When the 1980s started, many parts of American society were in turmoil. The
American people had endured the long and controversial Vietnam War, which
had just ended. Political strife exasperated by the Watergate scandal that
embroiled President Richard Nixon and his administration had led to Nixon’s
resignation (the first time in history for a U.S. president). The U.S. economy
had fallen significantly, especially due to the rising price of oil, as the United
States relied on sources in the Middle East, who had raised prices to their high-
est ever. The Middle East was undergoing a good deal of upheaval, which also
affected oil prices. In short, the general feeling among Americans was not posi-
tive as the decade began. This introduction will discuss some of the issues that
led to this general sense of apathy (if not negativity) that permeated American
society.
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN POPULAR CULTURE
BEFORE THE 1980s
The rights of African Americans have been violated since the United States
became a country in the 18th century (and even earlier). Until the end of the
Civil War, the horrors of slavery were the most obvious example of how poorly
humans could treat others, particularly in the Southern part of the United States.
Though slavery ended officially with the passage of the Thirteenth Amend-
ment in 1864, Jim Crow laws passed subsequently had made discrimination
legal in the majority of Southern states, and depending on the locations, the
laws sanctioned varying degrees of prejudice.
In the 1960s, African Americans found a leader in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
to help in the struggle for equal rights through peaceful protest and civil dis-
obedience. However, that decade was also a time for the rise of more militant
groups, such as the Black Panthers, who took more aggressive and violent
Background and Introduction
