US History: Resources by Decade: 1980s

This anthology chronicles major events of the 1980s, from the election of Ronald Reagan, the appearance of AIDS, and the emergence of personal computers in the beginning of the decade to fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Americans' daily lives are also examined in a chapter on the social trends and popular culture of the 1980s.

During the 1980s, American cinema underwent enormous transformations. Blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and The Empire Strikes Back grabbed huge revenues for the studios. At the same time, the growth of home video led to new and creative opportunities for independent film production, resulting in many of the decade's best films. Both large- and small-scale filmmakers responded to the social, political, and cultural conditions of the time. The two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan spawned a new Cold War with the Soviet Union, which Hollywood film both embraced and critiqued. Also during this time, Hollywood launched a long-awaited cycle of films about the Vietnam War, exploring its impact both at home and abroad. But science fiction remained the era's most popular genre, ranging from upbeat fantasies to dark, dystopic visions. Bringing together original essays by ten respected scholars in the field, American Cinema of the 1980s examines the films that marked the decade, including Ordinary People, Body Heat, Blade Runner, Zelig, Platoon, Top Gun, Aliens, Blue Velvet, Robocop, Fatal Attraction, Die Hard, Batman, and sex, lies & videotape.

Why did the youthful optimism and openness of the sixties give way to Ronald Reagan and the spirit of conservative reaction--a spirit that remains ascendant today?Drawing on a wide array of sources--including tabloid journalism, popular fiction, movies, and television shows--Philip Jenkins argues that a remarkable confluence of panics, scares, and a few genuine threats created a climate of fear that led to the conservative reaction. He identifies 1975to 1986 as the watershed years. During this time, he says, there was a sharp increase in perceived threats to our security at home and abroad. At home, America seemed to be threatened by monstrous criminals--serial killers, child abusers, Satanic cults, and predatory drug dealers, to name just afew. On the international scene, we were confronted by the Soviet Union and its evil empire, by OPEC with its stranglehold on global oil, by the Ayatollahs who made hostages of our diplomats in Iran. Increasingly, these dangers began to be described in terms of moral evil. Rejecting the radicalismof the '60s, which many saw as the source of the crisis, Americans adopted a more pessimistic interpretation of human behavior, which harked back to much older themes in American culture. This simpler but darker vision ultimately brought us Ronald Reagan and the ascendancy of the political Right,which more than two decades later shows no sign of loosening its grip.Writing in his usual crisp and witty prose, Jenkins offers a truly original and persuasive account of a period that continues to fascinate the American public. It is bound to captivate anyone who lived through this period, as well as all those who want to understand the forces thattransformed--and continue to define--the American political landscape.

This work offers a comprehensive coverage of the impact of the 1980's on the United States and Canada.Reagan, AIDS, the Challenger disaster, MTV, Yuppies, ""Who Shot J.R.'""...""The Eighties in America"" examines the iconic personalities and moments of this pivotal decade.This fully illustrated, three-volume encyclopedia is a companion set to ""The Sixties in America"", ""The Fifties in America"", and ""The Seventies in America"". It covers events, movements, people, and trends in popular culture, literature, art, sports, science, technology, economics, and politics in both the United States and Canada.The set's 665 articles discuss people, books, films, television series, musical groups, and other important topics representative of that era. Every entry focuses on the topic or person during the 1980's closely examining what made the decade unique.Written with the needs of students and general readers in mind, ""The Eighties in America"" presents clear discussions of its topics, explaining terms and references that may be unfamiliar. Entries fall into the many general categories, including arts and literature, business and economics, crime and punishment, education, environmental issues, film and television, health and medical issues, international relations, journalism, military and war, politics and government, popular culture, popular music, religion and spirituality, science and technology, sexuality, social issues, sports, and transportation.Essays are 1-6 pages long and begin with a concise title followed by a brief description of the person, organization, work, concept, or event. Further headings attribute authorship, establish a date for the subject, and assign a location.Every essay features an ""Impact"" section, which examines the subject's broader importance during the 1980's. Overviews sometimes include a section called ""Subsequent Events"" that sums up later developments. Cross-references at the end of each essay direct readers to additional entries in the encyclopedia on related subjects. Every entry offers bibliographical notes, and annotations are provided in essays of 1,000 words or more.Volume 3 contains 16 appendixes that provide additional information about selected aspects of the decade: major films, Academy Award winners, most-watched television shows, best-selling U. S. books and major literary awards; Grammy Award winners and notable facts about popular musicians; winners of major sports events; major U.S. Supreme Court decisions and important legislation; a glossary of new words and slang; a detailed time line; an annotated general bibliography; and an annotated list of Web sources on 1980's subjects.

From our nation's best source of in-depth daily reporting comes this sweeping retrospective of the news, culture, and personalities of the decade of the 1980s, as told through hundreds of handselected articles and compelling original commentary in this unique and fascinating book. There is no better record of history than the archives of The New York Times. Now, more than 200 articles from the great decade of the 1980s are culled from these archives and carefully curated, by editor and Times writer William Grimes, to create one complete, compelling, historical and nostalgic collection. Organized by sections such as politics, business, science & health, sports, arts & entertainment, food, obituaries, and more, The Times of the Eighties covers the biggest stories that shaped the 1980s. Articles include coverage of historic events like Wall Street's "Black Monday," the Iran-Contra scandal, Tiananmen Square, the Challenger disaster, the Human Genome Project, the collapse of communism, and the introduction of the personal computer by IBM; cultural highlights like the launch of MTV, Ted Turner's establishment of CNN, the Cabbage Patch doll craze, reviews of movies like E.T., Terminator, Raging Bull, and Tootsie, and features on musicians like Michael Jackson, Joan Jett, U2, Wham, Blondie, and more; plus pieces on personalities like Mikhail Gorbachev, Princess Diana, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pete Rose, Bill Cosby, and more. The stories are penned by well-known Times writers like William Safire, Frank Rich, Anna Quindlen, Serge Schmemann, Russell Baker, Nan C. Robertson, Thomas L. Friedman, Linda Greenhouse, Bill Keller, Clyde Haberman, Paul Goldberger, Francis X. Clines, John Noble Wilford, Nicholas Kristof, Fox Butterfield, John Rockwell, Anthony Lewis, and many more. Grimes guides readers through the articles he's selected with commentary that puts the stories into historical context and explores the impact that these events and individuals eventually had on the future. Hundreds of color photographs from the Times and other sources illuminate the stories throughout.