The 1970s were difficult years for the United States, a time when long-held convictions were challenged and the nation experienced a collective identity crisis. Women and minorities called into question the belief that freedom and equality are the birthright of all Americans. Watergate and related scandals of the Nixon administration damaged the country’s faith in politicians and the political system. The Arab oil boycott, the energy crisis, the environmental movement, and years of stagflation raised doubts about the future of the nation’s economy, and in the jungles of Vietnam, many Americans began to doubt their ability to protect the world from Communism. This book includes entries on the prominent people, significant events, issues and controversies, and the culture of the decade.
