Decades project
1980s
Social
"pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change." - John Podhoretz
The Crack Epidemic
In the 1970s, mass amounts of cocaine, a very addictive drug, were shipped to the United States. As a result of the copious amounts, prices of the drug were lowered by 80%. Dealers and makers developed a solid form of the drug, known as crack. The drug was accessible and smoke-able. This allowed for many people to take interest in it and begin using. The number of admitting people using crack in 1985 was 5.8 million, 1.5 million people up from the start of the year. The drug was available in almost every state by 1987. Programs such as "Just Say No" helped fight this.
Webster v. reproductive health services
The issue of abortion in the United States was first encountered in the 1960s with Roe v. Wade, with the Supreme Court ruling against outlawing abortion. The issue arose again in 1988 with the trial Webster v. Reproductive Health Services. In 1986. Missouri put restrictions on abortion, as it believed life began at conception. The law stated that abortions were not to be given unless it depended on the mother's life, counseling and encouragement to have an abortion was prohibited, and that viability tests were to be imposed on women in their twentieth week of pregnancy or later. In a 5-4 vote, Judge Rehnquist and the Court ruled in favor of Missouri, saying the restrictions were constitutional.
Sources:
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crackcocaine/a-short-history.html
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1988/1988_88_605/
http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maasmt2KCU1qa2ld9o1_500.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/William_Rehnquist_official_portrait_1972.jpg
Quote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnpodhor484754.html?src=t_social_change
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crackcocaine/a-short-history.html
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1988/1988_88_605/
http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maasmt2KCU1qa2ld9o1_500.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/William_Rehnquist_official_portrait_1972.jpg
Quote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnpodhor484754.html?src=t_social_change