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Republican George W. Bush barely won the 2000 election against Al Gore. He received the majority in the Electoral College, but didn't receive the majority popular vote. There was controversy over this win because of a mandatory state wide recount in Florida. There were court challenges issued against the legality of hand recounts in several counties. The election was unresolved for a time as legal battles remained, but Bush came out on top.
(Photo: George W. Bush at a campaign rally in SC, 2000) -
On September 11th, 2001, hijackers seized control over 4 American airliners. 2 of these planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. A 3rd plane crashed into the Pentagon building in northern Virginia, and the last plane got stormed by passengers aware of the other attacks. They crashed in a field near Shanksville. This horrifying event killed thousands and shook America.
(Photo: One of the twin towers with a gaping hole that got hit by a plane.) -
On March 3rd, 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq in order to destroy their weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. However, when the theories of Iraq's hold on WMDs proved false, the war loss support from the public. The war ended up lasting 7 years and killed thousands of U.S. forces. Barack Obama later ended the war and the final forces left on December 18th, 2011.
(Photo: President Bush giving the victory sign on the capture of Iraq's capital Baghdad) -
The Great Recession of 2008 was an economic recession the began at the very end of the year 2007. It followed the collapse of the housing boom and was driven by risky and misleading subprime mortgages and a deregulated bond market. This collapse almost gave America a repeat of the Great Depression. However, the federal reserve, congress, president took actions to prevent complete disintegration of the nation's financial sector.
(Photo: Employment-Population ratio & Unemployment Rate, 2004-2018) -
Barack Obama takes office and becomes the first black president in the history of the U.S. His opponent was John McCain, a Vietnam veteran and Republican senator. Bush's administration held two disastrous foreign wars, which gave bad light to Republicans. On top of that, Barack Obama was younger and appealed to many as a better candidate. Obama offered promises of "hope and change."
(Photo: Barack Obama takes the oath of office as the 44th president of the United States)
