just the first year, but by the deadline for ratifi-
cation in 1982, only thirty-five of the necessary
thirty-eight states had voted in favor of the
amendment. The amendment was thus defeated.
Social protest encompassed all aspects of life
in the 1970s and early 1980s. California’s Propo-
sition 13 was the culmination of a tax revolt by
people who decided that they wanted an end to
higher property taxes. A grass-roots effort by
ordinary citizens quickly led to the 350,000 signa-
tures required to get Proposition 13 on the ballot,
where it passed easily. Its success fueled citizen
anti-tax protests in other parts of the country.
Soon enough, though, there was something new
to grab the public’s attention. The birth of the
first test-tube baby in England focused people’s
fears on the specter of science creating babies in
test-tubes. The reality of in-vitro fertilization was
far removed from the fears provoked by baby
Brown’s birth, but that did not seem to matter
to the many people who felt compelled to protest
the use of science in pregnancy.Continuing Turmoil
Two events in 1978 and 1979 figured largely into
the national consciousness of the time. The tur-
moil the 1960s and 1970s had led many people to
seek alternatives to organized government and
religion. Some of these people turned to religious
cults to fulfill their need for spirituality. A minis-
ter of the People’s Temple in northern California,COMPARE
&
CONTRAST 1970s–1980s:After years of public protests,
the United States involvement in the Viet-
nam War finally ends in March 1973.
Today:The United States is engaged in two
wars, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Large pub-
lic protests against both wars are common.
1970s–1980s: In August 1974, President
Richard Nixon resigns as president amid alle-
gations of political corruption and abuse of
power, stemming from the break-in at the
Watergate Hotel in 1972.
Today:Thirty-five years after the Watergate
investigation, the legacy continues to be dis-
trust of government officials. A 2001 report
by the National Academy of Public Admin-
istration reports that government officials
need to work to rebuild public trust in
government.
1970s–1980s:In 1977, President Jimmy Car-
ter decides to cut U.S. aid to countries that
condone human rights abuses, becoming the
first U.S. president to take an active position
against human rights abuse.
Today:Human rights abuse is reported in
several nations, including in the United Statesregarding the use of waterboarding as an
interrogation device during the Bush admin-
istration and in Sudan and elsewhere regard-
ing ethnic killings.
1970s–1980s:In March 1979, a nuclear disas-
ter at the Three Mile Island nuclear power
station is narrowly avoided after half of the
radioactive core begins to melt. The crisis lasts
twelve days, ten thousand people are evac-
uated, and the plant is closed permanently.
Today:Because of a desire to be less depend-
ent on oil as a primary energy source, there is
a new push to develop additional nuclear
power plants, after many years of public
resistance to the idea. In 2008, the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission receives applica-
tions to build twenty-six new reactors.
1970S–1980s:In 1980, the World Conserva-
tion Strategy issues a report that suggests
that one million plants and animals face
extinction, due to destruction of habitat
and other human-related causes.
Today: It is estimated that if nothing
changes, half of all species on Earth will
disappear during the twenty-first century.Blackberry Eating