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On 2/28.1993, the FBI and ATF sieged the Branch Davidian compound over alleged violations of federal gun laws, killing 76 Branch Davidians, including founder David Koresh, several pregnant women, and 25 children. This was one of the greatest acts of government violence in recent history. (Kruse and Zelizer, 207) -
On 4/19/1995, Timothy McVeigh used a truck bomb to attack a federal building, and specifically the ATF office, in Oklahoma City in retaliation for incidents such as Ruby Ridge and the Waco massacre. (Kruse and Zelizer, 220) -
President Bill Clinton was formally impeached by Congress on 2 charges: perjury and obstruction of justice. These charges were related to President Clinton's alleged lies about having a sexual affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The Senate, however, voted to acquit Clinton. (History.com, 2009) -
The 2000 Presidential Election was among the closest in American history. The entire presidential race was decided by which candidate (George Bush or Al Gore) won the state of Florida. As a result of ballot disputes involving "hanging chads" (incomplete ballots due to being improperly punched), this election was decided in the Supreme Court case, Bush v. Gore. George Bush won the election by a very tight margin. (Kennedy, 2020)
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On September 11th, 2001, terrorists from the Islamic Al Qaeda terrorist group hijacked several planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in NYC and the Pentagon, killing thousands. These attacks radically changed the world and instigated what became known as the Global War on Terror. (Kronholz, Binkley, and Ansberry, 2001) -
A week after the 9/11 attacks, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news offices and Senators' offices, killing 5 people and infecting 17 others with the deadly anthrax disease. It is still disputed over who the actual perpetrator of these attacks is, and the attacks are compared to the Unabomber attacks. (NPR, 2011)
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The PATRIOT Act is known as one of the worst infringements on American civil liberties in recent history. In the post-9/11 frenzy, Congress passed this tyrannical law under the guise of fighting terrorism. This law allows federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to essentially spy on Americans unrestricted, oftentimes without needing to obtain a search warrant from a judge as required by the Fourth Amendment. (Eddington, 2021)
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Founded by Julian Assange, Wikileaks is a non-government organization that has exposed and blown the whistle on violations of human rights and war crimes by the U.S. government. Assange is an American hero who has fought against government corruption and tyranny during a time in which exposing governments' criminal behavior is not seen well in the public eye. (Al Jazeera, 2020) -
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) announced his U.S. presidential run on 3/12/2007. As a Republican, Dr. Paul differentiated himself from other GOP candidates by promoting libertarianism, opposition to the Federal Reserve, sound money, and anti-war messages instead of neoconservatism. Dr. Paul's pro-liberty principles and grassroots message are popular even to this day. This event merits inclusion in this timeline for that reason. (NPR, 2007) -
The Tea Party movement was a libertarian grassroots movement that advocated for limited government, ending the Federal Reserve, and reducing the national debt. The Tea Partiers splintered off from the mostly neoconservative GOP and instead advocated for economic freedom and limited government. The Tea Party movement also advocated for civil liberties, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and for sound money.(Connolly, 2010)