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The National Rifle Association of America (NRA)
American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun rights -
Trickle-Down Economics
laissez-faire capitalism in general and more specifically supply-economic policies which favor the wealthy or privileged, while being framed as good for the average citizen. -
PLO
A political movement uniting Palestinian Arabs in an effort to create an independent state of Palestine -
William Rehnquist
American lawyer and jurist who served on the Supreme Court of the United States for 33 years, first as an Associate Justice -
California v. Bakke
It upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy. -
Moral Majority
Conservative and religious agenda, including the allowance of prayer in schools and strict laws against abortion. -
Supply-side economics
macroeconomic theory which argues that economic growth can be most effectively created by investing in capital, and by lowering barriers on the production of goods and services -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
Businesses were aided by capital recovery through depreciation rules, an increased amount of retained earnings not subject to taxation -
Sandra Day O'Connor
First female to be elected Supreme court Justice -
PATCO Strike
Reagan Forcefully made Air controllers get back to work after dissembling the union -
Walter Mondale
American politician, diplomat and lawyer who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States -
AIDs
A deadly outbreak of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. -
Ronald Reagan
American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States -
Religious Fundamentalism
Movement whose objectives were to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy where every word of the bible is interpreted literally. -
Saddam Hussein
Although initially supported by the U.S. to fight Iran, his invasion of Kuwait made him a prime enemy of America -
Boland Amendment
three U.S. legislative amendments aimed at limiting U.S. government assistance to the Contras in Nicaragua. -
SDI
Reagan's intent to pursue a high technology missile defense system which was referred to as SDI or Star Wars -
Beirut Bombing
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings and said that the attacks were to get the MNF out of Lebanon. -
Geraldine Ferraro
First female vice presidential candidate representing a major American political party -
Sandinistas
Members of a leftist coalition that overthrew the Nicaraguan dictatorship of Anastasia Somoza and attempted to install a socialist economy -
Iran-Contra Affair
Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo -
Glasnost & Perestroika
Refers to the reconstruction of the political and economic system established by the Communist Party. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev,a Russian and former Soviet politician, having been General Secretary of the Communist Party -
Immigration Act of 1986
Made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants, as well as legalizing certain groups of immigrants. -
"Tear down this wall"
a line from a speech made by US President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin -
INF Agreement
The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles. -
"Read my lips, no new taxes."
Bush appealed to voters by promising not to raise taxes: "Read my lips, no new taxes." -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced a change in his city's relations with the West. -
Tiananmen Square
After several weeks of demonstrations, Chinese troops entered Tiananmen Square on June 4 and fired on civilians -
George H.W. Bush
American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States -
Panama Invasion
Ten years after the Torrijos–Carter Treaties were ratified to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the U.S. to Panama -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Prohibited discrimination against citizens with physical and mental disabilities in hiring, transportation, and public accommodation. -
Persian Gulf War
A war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait -
Lech Walesa
A Polish politician, a former trade union and human rights activist, and also a former electrician. He co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize -
WMD's
United States would be justified in using preemptive attacks to stop the acquisition and use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists and by nations that support terrorism. -
Clarence Thomas
President's nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court to replace the retiring Thurgood Marshall proved extremely controversial -
Start I and II
Bilateral treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. -
Boris Yeltsin
Was a Soviet and Russian politician and the first President of the Russian Federation -
Breakup of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union into 15 independent republics, Conclusion of the Cold War -
Ross Perot
He was a Texas billionaire, and he entered the 1992 election as an independent; he captured about 20% of the popular vote. -
Bill Clinton
Clinton won the Election of 1992 against Bush. -
Kyoto Accord
This commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emission -
"Ethnic Cleansing"
Hundreds of thousands of members of ethnic and religious minorities were killed in this process. -
Yasser Arafat
Clinton presided over a historic meeting at the White House between Israeli and Palestine leader Yasir. They agreed in principle on self-rule for the Palestinians within Israel. -
Brady Bill
This bill mandated a five-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns. -
Failure of Health Reforms
The Clinton administration proposed a universal healthcare plan for all American citizens, but it failed after public backlash -
NAFTA
Clinton signed in the North American Free Trade Agreement, which created a free-trade zone with Canada and Mexico. -
WTO
The World Trade Organization was established to oversee trade agreements, enforce trade rules, and settle disputes -
Deficit Reduction Budget
Congress passed the deficit-reduction budget that included $255 billion in spending cuts and $241 billion in tax increases. -
"Don't ask, don't tell."
The military service policy prevented service members from both asking and disclosing sexual orientation. -
West Bank and the Gaza Strip
The United States assist in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, resulted in the return of home rule to the Palestinians in the Gaza strip and parts of the West Bank territories. -
Contract with America
This document was released by the Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. -
Newt Gingrich
He led the Republicans in an attack on federal programs and spending outlined in their campaign manifesto. -
Bosnia and Kosovo
A combination of diplomacy, bombing, and troops from NATO countries, including the United States, stopped the bloodshed first in Bosnia -
The Oklahoma City bombing
A domestic terrorist truck bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City -
Bob Dole
Senator Bob Dole of Kansas became Clinton's republican opponent in the election of 1996. -
Welfare Reform
Designed to negate the need for welfare checks by assisting needy families, families with dependent children, and by providing job training. -
Madeleine Albright
She became the first woman to serve as secretary of state. -
G-8
This inter-governmental political forum was formed with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union -
Internet
Technological innovations in computers, the Internet, and wireless communications fueled increased national productivity. -
Nuclear Proliferation
This became a growing concern, when North Korea stepped up its nuclear reactor and missile programs, and India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons for the first time -
Clinton Impeachment
He was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice, and he was impeached. -
Taliban
The Taliban were Islamic fundamentalists who had taken over Afghanistan. -
Bush vs. Gore
Bush "compassionate conservative" Gore "working families", he one with a very close match up -
George W. Bush
He was the governor of Texas, and he won the nomination of the Republican Party -
AL Gore
He ended the election crisis by accepting the ruling; Bush had 271 electoral votes and Al Gore had 266. -
Bush tax cuts
criticized for giving benefits to richest 5% -
Homeland Security
Most Americans were willing to accept background checks and airport searches after 9/11. -
9/11
This was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States. -
Osama bin Laden
Was the leader of Al Qaeda. -
Al-Qaeda
Supporters of Al Qaeda preached jihad, or holy war against the "Jews and Crusaders". -
Enron
They falsified stated earnings and profits with the help of accounting companies. -
No Child Left Behind
This act aimed to improve student performance and close the gap between well-to-do and poor students in the public schools through nationwide testing of all students -
"Axis of Evil"
In President Bush's State of the Union Address, he singled out Iraq, North Korea, and Iran as the "axis of evil". -
EU
The European Union became a unified market of 15 nations, 12 of which adopted a single currency, the euro. -
Operation Iraqi Freedom
The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Hussein. -
Abu Ghraib Prison
The barbaric treatment of prisoners by United States troops further diminished America's reputation in Iraq and around the world. -
John Kerry
Democratic voters selected Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as their presidential candidate. -
Housing Bubble
This was a real estate bubble that affected half of the United States, and housing prices peaked. -
Great Recession
This economic recession was the worst recession since the Great Depression and was particularly devastating to the real-estate market. -
Sarah Palin
Republican vice-presidential candidate, the second woman to run for vice president of a major party and the first Republican -
D.C. v. Heller
Held that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia for traditionally lawful purposes -
John McCain
The Republicans nominated Senator John McCain of Arizona, who was a Vietnam War hero and a political "maverick" who hoped to appeal to undecided voters. -
Hillary Clinton
In the election of 2008, she was the Senator of New York, and she was the early favorite to become the first woman to head a national ticket. -
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
The federal government tried a $170 billion stimulus package and took over a few critical financial situations -
Barack Obama
He was a junior senator from Illinois, and he captured the Democratic nomination for president. -
Tea Party
Members of the movement have called for a reduction of the national debt of the United States and federal budget deficit by reducing government spending, and for lower taxes. -
Sonia Sotomayor
An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She has the distinction of being its first justice of Hispanic descent and the first Latina -
Arab Spring
A revolutionary wave of both violent and non-violent demonstrations, protests, riots, coups, foreign interventions, and civil wars in North Africa and the Middle East. -
Affordable Care Act
The law has 3 primary goals: Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally. -
Citizens United
A landmark U.S. constitutional law, campaign finance, and corporate law case dealing with regulation of political campaign spending by organizations. -
Dodd-Frank Act
It made changes in the American financial regulatory environment that affected all federal financial regulatory agencies and almost every part of the nation's financial services industry. -
Syrian Civil War
An ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria fought primarily between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic led by President Bashar al-Assad. -
Mitt Romney
An American businessman and politician who served as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts and was the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States -
Debt Ceiling
Limitation set on the amount of money the government is able to borrow -
Shelby County v. Holder
Requires certain states and local governments to obtain federal preclearance before implementing any changes to their voting laws or practices. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
Two homemade bombs detonated near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring several hundred others, including 16 who lost limbs. -
Same-Sex Marriage
Held that the right of same-sex couples to marry on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples
