In the middle of the 1980s, the Reagan Administration had two significant foreign policy problems. In Nicaragua, the US funded and sent military supplies to a rebel group called the Contras who were fighting the communist Sandinista government. In response to their human rights violations, Congress passed the Boland Amendment that banned aid to the Contras. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, an Iranian-backed terrorist group took U.S. hostages. The Reagan administration could not negotiate with terrorists to free the hostages and could no longer support the Contras. Oliver North was put in charge of both of these issues. He arranged for weapons to be sold to Iran in exchange for the release of U.S. hostages in Lebanon. Money from those arms sales was then given to the Contras in Nicaragua, violating the Boland Amendment. These scandals came to light in 1986 when a Lebanese newspaper began writing stories about the Iranian weapons deals.
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In the middle of the 1980s, the Reagan Administration had two significant foreign policy problems. In Nicaragua, the US funded and sent military supplies to a rebel group called the Contras who were fighting the communist Sandinista government. In response to their human rights violations, Congress passed the Boland Amendment that banned aid to the…
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In 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C. while trying to bug the offices and collect information about the upcoming election. The break-in led to a series of investigations that revealed a pattern of similar illegal activity. Then, officials in the Nixon administration were accused of…
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The Pentagon Papers were a secret government study of U.S. involvement in Vietnam that exposed years of deception about the war’s scope and purpose. Leaked in 1971 by Daniel Ellsberg, the papers revealed information the public had never been told. Although the Nixon administration tried to block publication, the Supreme Court allowed it. The release…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the ways in which artists are trying to heal the political polarization that have divided Americans. Students analyze recent events (e.g., the 2024 Fast Car duet between Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs) and how these artists created some national unity in their work. Students start to think…
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Photography serves as a powerful window into the experiences of migrants during the Great Depression, offering visual narratives that capture their struggles, resilience, and hopes. Through the lens of historical photographs, we gain intimate glimpses into the hardships faced by migrant families, from the dusty fields they worked to the crowded camps where they sought…
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Economics is grounded in the concept of scarcity, which ultimately means there is not enough stuff (e.g., food, movie theaters, healthcare) to go around. As a result, economic reasoning emphasizes making informed decisions about how to distribute goods and services efficiently and in ways that yield the best outcomes. It seems like a straightforward process,…