1970s
During the 1970s, many Americans lost their faith and trust in the politicians in Washington, D.C. The public desperately needed principled leaders to emerge who would restore their trust in their government and unite people across the country. Senator Helms made an immediate impact in the Senate by promoting conservative ideas in national and foreign policy legislation. Deeply devoted to serving his fellow North Carolinians, Helms also believed that the maintenance of America’s sovereignty should be a key principle underlying all U.S. foreign policy.
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1980s
Following a decade of turmoil and stagnant economic growth, the 1980s brought prosperity, renewed trust in government and a rise in support of for conservative political philosophy. Many Americans embraced conservative views on social, economic and political issues as a response to the rise in crime and inflation, as well as the foreign policy turmoil of the 1970s. Cold War tension was high, but American leadership from President Ronald Reagan, with strong support from Senator Helms, greatly contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and ushered in a new era of U.S. foreign relations.
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1990s
America’s prosperity continued into the 1990s and a Democrat was elected President for the first time in twelve years. Although Senator Helms and President Bill Clinton rarely agreed on policy, when Helms became Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1995, they worked together on a number of important issues. New global threats and a new global economy were emerging, and with the rapid growth of the internet, a more inter-connected world was forever changed.
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2000s
The 2000s brought a time of major technological advances, but were plagued by financial instability and a recession. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 completely changed America’s foreign policy and were the impetus for the global War on Terror. During this time, Senator Helms made a historic visit to the United Nations Security Council and sponsored many foreign policy bills that received bipartisan support. After 30 years in the Senate, Helms retired in 2003. In office from Watergate to 9/11, Senator Helms saw the country evolve and although he compromised his policy preferences at times, he never compromised his principles.
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