Key to Oklahoma
Help ] Table of Contents ] Biographies ] Oklahoma Today ] Resources ] Search ] Sights and Sounds ] Timelines ] Student Activities ] Crossword Puzzles ] Quizzes ]
Previous Section Table of Contents Next Section

Progress in Modern Oklahoma: 1960 - 1999

  1. Political and Economic Trends
  2. Religion & the Arts in Oklahoma
  3. Popular Culture in  Oklahoma
  4. Oklahoma�s Global Consciousness

Political and Economic Trends

The 1960's and early 1970s were a time of political turmoil in the country. In addition to the Civil Rights movement discussed earlier, the United States was entangled in an ill-advised war in Vietnam. As the war progressed, sentiments against our involvement grew. The country became divided over our involvement in the war. There were anti-war protests on several college campuses throughout the country. More than 950 Oklahomans died serving in the Vietnam War.

In the 1960 national presidential race, Governor Edmondson supported John F. Kennedy and brought him to the state for campaign appearances. A majority of Oklahomans refused to follow their governor. Kennedy was a big-city Catholic and a liberal who represented the Eastern "establishment." When the people cast their ballots, Richard Nixon received 59 percent of Oklahoma�s votes.

The 1962 state elections showed that people continued their turn toward conservatism. For the first time in history, voters chose a Republican for governor, Henry Bellmon. Early in his term, a major issue was political reapportionment to end the rural domination of what was now an urban state. A federal district court imposed its own reapportionment formula that was consistent with the Supreme Court�s mandate of "one man, one vote." Before the change, the many legislative districts in the state were unequal. Some contained relatively large populations. Others had but few people. That meant that districts with few people could actually control the legislature, while districts with larger populations did not have the influence that they should have. Before reapportionment, less than 30 percent of the people could control the legislature. After reapportionment, it took 49 percent to control (50 percent plus one would have been perfect).

Bellmon also faced a teachers� revolt because of their low pay scales. For a time the National Education Association and the Oklahoma Education Association placed sanctions on the Sooner state and advised in-state teachers to seek better jobs in other states. That development forced conservatives to compromise by giving teachers an average $500 annual pay raise. After Bellmon finished his term, he was following by another conservative Republican, Dewey Bartlett. Ironically, both benefited from Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson�s "Great Society" program and his "War on Poverty." Johnson�s attempts to help the poor pumped millions of dollars into the Oklahoma economy.

Although Dewey Bartlett sought another term in 1970, the majority of voters cast ballots for the Democrat David Hall. The new governor pushed tax increases through the legislature to deal with "shortfalls" in tax revenue. The major increases were levied on oil, gas, liquor and personal income. He spent the new money on public schools, higher education and new highway construction. Unfortunately, once Hall left office, he was prosecuted and convicted of soliciting bribes from companies seeking state contracts while he was governor.

From 1971 to 1976, U.S. Representative Carl Albert served as the Speaker of the House. During his tenure as Speaker, he had to deal with the Vietnam war, recession, inflation and the Watergate scandal. Albert served a total of 30 years in the U.S. House from 1946 - 1976.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) created a crisis in the United States in the 1970s due to its monopoly on international oil sales. Because the United States helped the Israelis in the Israeli-Arab War of 1973, OPEC quit supplying the United States with oil. Democrat David Boren (who would one day become the president of the University of Oklahoma) followed Hall as governor. He had to deal with an unsettled economy caused in part by OPEC�s boycott of the United States. On the one hand, the boycott meant record profits for Oklahoma�s oil companies. The state collected great windfalls of new tax revenue. On the other hand, OPEC�s actions created chaos in the overall economy. Like the rest of the United States, Oklahoma saw high inflation and recession at the same time. 

Democrat George Nigh followed Boren. Although Nigh had to face budget shortfalls, oil prices finally dropped. The OPEC boycott faded into history. The new development had certain negative effects in Oklahoma. A drop in world oil prices occurred in 1982 and again in 1986. Oklahomans drawing their incomes directly or indirectly from the oil industry lost income, jobs and businesses. The state experienced more shortfalls in tax revenue. The drop in oil prices in 1982 caused the collapse of Penn Square State Bank of Oklahoma City. Other banks throughout the country which had participated in loan programs set up by Penn Square also failed. As a result, Oklahoma and United States banking laws were tightened.

Meanwhile, Henry Bellmon returned to office in 1982 and served two terms as governor. He had to deal with shrinking oil revenue and farm prices and the collapse of many banks and oil companies. The state government cut spending for various social services and for education. In 1986, unemployment reached 9.2 percent. That figure represented a staggering number of people who did not have jobs. Oil and gas revenues only accounted for 11 percent of the state�s gross production by 1987. It had accounted for 24 percent five years earlier. By the 1990s, the economic picture was better, in part because of the stabilization of the oil and gas industries and also because the state economy had diversified. Oklahoma�s economy was not as dependent on oil and gas as in the past.

 In Indian politics, the Cherokee nation made news with the election of Wilma Mankiller in 1987 as the first woman Principal Chief of the tribe. 

David Walters reclaimed the governorship for the Democrats in 1990. He was succeeded by Republican Frank Keating in 1994. The infamous terrorist bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building occurred during his administration in 1995. The bombing killed 168 people and injured many more. The governor was called upon to help the people of the state and the nation cope with this tragedy. The overwhelming response of citizens to help in the aftermath of the bombing has become known as "Oklahoma Standard". The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial shown below was dedicated on April 19, 2000, five years after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

 

Additional Resources

bulletLearn more about the Vietnam War.

Study Guide Questions:

  1. Who was the first Republican elected as governor of Oklahoma and when was he elected?
  2. What is reapportionment? How was reapportionment  accomplished in Oklahoma?
  3. What caused a "teachers� rebellion" during Governor Bellmon�s first term as governor?
  4. Why, when and how did OPEC cause a national economic crisis for the United States?
  5. How did Oklahoma's reliance on the oil and gas industry change between 1982 and 1987?
  6. What do the words "inflation" and "recession" mean when applied to the economy?

Back to Top

Previous Section Table of Contents Next Section

Help ] Table of Contents ] Biographies ] Oklahoma Today ] Resources ] Search ] Sights and Sounds ] Timelines ] Student Activities ] Crossword Puzzles ] Quizzes ]