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Rodney King was an African- American man who was a victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was beaten with police batons by four members of the Los Angeles Police Department during his arrest. Leaving him with a fractured skull and permanent brain damage. They were later found not guilty, even after the release of camera footage. This merits inclusion because this event was among the first, but not the last, widely seen videos of anti-black police brutality. (Miller para 1) -
In Idaho, an 11-day siege took place at Ruby Ridge. Randy Weaver's attempted arrest by the US Marshals Service on August 21, 1992. Weaver eventually surrendered to federal agents roughly a week later. He's then put on trial and convicted. This event deserves to be included because it is viewed as the federal government overstepping its bounds. The government's oppression of citizens, the community became anti-government. Allowing the American militia movement to grow.(American Express, para 1) -
On December 21, 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act was enacted and signed by Bill Clinton. This allowed non-heterosexual people to serve the country as long as they didn't make their sexual orientation public. This was a hugely discriminatory policy in America that didn't allow non-heterosexual people to be open about their sexuality. Resulting in the act being repealed because citizens shouldn’t have to keep their sexual orientation a secret to please others. (Kruse and Zelizer, 206) -
On April 19, 1995, a bomb exploded at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The bomber, Timothy McViegh, had an intense hatred for the federal government, which led him to deliberately bomb the federal building. In this American terrorist attack, 168 people, including 19 children, were killed. Leaving several hundred people injured and over 300 buildings damaged. This merits inclusion because this is the nation's worst domestic terrorism in history. (FBI gov, para 1) -
This scandal involves President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, an intern at the White House. Their secret sexual relationship came to light, which lasted 18 months. After months of denying the accusations, they finally admitted from the two. This merits inclusion because this was a political sex scandal that led to his impeachment, which shocked all of America. (Waxman and Fabry, 1) -
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting massacre occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. The perpetrators were 12th grade students Dylan and Eric, who killed 12 students and 1 teacher. They also wounded 20 people before they committed suicide. This tragic event will change protocol and incorporate new methods during an active shooter. This merits inclusion because many see the beginning of a new phase that will sadly define the U.S from that point forward. (History.com editors) -
The United States Presidential Election was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican candidate George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Albert Gore were running for President of the United States. It boiled down to a single state. Florida was the deciding state, with a close number of electoral votes. Resulting in Bush winning Floridian electoral votes to become President. This merits inclusion because this is the closest presidential election in American history. (Kruse and Zelizer, 239) -
On August 29, 2005, a devastating natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coastal areas. It developed into a sizable and extraordinarily hurricane that caused major property damage and fatalities. The total damage was estimated at $108 billion and included 1,833 fatalities. This merits inclusion because this event surpassed Hurricane Andrew in 1992 as the costliest hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. (National Weather Service, para 1) -
In January 2007, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPhone to the world. Later that year, in June 2007, the very first iPhone generation hit the U.S. market. The iPhone was essentially the iPod but more technologically advanced and innovative. This merits inclusion because this event impacted society significantly because everything was at your fingertips. This started a smartphone revolution. (Eadicicco, para 2) -
During the 2008 presidential election, on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected President of the United States. Defeating Republican candidate John McAin with a significantly higher number of electoral votes made him the 44th President of the United States. This merits inclusion because he would address the world’s middle/low class economic struggles and inequalities. (WH Gov, para 1)