Hours:
M/Tu/Th: 9am-7pm | W: 9am-8pm | F: 9am-6pm | Sat: 10am-5pm
The Lansdowne Public Library, 3rd Thursday @ 7:30 PM
Presented by: Michael Sheehan and Neil Ronk
This program meets at the library and online.
If you have any questions, please ask!
History Forum is back!
Lansdowne History Forum
2023-2024
America and the World in the 1970s
This year we will focus on major events, both domestic and international, from the foreign policy legacy of Nixon and Kissinger to the Iran Hostage Crisis, that continue to have a significant impact on our politics and international relations.
Sept. 21 Nixon and Kissinger
We will examine the foreign policy legacy of Nixon and Kissinger from the Paris Peace treaty ending the Vietnam War to establishing Detente with the Soviet Union and opening up relations with China
Oct. 19 The Yom Kippur War
In the first three Arab-Israeli wars, Israel had humiliated the Arab combatants, but the Yom Kippur War revealed Israel’s particular vulnerabilities and would ultimately lead to the beginnings of an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process and the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978
Nov. 16 Opec and the Oil Embargo
The Arab members of OPEC, in retaliation for US military support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War, imposed an oil embargo on the United States which would have Serious repercussions for the American economy and our domestic politics
Jan. 18 The Equal Rights Amendment
After the fight to gain for women the right to vote, the Equal Rights Amendment Represented the most significant movement for gender equality in American History. It ultimately failed to achieve ratification
Feb. 15 The Attica Prison Riots
Attica prisoners took 39 hostages and staged a demand for prison reform. It ended in a bloody assault by law enforcement that led to the largest number Of fatalities in the history of prison uprisings
Mar. 21 The Killing Fields of Pol Pot
Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Party led a government Reign of Terror that Resulted in the death of over one million Cambodians. It was one of the worst Atrocities of the 20th Century
Apr. 18 The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviets were mired in Afghanistan for a decade. It would become their Vietnam and would play a significant role in the collapse of the Soviet Union
May 16 The Rise of the Moral Majority and the Culture Wars
The Moral Majority was a Christian Conservative political organization, led by Rev. Jerry Falwell, that decried the decay in America’s values and advocated support for traditional Christian values in American politics
June 20 The Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran Hostage Crisis represented a devastating close to a difficult decade And would, in many ways, redefine our relations in the Middle East and pave the Way for the Reagan Revolution