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Period: to
1950s
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G.I Bill
Was a law that provided a range of benefits and aid for returning World War II veterans. The goal was to provide immediate rewards to all World War ll veterans. Benefits included: tuition and living expenses to go to high school and or college, low interest loans to start businesses, low cost mortgages, and a one year unemployment compensation. By 1956, roughly 8.8 million veterans had used the G.I. Bill education benefits. President Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill into law on June 22, 1944. -
Atomic Bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the last stages of World War ll, President Harry S. Truman ordered the United States military to drop the nuclear weapons on Japanese the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More than forty percent of the city was destroyed. Major hospitals had been utterly flattened and care for the injured was impossible. Schools, churches, and homes had simply disappeared. The two bombings, which killed about 130,000 people, have been the only use of atomic weapons for warfare in history. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman's policy the
Truman Doctrine provided economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology.The Truman Doctrine was a very simple warning clearly made to the USSR that the America would intervene to support any nation that was being threatened by a takeover by an armed minority. The Truman Doctrine would support Greece and Turkey with military and economic aid to prevent them from falling into the Soviet Hemisphere, in other words,communism -
Period: to
Cold War
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Marshall Plan
The plan is named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who announced it in a commencement speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947. The Marshall Plan, also known as the "European Recovery Plan" channeled over $13 billion to finance the economic recovery of Europe.The Marshall Plan successfully sparked economic recovery, meeting its objective of ‘restoring the confidence of the European people in the economic future of their own countries and of Europe as a whole.’ -
Berlin Airlift
At the end of World War ll,the Soviet union,& the British occupied and divided Germany.Divided into occupation zones, Berlin's Western side was being controlled by the British,France,& the United States, while the Eastern portion was being controlled by the Soviets.when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. -
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was a set of proposals by President Harry S. Truman.Truman announced his plans for domestic policy reforms including national health insurance,public housing,civil rights legislation and federal aid to education.He advocated an increase in the minimum wage,federal assistance to farmers and an extension of Social Security,as well as urging the immediate implementation of anti-discrimination policies in employment.He managed to convince Congress to pass several of his liberal reforms -
Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, from African American musical styles such as gospel, Jump blues, jazz, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues,along with country music. Rock & Roll referred to a slang for sexual intercourse. Teenagers allowed Rock 'n' Roll to grow. Rock 'n' Roll caused for the teenagers to culturally rebel against their parents. -
Elvis Presley
He was born extremely poor, but then became an American singer and actor. He was known as the "King of Rock 'n' Roll". He adopted rhythm & blues from African Americans and melded it with gospel and country. He created his own sexually suggestive dance style known as "Elvis the Pelvis", which caused many conflicts in society-the older population. Elvis' music however was taken from African Americans, like: Big Momma Thornton “Hound Dog”. Elvis Presley died in August 16, 1977 at age 42. -
Beat Generation
Is a movement by a groups of authors that influenced and explored American culture and politics after World War ll. The Beat Culture believed in: rejection of standard narrative values, spiritual quest, of religions, rejection of materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, and sexual liberation and exploration. "Allen Ginsberg's Howl", "William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch" and Jack Kerouac's On the Road are among the best known examples of Beat literature. -
Korean War
Also known as the Forgotten War. The war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations and and the United States, as allies, came to aid South Korea. On the other hand, China and the Soviet Union came to aid South Korea. In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, as a result of an agreement with the United States, and liberated Korea north of the 38th parallel.The fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. -
Ike Turner
Ike Turner was born on November 5, 1931 in Mississippi. He was an African American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. And an early pioneer of fifties rock and roll. His first recording, "Rocket 88", credited to "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", in 1951 is considered a contender for "first rock and roll song". Turner died on December 12, 2007. -
Television
WWII slowed TV’s introduction to the consumer market. By 1955, 75% of American homes had a TV – black & white. TVs were the way people entertained themselves, and also informed themselves with the news. During the 1950s, drive-in theaters became popular. Many shows like "I Love Lucy", and "“Father Knows Best” also became very popular. "I Love Lucy", and "“Father Knows Best” portrayed ideals of the 1950s like: obedience and hard work. Later on, politicians started using TV for their advantage -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
Earl Warren was an American politician and jurist, and in 1953 he became Chief Justice of the United States. He was known for his liberal decisions which outlawed segregation in schools. He also ended the public school sponsored prayers, and established the rights of the accused in the Miranda vs Arizona case. He made the Supreme Court a power center through all four landmark decisions: Brown vs. Board of Election, Gideon vs. Wainwright, Reynolds vs. Sims, and Miranda vs. Arizona. -
Hydrogen Bomb
Also known as the "Thermonuclear Weapon". In this design the secondary nuclear fusion stage consisting of fusion fuel, implosion tamper and spark plug is bombarded by the energy (x-rays, gamma rays,) released by the detonation of a primary fission bomb within, which compresses fuel material and causes a fusion reaction. Some advanced designs use fast neutrons produced by this second stage to ignite a third fast fission or fusion stage. The first full scale test done in 1952 by the US -
Polio Vaccine
Polio debilitating thousands of American children every year. Polio even affected President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his adult life which caused him to be paralyzed, however, nobody knew back then that he was in a wheel chair and that his wife was taking all of the "shots".However, Dr. Jonas Salk, an American Medical Researcher, discovered and developed the first Polio vaccine in 1952. Today only 3 countries in the world have never stopped the transmission of Polio. -
Period: to
Civil Rights
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Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court decision that overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1868 which established "separate but equal" schools for blacks. In December 9,1952, Linda's father Oliver Brown (tried to enroll her in the white elementary school but the principal of the school refused), sued the district. In 1954, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and required the desegregation of schools across America, stating that separate but equal was unconstitutional . -
Emmett Till Tragedy
was an African 14 year old in 1955 who was assassinated for being accused of flirting with a white woman when he went into a store to buy some candy,the women accused Emmett of whistling at her.Several nights later after the incident at the store, her husband and his brother,went to Till's great uncle's house and abducted him. They took him away and beat and mutilate him, then shot him, then finally sinked his body in the river. The murders didn't go to jail because no one testified in court -
Vietnam War
Also known as the Second Indochina War Armed conflict that rutted the communist regime of North Vietnam and it's southern allies Viet Cong, against Southern Vietnam, and it's ally the United States. During the war, many Vietnamese fled to other countries, like Europe, but mainly the United States. The war ended with the United State's withdraw in 1973, and the unification of Vietnam under communist control. More than 3 million people were killed, including 60,000 Americans. -
Anti-War Movement
The Anti-War Movement, is a social movement, in opposition to the nation's decision (United States) to start or carry on an armed conflict. The Anti-War Movement has been around for a long time, since before the American Civil War. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, first started off small by peace activists and leftist intellectuals on college campuses. Anti-war marches attracted society to join them in their movement after America started bombing N. Vietnam. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
4 months after the death of Till, Rosa Parks,an African-American was arrested because of her refusal to giving her seat to a white man on the bus she was riding. M.L.K, with also Jo Ann Robinson's contribution on putting flyers around the city, led a bus boycott, known as the "Montgomery Bus Boycott". Blacks were now carpooling to reach their destination, which caused the cities buses to loose money. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal. -
Little Rock 9
The school board in Little Rock, Arkansas, won a court order to admit 9 African-American students to Central High School. The state governor ordered troops to prevent the nine students from entering the school. A white angry mob also joined the troops to protest the students acceptance into the school. The mob violence pushed Eisenhower's patience to the breaking point. He immediately ordered the US Army to send troops to Little Rock to protect and escort them for the full school year. -
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. However, whites in the South were heavily resisting black voting rights. Before the act was passed, Strom Thurmond, filibustered the act for 24 hours- the longest one in history. The Act gets enough support and filibuster breaks -
Space Race
It all started whenever the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite; the United States didn't want to fall back in technology and space exploration. John F. Kennedy began a dramatic expansion of the U.S. space program and in July 20 1969, the United States sent the first man to walk on the moon, known as "Apollo 11". The space race led to many great scientific advances, and also more money put into education. The Space Race also led to the creation of NASA in 1958. -
Period: to
1960s
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Hippies
In the 1960s, liberalism starts fracturing. The "New" Left are young, mostly students who took on discrimination, poverty, & the war in Vietnam. A Hippie is a member of a liberal counterculture. Hippies were about peace & living the moment without inhibition, they rejected middle class values, renounced material procession and used drugs (LSD), rejected cars, suburban homes, and average jobs their parents had. Hippies also created their own communities and embraced the sexual revolution -
LSD
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, also known as "acid" , is a psychedelic drug known for its psychological effects. This may include altered awareness of the surroundings, perceptions, and feelings as well as sensations and images that seem real though they are not. LSD is usually held on the tongue, and/or swallowed. The use of LSD in the United States was prominently by the hippies in the 1960s. Hippies did many drugs including LSD, Marijuana, and Heroin -
New Frontier
The "New Frontier" was John F. Kennedy's slogan to inspire America to support him during his presidency. Kennedy was able to: expand unemployment benefits, aid improve cities with their transportation and housing, fund the highways, pass a water pollution control act, and pass an agricultural act that raised farmers income. Kennedy was also raised minimum wage, increased social security benefits, and helped economically distressed areas.The legislations passed helped America economically recover -
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Controls Middle Eastern natural resources. Members are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar, Indonesia, U.A.E, Nigeria, Ecuador, Angola, Algeria.. As of 2015, the 13 countries accounted for an estimated 42% of global oil production and 73% of the world's "proven" oil reserves, giving OPEC a major influence on global oil prices that were previously determined by American-dominated multinational oil companies. -
Television- politics (Nixon, Kennedy)
In the 1950s, politicians started using television as an advantage to help promote their campaign. John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon squared off in the first televised presidential debates in American history. The Kennedy-Nixon debates not only had a major impact on the election’s outcome, but ushered in a new era in which crafting a public image and taking advantage of media exposure became essential ingredients of a successful political campaign. -
Peace Corps
After the end of World War ll,various members of the U.S Congress proposed bills that will establish volunteer organizations in developing countries. J.F.K suggested a group of college graduates will find a full life in bringing technical advice and assistance to undeveloped Middle East countries. Senator McMahon also proposed a group of young Americans to act as "missionaries of democracy".The first initiative came from Senator McMahon, however, Kennedy is credited with the creation of the PC. -
Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin was a Polish American medical researcher born on August 26, 1906 in the Russian Empire. His development of the Polio oral vaccine was a key element on why the Polio virus eradicated from the world so rapidly. -
Freedom Rides
A group of African a Americans and civil rights activists that attempted to desegregate bus terminals around the country. Many white citizens were angry. They did not want integration. Angry mobs of white people violently attacked the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders inspired African Americans all around the country. In addition, when whites in the North saw the violence used against the Freedom riders, they turned against the segregationists in the South. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Also known as the October Crisis. Was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. The disaster was avoided when the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. -
Assassination of John K. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 12, 1963, while riding on a motorcade in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife. Kennedy was fatally shot in the head by Lee Harvey Oswald- a former American U.S marine. Supposedly Oswald was the only shooter in this incident, however, many people believe otherwise due to various reasons. Kennedy was rushed to Parkland Hospital, and pronounced dead within an hour. Lyndon Johnson then became president -
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy was known as the "Warren Commission", and it was established through President Lyndon B. Johnson through an executive order. The Warren Commission was established to investigate President Kennedy's death. An 888-page report was presented to President Johnson with information like: the witnesses, and the evidences of the assassination, 3 days later, this report was made public. -
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson; his main goal was to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.During Johnson's presidency,he was able to launch new major spending programs that addressed: medical care, education, rural poverty, urban problems.The Civil Rights Bill that JFK promised to sign was passed into law.The Civil Rights Act banned discrimination based on race and gender in employment and ending segregation in all public facilities. -
Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Ad was a controversial political advertisement aired on TV by Lyndon B. Johnson's presidential campaign. In this ad, a little girl is presented, outside in the nature counting the pedals of a flower, since she's a little girl, she skips some numbers-- which showed innocence. Whenever she reaches 10, the camera freezes and only focuses on her pupils, where it is showing an nuclear explosion. This form of pathos appeal is what helped Lyndon B. Johnson win the president election -
Freedom Summer
Civil rights organizations including the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organized a voter registration drive, known as the Mississippi Summer Project, or Freedom Summer, aimed at dramatically increasing voter registration in Mississippi. The Freedom Summer, comprised of black Mississippians and more than 1,000 out-of-state, predominately white volunteers, faced constant abuse and harassment from Mississippi’s white population -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson gets through this legislation despite resistance. The act banned segregation in businesses & places open to the public . And also made it illegal not to hire based on race, religion or ethnicity. -
Civil Rights Act of 1965
President Johnson saw Selma on TV . Announced the next day he would send a bill that gave equal voting rights to everyone. On August, 6 1965, Act signed into law. The law prohibits literacy tests, poll taxes & other discriminatory laws. Now all African-Americans has a greater opportunity to vote, and even run for office -
Death of M.L.K
On April 4, 1968 , Dr. Martin Luther King was shot while standing on the balcony outside of his room. Because of Dr. Martin Luther King's stature in the civil rights movement, the FBI conducted the investigation as a possible violation of the civil rights conspiracy statute. James Earl Ray shot him from a distance who later arrested in London . Shot King though the cheek and it severed a major artery. King dies at a local hospital soon after -
Period: to
1970s
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Initiated by Nixon in 1970. It is an administrative agency created to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of the federal environmental protection laws. Protects the environment and sets air & water pollution standards.Controversial for some conservative politicians today -
Watergate
The events and scandal surrounding a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 and the subsequent cover-up of White House involvement, leading to the eventual resignation of President Nixon under the threat of impeachment. Their were tapes which proved Nixon was involved in the Watergate scandal. Although he withheld them at first, the Supreme Court made Nixon turn over these recordings of the plans for the cover-up of the scandal. -
Roe vs. Wade
Using the concept of being "secure in their persons," the Supreme Court ruled that abortions are constitutionally protected. It set up a trimester system allowing unrestricted abortions in the first trimester but regulated abortions during the second trimester and allowed the states to ban abortion during the third trimester unless the mother's or baby's life was endangered. This decision has been most controversial and set the stage for a national debate -
Heritage Foundation
Conservative ideas; The Heritage Foundation, a public policy that promotes the principles that made America great: free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. An extremely conservative group that opposes: gay marriage, global warming, abortion, and etc. They also believe that Obama Care should be repealed. They believe in the more "traditional" values of America -
Endangered Species Act
Wildlife was being killed off by industrialization and poison in the environment. Requires Fish and Wildlife Service to list species of plants and animals that are threatened with extinction. Congress amended the act to: species in danger worldwide extinction by limiting their importation/sale. -
Gerald Ford’s Presidency
President of the United States who was appointed vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned in the fall of 1973. He succeeded to the presidency upon Nixon's resignation in August 1974 and focused his brief administration on containing inflation and reviving public faith in the presidency. He pardoned Nixon of all crimes that he may have committed. Evacuated nearly 500,000 Americans and South Vietnamese from Vietnam. He was defeated narrowly by Jimmy Carter in 1976 -
Jimmy Carter’s Presidency
President of the United States who was a peanut farmer and former governor of Georgia, he defeated Gerald Ford in 1976. As President, he arranged the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1978 but saw his foreign policy legacy tarnished by the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis in 1979. Domestically, he tried to rally the American spirit in the face of economic decline, but was unable to stop the rapid increase in inflation. -
Three-Mile Island
In a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, a mechanical failure and a human error at this power plant in Pennsylvania combined to permit an escape of radiation over a 16 mile radius. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) responded to this incident. This incident caused many people to be concerned, and also decreased society's support on nuclear power. In this incident, however, some radioactive gas was released, but not enough to do any harm to the local residents-- there were no injuries. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
When Ayatollah R. Khoemeini seizes the U.S. embassy and threatens to hold Americans hostage until Pahlavi is returned to Iran from the U.S. (where he went for cancer treatment), so that he can be tried for treason. Carter sends in marines by helicopters to free the hostages *unsuccessful due to helicopter crashes. War between Iran and Iraq ensues in the last weeks of Carter's office, and the U.S. hostages are finally freed -
Period: to
1980s
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Robert Johnson
founder of BET (Black Entertainment Television); sold program to Viacom 2001; became first African American billionaire -
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.Ronald Reagan won over Jimmy Carter because of the Iranian hostage crisis and America's stagflation -
Reagonomics
The federal economic polices of the 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. Reagan's goal was to- cut income and corporate taxes to spur economy and create better jobs by reducing welfare spending, and massively increasing defense spending. The Democrats critical of his ideas and trickle-down economics -
Reagan's Presidency
Became the 40th President of the United states in 1981-1989 (served two terms), in the election of 1980- he won the presidential election against Democrat Jimmy Carter. Republican California, wounded by would-be assassin, fired air-traffic controllers for illegal strike, tax cuts, economic recovery, defense build-up, strong rhetoric vs communism, decreased social spending by federal government, reelected, INF arms agreement with USSR, Iran-Contra affair -
Space Shuttle Program
Space shuttle program originally started with the idea to build a space station that could be used for reconnaissance -
Music Television (MTV)
It was launched in 1981 for music TV; started in small market of New Jersey on cable and became a sensation; a generation of kids grew up watching music videos; started the careers of several famous musicians -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) “Star Wars”
was a program first initiated on March 23, 1983 under President Ronald Reagan. The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. With the tension of the Cold War looming overhead, the Strategic Defense Initiative was the United States’ response to possible nuclear attacks from afar. Preventing war was to make our enemies think we had the means and will to fight -
Reagan Doctrine
On February 6, 1985- The Reagan Doctrine opposes the global influence of the Soviet Union during the final years of the Cold War; United States provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist guerrillas and resistance movements in an effort to "rollback" Soviet-backed communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; opening the door for capitalism. U.S. supports guerrilla groups fighting communists. No longer contain, but get rid of Communism. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Iran Contra Affair is a scandal uncovered after investigations in 1987 revealed that the US had been selling weapons to the anti-American government in Iran (to help secure the release of American hostages) & had been using the profits from these sales to secretly & illegally finance the Contras in Nicaragua (a rebel group fighting the leftist Sandinista regime; NSC member Oliver North had organized the operation from within the White House but there was no proof that Reagan was aware of -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey, born on January 29, 1954 is an African - American Media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in her talk show, she'll talk about world issues and trends of the day. She became one of the richest women in the world. And in 2008, she was a supporter of President Barack Obama -
Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female Supreme Court of Justice. She was nominated by President Ronald Reagan. She was a moderate that sided with the conservatives of the court. She however, sided with Liberal members later on. She retires in 2006 due to her husband's declining health (Alzheimer's) -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, ecstatic crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. More than 13,000 East German tourists escaped through Hungary to Austria -
Period: to
1990s
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Persian Gulf War / 1st Iraq War
Iraqi leader Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait in early August 1990.Fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt then called on the U.S and other Western nations to intervene.Hussein defied United Nations Security Council demands to withdraw from Kuwait by January 1991,and the Persian Gulf War began with a massive U.S. led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm.President Bush declared a ceasefire but that time,most Iraqi forces had either surrendered or fled -
Rodney King Incident
is known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving LAPD. George Holliday videotaped much of the incident from far away. The video showed LAPD officers repeatedly striking King with their batons, while other officers just stood there to watch, without doing anything.A portion of this video was aired on the several news channels around the world,which caused the public to outrage and raising tensions between the black community
& the LAPD. 2/4 officers were founded guilty. -
Election of 1992
President George H.W Bush ran for a second term. Democrats had nominated Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas. And Businessman H. Ross Perot ran as independent third party candidate. The key issue of this election was the economy plagued by high school unemployment and the large deficit. Clinton won the electoral vote with only 43% of the vote; Perot got 19%. -
Bill Clinton Presidency
Bill Clinton won the election of 1992; in which he ran against George H.W. Bush, and Ross Perot. Clinton was a Democrat, from Arkansas. He proposed the national health insurance plan, which was rejected by Congress, the welfare reform, economic growth, balanced the federal budget in second term, terrorist attacks on WTC, United States embassies in Africa, USS Cole, impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice in sex scandal, acquitted by Senate. Bill Clinton was President for 2 terms. -
World Trade Center Attack - 1993
Unsuccessful attempt to destroy the World Trade Center Twin Towers in the lower part of Manhattan, NY using a truck bomb in the parking garage. The motive was to protest Israel's treatment of Palestinians and punish the US for supporting Israel. The attack was planned by a group of terrorist including Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammand Salameh, Abdul Rahman Yasin, and Ahmned Ajaj. This terrorist attempt caused the Twin Towers to improve their security- particularly with their evacuation. -
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy
It was a policy which prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. It was a bill recommended by President Bill Clinton and adopted by Congress. Over 9000 servicemen and women have been discharged because of their sexuality. The policy lasted until September 20, 2011 -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States - creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement was officially established January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Canada. In terms of combined purchasing power parity GDP of its members, as of 2007 the trade bloc is the largest in the world and second largest by nominal GDP comparison. -
\Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
DOMA was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. This act defines marriage as "only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife". This law also stated that states didn't need to recognize same-sex marriages from other states; for example, if two people of the same sex got married in California, their marriage wouldn't be valid in Arizona. This law also prohibits same-sex couples who are married from collecting any federal benefits that married couples get. -
Lewinsky Affair
Monica Lewinsky has an affair with President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. However, he denied his affair under oath. But there was physical evidence, Lewinsky had reported that during their intercourse, Clinton's semen had gotten on her dress, which could be used as evidence because of the DNA it contained. He was impeached for perjury and his resulting political battles kept him from doing anything in his final term. -
Period: to
Contemporary
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Election of 2000
Al Gore (Democrat/Clinton's VP), George W. Bush (Republican), and Ralph Nader (Independent), ran for president in 00.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 -
Bush v. Gore (SCOTUS case)
Ruled that the Florida Supreme Court's method for recounting ballots in the 2000 presidential election was a violation of the 14th Amendment and, therefore, unconstitutional. The outcome of the election hinged on Florida, where Bush led VP Gore by 1,800 votes the morning after Election Day. The recount resulted with Bush's lead out with a bare 327-vote lead out , out of 6 million. Which led to George W. Bush's victory in the 2000 presidential election. -
George W. Bush Presidency
America's 43rd President (Republican), served for office from 2001-2009. In 2000, he won the election of 200 against Gore. Bush's time in office was significantly based by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack with the Twin Towers--- in response he declare war on terrorism- established the Department of Homeland Security and authorized U.S led wars in Afgh. and Iraq. He also started the No Child Left Behind Education reform, tax cuts, and brokerage firms after collapse of mortgage industry -
9/11 Attacks
On the morning of 9/11, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, 1 of the planes hit the Pentagon- because they couldn't fine the White House, and the fourth plane passengers learn of the attacks-subdue the terrorists which cause them to nosedivide the plane. 2,972 people die in the attacks. President Bush then orders the bombing of Algh. in Oct -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
No Child Left Behind Education Reform was an bill proposed, and passed by President Bush during his first term of presidency in 2002. The bill established stated that the department of education would make public schools more accountable by linking federal aid money to national standards and measurement of student learning. Critics charge that this is an unfunded mandate and it only makes teachers teach the test. Because of this bill is the reason why we take so many UNNECESSARY tests at school -
The Great Recession
Economy went bust in the middle of the campaign. Falling home prices, poor lending habits by banks, risky investments lead to massive foreclosures. Government forced to bail out failing banks, brokerage houses and insurance companies. Worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. Obama becomes president and establishes the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; $700 billion in gov spending; creates new jobs; spurs economic growth. -
Election of 2008
Barack Obama (Democrat), Hilary Clinton (Democrat), and John McCain (Republican); all ran for president in the election of 2008. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fought for the Democratic nomination- Obama beats Hillary Clinton out of the election. Obama ran a grass roots campaign that engaged young voters and the black community; the failing economy was the centerpiece of the election. 365 electoral votes to Obama, 173 electoral votes to McCain. Obama becomes the first black president -
Barack Obama
Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961, he attended Columbia University where he majored in political science. He became The Illinois Senator in 1997. Barack Obama wins the election of 2008; becoming the first African-American president in America. He was a Democrat. He presented the health care bill; Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster; huge stimulus package to combat the great recession; repealed the Don't Ask Don't Tell; and establishes a new treaty with Russia. THE BEST PRESIDENT- IN MY OPINION -
First Hispanic SCOTUS judge - Sonya Sotomayor
Sonia Sontamayor was born in Bronx, New York, on June 25, 1953. She is nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009 to become Supreme Court Justice. first Hispanic and third woman justice in the Supreme Court's history, confirmed in August 2009 -
Affordable Care Act (ACA) “Obamacare”
Obama gets passed reforms for private health insurance. Everyone is required to have health insurance; if not, they will be fines. Many liberals are upset because it's not a single-payer system like Europe. Obama's goal with passing the legislation was to expand health insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million uninsured Americans and strengthen existing coverage. The ACA increases benefits and lowers the costs for consumer, and provides new funding for public health and prevention.
