American Decades Primary Sources: 1980-1989

The United States in the 1980s saw several firsts: for women, the media, medicine, and science. Sandra Day OConnor became the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Sally Ride became the first woman in space. CNN was established as the first 24-hour news station. AIDS was identified for the first time, and DNA was first used to convict criminals. The science community faced a stunning setback, however, with the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which had among its crew the first teacher to go into space. President Ronald Reagans administration became mired for a time in the Iran-Contra affair, which involved a plan to provide arms to rebels in Nicaragua and free Americans held hostage by terrorists. Terrorists bombed the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and the U.S. Army introduced its slogan Be All You Can Be.

The following documents are just a sampling of the offerings available in this volume:

Excerpt from The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
Memorandum on air traffic controllers strike List of terms from Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know Illustrations from The Official Preppy Handbook Transcript from Challengers operational recorder
Be All That You Can Be, recruiting advertisement for the U.S. Army Oral history of AIDS doctors An interview with Hill Street Blues creator Stephen Bochco In Memory of Her