration, a great percentage of the population had started to enter the middle-class, and experienced more wealth than ever before. As the people's trepidation started to fall and the prosperity starting to increase, Reagan's administration had effectively reversed the mood of the nation from angry and aggravated during the 1970's to hopeful and content in the 1980's. Also, the nation's growing and rapidly-prospering economy, directly as a result of Reagan's supply-side theory, undeniably started to reflect on Americans. As more Americans experienced greater amounts of opulence, the improving economy as a whole had reflected the optimistic beliefs of the nation responsible for it. Overall, the decade's culture, entertainment, and drastic change from the 1970's to the 1980's leadership were essential in reflecting the American's newly-found wealth during the 1980s'.
ONE FINAL NOTE: The Legacy of the 80's -Modern cover of "Rebels" by Tom Petty from the Drive-By Truckers. (2009) Works Cited "Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union.." The American Presidency Project. 2009. University of California. Web. 17 Jun. 2009 .
"Europe Divided on Familiar Lines To Two Speeches." Prescott Evening Courier 54(1948): 6. Print.
Cooke, Jacob E. "Washington, George." Presidents: A Reference History. Ed. Henry F. Graff. 3rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 1- 21. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Farmington Hills: Gale. Web. 30 Apr. 2008. Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Eds. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: U*X*L, 2002. Print.
"Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986: Information from Answers.com." Answers.com: Wiki Q&A Combined with Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Encyclopedias. Web. 15 June 2010. <http://www.answers.com/topic/immigration-reform-and-control-act-of-1986>. Leonards, H H. Personal interview. 24 Nov. 2009.
Markus, Frank. "Evolution of the Species." Motor Trend Mar. 2010: 80-87. Print.
"In The Mid 1980s Congress Abolished Parole And Passed Harsh Drug Sentencing Laws." Common Sense for Drug Policy. Web. 15 June 2010. <http://www.csdp.org/publicservice/crowding.htm>.
"In The 80s - Food of the Eighties, Index C." In The 80s - Latest Additions to Eighties Music Pages. Web. 17 June 2010. <http://www.inthe80s.com/food/index_c.shtml>.
Literary Stars of the 1980s." DISCovering U.S. History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/
"Movies of the 1980s." The Eighties Club. Web. 17 June 2010. <http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id21.htm>.
1985, April. "Invasion of the Corporate Body Snatchers (Herblock's History: Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium, Library of Congress Exhibition)." Library of Congress Home. Web. 17 June 2010. <http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/invasion.html>.
Pillai, Premshree. "Smily Cartoons and Comics." CartoonStock - Cartoon Pictures, Political Cartoons, Animations. Web. 17 June 2010. <http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/smily.asp>.
Religion in the 1980s: Overview." DISCovering U.S. History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/
"USCIS - Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986." USCIS Home Page. Web. 15 June 2010. <http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=ec4295c4f635f010VgnVCM1000000ecd190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=b328194d3e88d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD>.
"1980s: The Way We Lived." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1197-1198. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 June 2010.
|
|
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.