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House-Select-Un-American Activities Community (HUAC)
Originally created to reign in Nazi spies in the late 1930s. investigatory body established to root out "subversion." Sought to expose communist influence in American government and society, in particular through the trial of Alger Hiss. Eventually move to Hollywood actors, directors, and high-ranking government officials. -
G.I. Bill
The G. I. Bill of Rights or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs or G. I.s) as well as one-year of unemployment compensation. It also provided loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses.The education and training provisions existed until 1956, providing benefits to nearly 10 million veterans. The Veterans’ Administration offered insured loans until 1962. -
Atomic Bomb
A nuclear weapon that unleashes a large amount of energy through nuclear fission; Two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) which forced Japan to surrender and ended WW2. The Manhattan Project was the name of the top secret program that developed the atomic bomb. -
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The Cold War
Intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between nations, short of military conflict; sustained hostile political policies and an atmosphere of strain between opposed countries. -
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The 2nd Red Scare
Belief that New Deal policies were communistic; Truman's Federal Employee Loyalty Program fueled hysteria & intolerance towards communistic sympathizers. Also, perceived losing to communism in nuclear technology. (China, North Korea, Rosenberg) -
Fair Deal
Truman's 1949 message to Congress. Program that called for improved housing, full employment, higher minimum wage, better farm price supports, new TVA's, and the extension of social security.
Its only successes: raised the minimum wage, better public housing, extended old-age insurance to more people. -
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1950s
During this time the United States was the world’s strongest military power. Its economy was booming, and the fruits of this prosperity–new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods–were available to more people than ever before. However, the 1950s were also an era of great conflict. Including the nascent civil rights movement and the crusade against communism at home and abroad exposed the underlying divisions in American society. -
McCarhyism
A brand of vitriolic, fear-mongering anti-communism associated with the career of Senator Joseph McCarthy. In the early 1950s, Senator McCarthy used his position in Congress to make baseless accusations of high-ranking government officials and other Americans of conspiracy with communism. The term named after him refers to the dangerous forces of unfairness and fear wrought by anti communistic paranoia. -
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Korean War (The Forgotten War)
Began in 1950 when the (Soviet-backed) North Koreans invaded South Korea. (Korea already divided at the 38th parallel because of WW2) North was communist, South was not communist. UN aided South Korea. Only after Eisenhower became president was an armistice signed; ended organized combat operations and leaving the Korean Peninsula divided. -
Rock 'n' Roll
Started out as slang young individuals used to refer to sex. Became "crossover" musical style that rose to dominance in the 1950s, merging rhythm and blues with white bluegrass and country; featuring a heavy beat and driving rhythm, rock 'n' roll music became a defining feature of youth culture. Became very big with Elvis. -
Television
TV overpowered newspapers, magazines, radios as source of news info and diversion. TV advertising meant a vast market for new fashions/ products. TV programming created a popular image of american life: white, middle class, suburban, with traditional gender roles. also sometimes portrayed less conventional lifestyles. Oppressed/less fortunate people could see the way everyone else lived - contributed to sense of powerlessness and isolation. -
TV Shows
The nation once marked by strong regional differences, network television programmings of the 1950s blurred these distinctions and helped forge a national popular culture.The first TV show to air in the 1950s was I Love Lucy which first aired on October 15, 1951. Many shows followed including Gunsmoke, Father Knows Best, The Honeymooners, etc. About 2/3 of Americans had a television in their home at this time and enjoyed television shows such as these. -
Dr Jonas Salk
Salk was an American biologist and physician best known for the research and development of a killed-virus polio vaccine. While researching and developing a vaccine for polio, an infection disease caused by a virus that lives in the throat and intestinal tract, Salk injected himself, his wife and his three sons. Salk announced the success of the initial human tests to a national radio audience on March 26, 1953. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Topeka board of education denied Linda Brown admittance to an all white school close to her house. Thurgood Marshall argued that a separate but equal violated equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Warren decided separate educational facilities were inherently unequal. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the desegregation of schools. The court held that "separate but equal" violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and was unconstitutional. -
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Civil Rights
Was a struggle by African Americans in the mid-1950s to late 1960s to achieve Civil Rights equal to those of whites, including equal opportunity in employment, housing, and education, as well as the right to vote, the right of equal access to public facilities, and the right to be free of racial discrimination. Also, movement for those undergoing discrimination due to sexual preference. -
Elvis
White singer born in 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi; chief revolutionary of popular music in the 1950s, fused black rhythm and blues with white bluegrass and country styles; created a new musical idiom known forever after as rock and roll. Was "The King". "That's all right" was his first single which was released on July 5, 1954. -
Polio Vaccine
Polio crippled and killed millions worldwide, and the successful vaccine virtually eliminated the scourge caused. Generates serum antibodies to neutralize the virus in the bloodstream. Jonas Salk an American doctor invented the polio vaccine in 1953 and announced safe on April 12, 1955. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
Emmett Till was a fourteen year old African American boy who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955. Emmett was beaten and murdered then dumped in a river for simply whistling at a white female. The two white men who were put on trial for murder but were not convicted or punished for their racial crimes.Till's death was showed world wide and it became an media frenzy throughout the world. His death was significant because it showed the world that blacks were still hated and extremely segregated. -
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Vietnam War
Vietnam War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November 1, 1955, to April 30, 1975 when Saigon fell. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other capitalist nations. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A political/social protest campaign in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system.This caused deficits in public transit profits because a large percentage of people who used the public transportation were now boycotting it. The ensuing struggle led to a Supreme Court decision that the laws requiring segregated buses is unconstitutional. -
Beat Generation
A group of young poets, writers, and artists who wrote harsh critiques of what they considered the sterility and conformity of american life, the meaninglessness of american politics, and the banality of popular culture; visible evidence of a widespread restlessness. Small coterie of mid-twentieth century bohemian writers and personalities,who bemoaned bourgeois conformity and advocated free-form experimentation in life and literature. Rebellious individuals. -
Albert Sabin
Best known as the developer of the oral live virus polio vaccine, Dr. Sabin not only dedicated his entire professional career to the elimination of human suffering though his groundbreaking medical advances, he also waged a tireless campaign against poverty and ignorance throughout his lifetime. On October 6, 1956 Sabin announced that his live-virus polio vaccine is ready for mass testing. -
Little Rock 9
9 black students enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, testing the Supreme Court ruling that declared desegregation in public schools. Mandated that all public schools be integrated. On September 4, 1957, the first day of classes at Central High, Governor Orval Faubus called in the state National Guard to bar the black students’ entry into the school. In response Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the “Little Rock Nine” into the school. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Eisenhower passed this bill to establish a permanent commission on civil rights with investigative powers but it did not guarantee a ballot for blacks. It was the first civil-rights bill to be enacted after Reconstruction which was supported by most non-southern whites.the Act marked the first occasion since Reconstruction that the federal government undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. -
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Space Race
An informal competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to see who could make the furthest advancements into space first. It involved the efforts to explore outer space and artificial satellites, to send humans into space, and to land them on the Moon. It effectively began after the Soviet Union Launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. Continued through the U.S. Apollo Moon landing of 1969. -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union launched this first satellite into orbit on October 4, 1957. Humiliated at being upstaged by the Russians, the U.S. reshaped the educational system in efforts to produce the large numbers of scientists and engineers that Russia had. In addition, to better make scientific advancements, NASA was created in 1958. Created by Congress, it brought a national aeronautics agency to administer non-military space research and exploration. -
NASA
National Aeronautic and Space Administration - 1958; to get US back in running with the Soviets in space race. It gained prestige and power with Kennedy's charge to reach the moon by the end of the 1960s. -
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1960s
It was a decade of extremes, of transformational change and bizarre contrasts: hippies and black panthers, idealism and alienation, rebellion and backlash. For many in the massive post-World War II baby boom generation, it was both the best of times and the worst of times. At the beginning of the 1960s, perceived as the dawn of the golden age while towards the end it seemed the nation was falling apart. -
New Frontier
JFK's program for change in which he issued a challenge to the American people, calling upon them to make sacrifices to achieve their potential greatness; included medical assistance for the elderly, increased education spending, space exploration, public service initiatives such as the peace corps, a commitment to civil rights and fiscal policies to revitalize the economy. -
Peace Corps
A federal agency created by President Kennedy (founded on March 1, 1961) to promote voluntary service by Americans in foreign countries, it provides labor power to help developing countries improve their infrastructure, health care, educational systems, and other aspects of their societies. Part of Kennedy's New Frontier vision, the organization represented an effort by postwar liberals to promote American values and influence through productive exchanges across the world. -
Bay of Pigs
American attempt to overthrow the newly established communist government in Cuba by training and sending Cuban rebels. The coup ended up in a disaster due to the lack of support by the Americans. The incident was an embarrassment for the U.S. and ultimately led to Castro pleading for Soviet aid (Cuban Missile Crisis). -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
An international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR. When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval quarantine of the island; the Soviet leader Khrushchev agreed to the U.S. demands a week later. Also, Americans removed nuclear missiles in Cuba. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
On November 22, President Kennedy was fatally shot by Oswald while riding in an open-car motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas. Less than an hour after the shooting, Lee Harvey Oswald killed a policeman who questioned him on the street. Thirty minutes after that, he was arrested in a movie theater by police. Oswald was formally arraigned on November 23 for the murders of JFK and Officer J.D. Tippit. He transferred jails two days later where he was shot by Jack Ruby. -
Assassination of JFK
President John Kennedy was assassinated on November 23, 1963 in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was visiting Dallas to start gathering support for the upcoming presidential election of 1964. Kennedy's assassination and funeral became a defining moment for that generation as the nation was caught up in grief and watched his state funeral on television. His brief presidency was viewed as a high point of the postwar era and cast its influence on American politics during the 1960s. -
Jack Ruby
A Dallas nightclub operator, who stunned America when he shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, the accused assassin of JFK. As Oswald was being transferred, Ruby stepped out of a crowd and gunned him down. The event was witnessed by millions on live television. Ruby was convicted of murder. He claimed he had acted out of grief and denied any involvement in conspiracy. In 1966 Ruby’s conviction was overturned; however, while waiting for a new trial, he died of cancer. -
Warren Commision
Was established on November 29, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963. Its 888-page final report was presented to Johnson on September 24, 1964. It concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the killing of Kennedy, officer J.D. Tippit and that Jack Ruby acted alone in the murder of Oswald. The Commission's findings have since proven controversial and been both challenged and supported by later studies. -
Great Society
An idealistic call for improved environmental, conservation, racial, educational, and health programs, the Great Society was inspired by JFK and prompted by LBJ’s insecure need to win over the American people. Largely successful in the first two years of the Johnson administration, the idealism would later give way to virulent conservatism and a return to traditional values. -
Counter Culture
Rejection of the cultural standards of past generations, specifically racial segregation and initial widespread support for the Vietnam War. White middle-class youths, called hippies embraced counterculture and turned back on America because they believed in a society based on peace and love. Growth in interest of rock'n'roll, colorful clothes, and the use of drugs. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment. Conceived to help African Americans, the bill was amended prior to passage to protect women, and explicitly included white people for the first time. It also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. -
Barry Goldwater
1964; Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; attacked the federal income tax, the Social Security system, the Tennessee Valley Authority, civil rights legislation, the nuclear test-ban treaty, and the Great Society. Platform overall included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964; lost by largest margin in history. Goldwater lost campaign when LBJ won the election on November 3, 1964. -
Selma March
MLK organizes a march in Selma. Tens of thousands of black protesters petition for the right to vote outside of the city hall and are ignored. Then marched to governor's mansion in Montgomery. Police meet them with tear gas and clubs. "Bloody Sunday" is highly publicized and Americans are shocked. Southern police brutality of peaceful demonstrators in Selma outrage many Americans. Outrage aided President Johnson in his decision to propose and win passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
U.S. legislation passed in 1965 which aimed to overcome legal barriers such as literacy tests at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote accorded to them under the Fifteenth Amendment. Outlawed literacy tests and sent federal voter registrars into several Southern states. This act did not end discrimination and oppression overnight, but it helped blacks get a foothold on change. -
Watts Riot
Civil disturbance in the predominantly black Watts neighborhood, racial tension reaches a breaking point after two white policemen scuffle with a black motorist suspected of drunken driving.neighborhood of Los Angeles. Spectators gathered watch the arrest and grow angry by what they believed to be another incident of racially motivated police abuse. A riot began, spurred on by residents of Watts who were embittered after years of economic and political isolation. -
Hippies
Members of the youthful counterculture that dominated many college campuses in the 1960s; rather than promoting a political agenda, they challenged conventional sexual standards, rejected traditional economic values, and encouraged the use of drugs. First use of the term "hippies" appeared in the article "A New Paradise for Beatniks" (in the San Francisco Examiner, issue of September 5, 1965) by San Francisco journalist Michael Fallon. -
Stonewall Riot
A police raid of the Stonewall Inn–a gay club located in New York City- turns violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against the police. Although the police were legally justified in raiding the club, which was serving liquor without a license among other violations, New York’s gay community had grown weary of the police targeting gay clubs. -
Apollo 11
The first manned mission to land on the Moon. It was the fifth human spaceflight of Project Apollo and the third human voyage to the Moon. It was also the second all-veteran crew in manned spaceflight history. Launched on July 16, 1969, it carried Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon, while Collins orbited above. -
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1970s
In some ways, the 1970s was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and others continued to fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing war in Vietnam. However, theywere also a repudiation of the 1960s. A “New Right” mobilized in defense of political conservatism, traditional family roles, and the behavior of President Richard Nixon undermined many people’s faith in the good intentions of the federal government. -
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
A governmental organization signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1970 designed to regulate pollution, emissions, and other factors that negatively influence the natural environment. The creation of the it marked a newfound commitment by the federal government to actively combat environmental risks and was a significant triumph for the environmentalist movement. -
Watergate
Watergate is a name given to the scandal the Nixon administration committed during the '72 presidential election where he hired "plumbers" to break into the Democrat HQ at Watergate hotel for any information. This scandal revealed several other dirty plays Nixon's administration did in the years leading up to the election and forced him to resign and killed the faith the public had in the government. -
Roe V. Wade
Norma McCorvey, a citizen of Texas was pregnant and wanted an abortion but state laws made it illegal. She went to court using the name Jane Roe, argued that Texas was violating her right to privacy. Henry Wade who represented the state argued that abortion was murder requiring them to protect the life of the unborn child. Court ruled prohibition of abortion unconstitutional due to the violation of guaranteed personal liberty and right to privacy under the 4th amendment. -
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation, a public policy think tank that promotes the principles that made America great: free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose policies were taken from Heritage's policy study Mandate for Leadership. -
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
An intergovernmental organization, with a goal of determining the best means for safeguarding the organization's interests. Announced a decision to cut oil exports to the nations that provided military aid to Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Exports were to be reduced by 5 percent every month until Israel evacuated the territories occupied. A full oil embargo was imposed against the U.S. and several other countries, a serious energy crisis for those dependent on foreign oil. -
Endangered Species Act
Identifies threatened and endangered species in the US, and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations, protected threshold and endangered species and directed the FWS to prepare recovery plans; Richard Nixon, Enacted in 1973. Recognizes the value of species habitat. Authorizes designation of critical habitat and calls for recovery plans for listed species. Legislation designed to protect species in danger of extinction. -
Truman Doctrine
Announced by President Harry S. Truman. The new foreign policy of the U.S. created and enforced to fight off Soviet geopolitical expansion. Stated that the U.S provide political, military and economic assistance to any nation who's stability is being endangered by communism. Francis Henry Russell helped President Truman draft this doctrine. -
Camp David Accords
Diplomatic: For several weeks, tense negotiations between Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt occurred at Camp David in Maryland. The end result was a Treaty between Israel and Egypt, pledging peace. In exchange, America gave Egypt billions of dollars in aid every year. Begin and Sadat were both awarded the Noble Peace Prize. -
Three-Mile Island
Economic: The site of a nuclear reactor explosion in the Soviet Union in 1986, the worst in American history. A combination of mechanical failure and human error combined to permit an escape of radiation over a 16 mile radius. All of these incidents increased the public's questioning of technological progress and the public opinion against building of nuclear power plants. -
Moral Majority
Political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying. Formed by Jerry Falwell. Organization made up of conservative Christian political action committees which campaigned on issues its personnel believed were important to maintaining its Christian conception of moral law. This group pressured for legislation that would ban abortion and ban the states' acceptance of homosexuality. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
In November 1979, revolutionaries stormed the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage. The Carter administration tried unsuccessfully to negotiate for the hostages release. On January 20, 1981, the day Carter left office, Iran released the Americans, ending their 444 days in captivity. -
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1980s
By the end of Carter’s presidency, idealistic dreams of the 1960s were worn, foreign policy turmoil and rising crime. In response, Americans embraced a new conservatism in social, economic and political life during the 1980s, characterized by the policies of Reagan. Often remembered for materialism/consumerism, the decade was the rise of the “yuppie,” an explosion of blockbuster movies and cable networks like MTV, which introduced the music video and launched the careers of many iconic artists. -
Election of 1980
Republicans nominated Ronald Reagan, against re-nominated Jimmy Carter, who nobody, not even his own Democrats liked. Reagan won easily and was very popular, Carter won only six states and the District of Columbia, putting the Republicans back in control for the first time in 25 years. Carter was defeated with dignity though, and was well meaning but had a lack of managerial skills. -
Reagan's Presidency
40th president, who led a conservative movement against détente with the Soviet Union and the growth of the federal government; some people credit him with America's victory in the Cold War while others fault his insensitive social agenda and irresponsible fiscal policies. He believed in tax cuts/less government spending; cut out many welfare and public works programs; used the Strategic Defense Initiative to avoid conflict; responsible for the Iran-contra Affair which bought hostages with guns. -
Ronald Reagan
First elected president in 1980, 2 terms. He ran campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. Participated in the McCarthy Communist scare. He developed Reagannomics, the trickle down effect of government incentives. He cut out many welfare and public works programs. He used the Strategic Defense Initiative to avoid conflict. His meetings with Gorbachev were the first steps to ending the Cold War. Also, was responsible for the Iran-contra Affair. Inaugurated Jan 20, 1981. -
Reaganomics
The federal economic polices based on the theory that allowing companies the opportunity to make profits, and encouraging investment, will stimulate the economy and lead to higher standards of living for everyone. Enforced by Reagan administration, elected in 1981. These policies combined a monetarist fiscal policy, supply-side tax cuts, and domestic budget cutting. Their goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and stimulate economic growth. -
Music Television (MTV)
MTV founded Aug, 1 1981, was 24/7 stream of music videos. In the 1980s, MTV was instrumental in promoting the careers of performers such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince and Duran Duran, whose videos played in heavy rotation. MTV went on to revolutionize the music industry and become an influential source of pop culture and entertainment in the United States and other parts of the world, including Europe, Asia and Latin America, which all have MTV-branded channels. -
A.I.D.S. Crisis
In the 1980s, the virus was little understood. Scientists were yet to pin-point why swathes of otherwise healthy people were dying from rare conditions. Misinformation and homophobia were rife. AIDs was labelled the “gay plague”, suggesting that it was spread among men who had sex with men (MSM). For a period of six months in 1982, the condition was mistakenly labelled “Gay Related Immune Deficiency”. -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) “Star Wars”
The Reagan administration increased spending on the Strategic Defense Initiative, a plan for building a high tech system of lasers and particle beams to destroy enemy missiles before they reached the u.s. Critics called this Star Wars and said it would cause the USSR to build more missiles as well (escalating the arms race). Star wars puts pressure on the USSR to respond, but their economy couldn't handle it. -
Reagan Doctrine
"Short sweet and to the point" a promise to restore American pride and confidence. Under the Reagan Doctrine, the U.S. provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist guerrillas and resistance movements in an effort to "rollback" Soviet-backed communist governments. The doctrine was designed to serve the dual purposes of diminishing Soviet influence, while also potentially opening the door for capitalism in nations that were largely being governed by Soviet-supported socialist governments. -
Iran Contra Affair
Scandal that erupted after the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran in hopes of freeing American hostages in Lebanon; money from the arms sales was used to aid the Contras (anti-Communist insurgents) in Nicaragua, even though Congress had prohibited this assistance. Talk of Reagan's impeachment ended when presidential aides took the blame for the illegal activity. -
Challenger Explosion
Explosion of the U.S. space shuttle orbiter Challenger, shortly after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 28, 1986. The space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight, killing all aboard. The explosion was caused by a faulty seal in the fuel tank. The shuttle program was halted while investigators and officials drew up new safety regulations, but was resumed in 1988 with the flight of the Discovery. -
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1990s
The 1990s are characterized by the rise of multiculturalism and alternative media. Movements such as grunge, the rave scene and hip hop spread around the world to young people during that decade, aided by then-new technology such as cable television and the World Wide Web. In the absence of world communism which collapsed in the first two years of the decade the 1990s was politically defined by a movement towards the right wing, including increase in support for far right parties in Europe. -
Persian Gulf War / 1st Iraq War
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of neighboring Kuwait. Alarmed by this, fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on the US and other nations to intervene. Hussein defied UN Security Council demands to withdraw from Kuwait. Persian Gulf War began with U.S.-led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm. After 42 days of attacks by the allied coalition, U.S. President Bush declared a cease-fire; by that time, most Iraqi forces had either surrendered or fled. -
Rodney King Incident
When a videotape of Los Angelos police officers beating a black bystander, Rodney King, got out, it provoked outrage throughout whites and blacks alike. e received 56 blows from nightsticks while a dozen other officers stood by and watched. The officers were acquitted, however. Black residents in South Central Los Angelos erupted in anger and started one of the largest racial disturbances of the twentieth centuries. More than 50 people died. -
Election of 1992
Bill Clinton won over George H.W. Bush because of the economy's problems and the solving of foreign policy problems, Bush's greatest strength. Democrats chose Bill Clinton (despite accusations of womanizing, drug use, and draft evasion) and Albert Gore Jr. as his running mate. Clinton won, 370 to 168 in the Electoral College. Democrats also got control of both the House and the Senate. -
Ross Perot
Ran on the independent ticket for the 1992 Presidential election. Harped incessantly on the problem of the federal deficit and made a boast of the fact that he had never held any public office. Reflected pervasive economic unease and the virulence of the throw-the-bums-out national mood. Earned 20 percent of the popular vote. Won no electoral votes but 19.7 million popular vote. -
Bill Clinton
This Democrat served as president from 1993 to 2001, during a period of intense partisanship in the US government. His plan to provide universal health care to all Americans was defeated by Republican Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" movement and a well-organized opposition from the doctors' lobbying organization (American Medical Association). His few domestic and international successes were overshadowed by the Lewinsky sex scandal that led to his impeachment and eventual acquittal. -
World Trade Center Attack - 1993
A terrorist bomb explodes in a parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, leaving a crater 60 feet wide and causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect, creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones and laying the foundations for strong economic growth and rising prosperity for Canada, the United States, and Mexico. NAFTA has demonstrated how free trade increases wealth and competitiveness, delivering real benefits to families, farmers, workers, manufacturers, and consumers. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
The policy was intended as a "compromise" — one that purports to restrict the United States military from "witch-hunting" secretly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members or applicants, while absolutely barring "openly" gay or bisexual people from joining the military, and expelling those already serving during Clinton's term. (Official United States policy on military service by gays, bisexuals, and lesbians.) -
Lewinsky Affair
Was an American political sex scandal that involved President Bill Clinton and a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Further investigation led to charges of perjury and led to the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998 by the U.S. House of Representatives and his subsequent acquittal on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Signed into law under President Bill Clinton on Sept 21, 1996. Mandates unequal treatment of legally married same-sex couples, selectively depriving them protections and responsibilities that marriage triggers at the federal level. Under DOMA, married same-sex couples are denied a long list of important protections and responsibilities, including Social Security survivor benefits, immigration rights, family and medical leave, and the ability to pool resources as a family without unfair taxation. -
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Contemporary
The first years of the contemporary time period have thus far been marked by the rise of a global economy and Third World consumerism, mistrust in government, deepening global concern over terrorism and an increase in the power of private enterprise.The Digital Revolution which began around the 1980s also continues into the present.Millennials and Generation Z come of age and rise to prominence in this century. -
Election of 2000
Came down to electoral college votes and specifically the vote in Florida; because of the controversy over a recount in Florida, Gore sued to have a manual recount; was the 1st time the Supreme Court got involved in electoral college decision; decided the votes should stand as counted and Bush got the votes for the state giving Bush the presidency without winning the popular vote. Gore gained a half-million more votes than Bush, but Gore lost the Electoral College when he lost Florida. -
Bush V. Gore (SCOTUS CASE)
The 2000 presidential election pitted U.S. Vice President Al Gore, a Democrat, George W. Bush, a Republican. As the election results were counted, it became clear that the vote would be very close, and that the results in the state of Florida would decide the election. Gore demanded a recount. Supreme Court's decision that declared Florida's mandates for recounting ballots during the disputed election was unconstitutional and the process was forced to stop, thereby guaranteeing Bush a victory. -
9/11 Attacks
Common shorthand for the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, in which 19 militant Islamist men hijacked and crashed four commercial aircraft. Two planes hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing them to collapse. One plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the fourth, overtaken by passengers, crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3000 people were killed in the worst case of domestic terrorism in American history. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
An education bill created and signed by the George W. Bush administration. Designed to increase accountability standards for primary and secondary schools, the law authorized several federal programs to monitor those standards and increased choices for parents in selecting schools for their children. The program was highly controversial, in large part because it linked results on standardized to federal funding for schools and school districts. -
Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the US. When the storm made landfall, it had a Category 3 rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The storm itself did a great deal of damage, but its aftermath was catastrophic. Levee breaches led to massive flooding, and many people charged that the federal government was slow to meet the needs of the people affected by the storm. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes, and caused more than $100 billion in damage. -
The Great Recession
Worst economic period for the United States since the Great Depression. Officially began in December 2007 and ended in mid-2009, has had long-term lingering effects on unemployment, and was preceded by the largest housing bubble in US history, caused by short term economic thinking, speculation, and irresponsible spending. -
Election of 2008
Barack Obama vs. John McCain. 365 electoral votes to Obama, 173 electoral votes to McCain, *Then-Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was the Democratic nominee, and Senator John McCain of Arizona was the Republican nominee George W. Bush was ineligible for re-election & Vice President Dick Cheney declined to run for the office. Senator Obama won the number of electors necessary to be elected President and was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. 1st Black president. -
Barack Obama
Forty-forth president of the United States, and first African American elected to that office. A lawyer and community organizer in Chicago, Obama served in the Illinois State Senate before being elected to the U.S. senate in 2004. After a protracted primary election campaign against Senator Hillary Clinton, Obama sealed the Democratic Party's nomination and defeated Senator John McCain on November 4, 2008. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Among the earliest initiatives of the Obama Administration to combat the Great Recession. It was based on the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes that called for increased government spending to offset decreased private spending in times of economic downturn. The Act was controversial from the outset, passing with no Republican votes in the House, and only three in the Senate, and helping to foster the "Tea Party" movement to curb government deficits. -
Affordable Care Act (ACA) “Obamacare”
It is a US federal statute signed into law by Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act amendment, it represents the most significant regulatory overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. It was enacted to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance, lower the uninsured rate by expanding public and private insurance coverage, and reduce the costs of healthcare for individuals and the gov.
