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Period: to
1980-1999
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Election of 1980
Rep. Ronald Reagan beat Dem. Jimmy Carter in this election. Reagan's campaign ran on the ineffectiveness of Democrat's big government solutions and loss of U.S. prestige abroad. The voter's rejection of Carter's presidency gave Reagan 51% of the popular vote and 91% of the electoral vote. Carter received 41% of the popular vote. The significance is that it broke up the New Deal coalition by taking 50% of the blue collar vote, and it ended the Democratic dominance in Congress. -
Researchers identify AIDS virus
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was identified in 1981. Society thought that the disease was only received by male homosexuals, and it further mobilized the gay and lesbian rights movement to promote AIDS education, prevention, and treatment. -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
Congress passed this act in the summer of 1981. It was the largest tax reduction in U.S. history. Tax rates of lowest-income individuals fell from 14% to 11%, while those with the highest incomes dropped from 70% to 50%. The act also gave corporations tax breaks and cut taxes on capital gains, gifts, and inheritances. Rich people ended up saving far more money than average taxpayers, which is considered "Reaganomics", or trickle-down economics. -
Reagan announces plans for Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative, also named "Star Wars", was announced by Reagan, and it was a project to organize lasers in space to destroy enemy missiles before they could reach their targets. Reagan agreed that SDI could appear as an "aggressive policy", allowing US to strike first and not fear retaliation. Soviets reacted angrily because it violated the 1972 ABM treaty and caused the Soviets to invest money to develop Star Wars technology. -
Terrorist Bomb Kills U.S. Marines in Lebanon
In April 1983, an Arab suicide squad bombed the U.S. embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people. In Oct. 1983, an Islamic extremist drove a bomb-filled truck into a U.S. barracks in Lebanon, killing 241 marines. Reagan ended up pulling out the U.S. troops sent there as a peacekeeping mission to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli anf Palestinian Liberation Organization forces. Reagan refused to negotiate. -
Iran-Contra Scandal
Iran and Iraq were in a bloody war, and Reagan aides decided to sell U.S. antitank and antiaircraft missiles to Iran's government for its help in freeing Americans held hostage by a radical Arab group. The profits of the arms would fund the contras in Nicaragua, violating the Boland Amendment prohibiting further aid to the contras. The picture came off as a hands-off president that is easiy manipulated, which dropped his popularity in the polls. -
INF Agreement Signed
Gorbachev (Soviet Union) took the initative to call for an intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) agreement with Reagan (United States) to eliminate all short- and medium-range missiles from Europe and providing for on-site inspection. Reagan readily responded because of the immense defense budgets and growing support of arms reduction. -
Election of 1988
Rep. George H. W, Bush defeats Dem. Michael Dukakis in this election. Reverend Jesse Jackson tried to gain the Democratic nomination. Bush's campaign ran on Democrat's softness on crime and weakness on national defense. He also promised voters to not raise taxes. 54% of the voters chose Bush, but Democrats regained control of the Senate in 1986. The Republicans won a decisive victory by a margin of 7 million votes. -
U.S. Invades Panama
Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to remove the autocratic General Manuel Noriega. The alleged purpose was to stop Noriega from using his country as a drug pipeline to the United States. U.S. troops remained until elections established a more creditable government. -
Persian Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm
After gaining congressional approval, President Bush ordered a massive operation in order to drive out Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and threatening of western oil sources in Saudi Arabia. After 5 weeks of air strikes and 100 hrs of ground war from the U.S. and 28 other nations, Iraq accepted their defeat. -
START I Treaty signed
Bringing an end to the Cold War, President Bush and Mikail Gorbachev (USSR) sign a strategic nuclear disarmament treaty, START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), reducing the amount of nuclear warheads to under 10,000 for both the US and the USSR. -
The Election of 1992
Once again, George H. Bush is elected as the Republican candidate, but seemed out of touch with the American People. The Democratic candidate, Bill Clinton (Arkansas), was a fresh face and energetic campaigner. Ross Perot was the independent candidate. Clinton gained popularity in the south and was elected as president with 370 electoral votes (43% popular vote). -
START II Signed
START II, Signed by President Boris Yeltsin and President Bush, was a revision of START I in 1992. START II banned multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) and offered US support towards the troubled Russian Economy, along with reducing the number of nuclear weapons from 10,000 to 3,000 each. -
Republicans take over Congress (Republican Revolution)
In the midterm elections of November 1994, Republicans gain 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and eight seats in the Senate, making them the majority for the first time since 1954. At the time, the Democratic congress was considered inept and dedicated to only increasing taxes and federal regulations. -
U.S. Term Limits Inc. v Thorton
In this Supreme Court Case, Bobbie Hill, a member of the League of Women Voters, argued that the state could not limit the tenure of federal lawmakers without a constitutional amendment. Arkansas adopted a State constitutional amendment that prohibited the eligibility of candidates for placing their name on the ballot for re-election if they have already served 2 terms in the U.S. Senate, or 3 terms in the U.S. House. -
Operation Deliberate Force
NATO carried out an air campaign against the Army of the Republika Srpska, who had been attacking the UN "safe" areas of Bosnia, during the Bosnian War. The force lasted until September 20th, Resulting with Siege of Sarajevo lifted, Bosnian Serbs return to negotiations and in total an end to the Bosnian War. -
The Election of 1996
Once again, Bill Clinton runs on the Democratic ticket with an uneventful fight, for the economy had been revived in the early 1990s. Bob Dole ran the Republican ticket, along with Ross Perot as an Independent. Overall, Clinton won 49.2% popular vote, Dole received 40.7% and Perot received 8.4%. -
The Lewinsky Scandal
Monica Lewinski, An intern during Clinton's first term, developed a relationship with the president and confided in Linda Tripp, her co-worker who secretly recorded their conversations. The news of this extra-marital affair lead to impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in a 21-day Senate trial.
