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A military conflict between 35 nations led by the United States and Iraq. This began when Iraq invaded Kuwait. After a months-long air campaign, the coalition launched a ground offensive that overpowered Iraqi forces, leading to a ceasefire on February 28th, 1991. The war resulted in the liberation of Kuwait, but Saddam Hussein, remained in power. This conflict aided the start of a permanent U.S military presence in the middle east and the disruption of global oil supplies.(Khan academy article) -
Starting with the Gulf war, and ending with the election of Barack Obama.
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Cold war ended with a collapse of the Soviet Union dissolving itself into component republics. The end of this war marked the end of a period of intense geopolitical tension and military buildup between the U.S and the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union also had important economic implications like the opening up of Eastern Europe leading to the expansion of global trade which contributed to the growth of the world economy in the 1990's and beyond. (History channel article) -
Bill Clinton was elected as the 42nd president of the U.S on the democratic side. He won the election with 43% of the popular vote and 370 electoral votes. Clinton's presidency was marked by important events like the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the introduction of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding LGBTQ+ individuals in the military, and the passage of the 1994 Crime Bill. ("Fault Lines", 203-205) -
A bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in NYC. The attack was carried out by a group of terrorists with links to Islamic extremist groups. The explosion killed 6 people and injured many more. The goal of this was to destroy both the twin towers, however the buildings remained standing after. The mastermind behind this damaging plot was named Ramzi Yousef. This event foreshadowed the 9/11 attacks. -
A 51-day standoff between the U.S government and the Branch Davidians, a religious group led by David Koresh. The conflict began when the ATF attempted to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidian compound for alleged weapon violations. The shootout left 4 agents and 6 Branch Davidians dead. The siege ended with a fire breaking out in the compound killing 76 people including Koresh. ("What really happened at Waco" by Rachel Monroe + notes) -
A terrorist attack that occurred on April 18th, 1995. Two American citizens, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, carried out the attack by exploding a truck bomb outside of Alfred. P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. This explosion killed 168 people and injured many. This was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism at the time. McVeigh and Nichols eventually got convicted for their roles in the bombing. Increased security was a big result of this attack. ("Fault Lines", 220-221 + notes) -
Federal law passed during Bill Clinton’s presidency. The law defined marriage as a legal union between one man and woman and prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages for any purpose, including things like taxes and immigration. States were allowed to refuse to recognize same sex marriages. This act faced criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates. Eventually this law was struck down and considered unconstitutional in 2013 in the U.S Supreme court. ("Fault Lines", 218-219) -
President Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with the White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The Senate held a trial, but Clinton was acquitted and ended up remaining in office. Despite this, he became only the second president in the U.S to become impeached and his affair with Lewinsky damaged his reputation and his relationship with the Congress.(Washington Post, approved articles of impeachment) -
George W. Bush became the 43rd president of the U.S after winning the 2000 presidential election against Al Gore, the democratic nominee. The election was controversial due to a vote count in Florida which ultimately led to the victory of Bush by the Supreme Court. Bush was inaugurated in 2001 as president and his presidency was defined by the 9/11 attacks and the wars fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. ("Fault Lines", 240-242) -
The attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by the Islamic terrorist group, Al- Qaeda. 4 commercial airplanes were hijacked by 19 terrorists, two of them crashing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in NYC causing both building to crash down. Another one of the planes crashed into the Pentagon outside of Washington D.C. The attacks killed an abundant amount of people and promoted the establishment of the Department of Homeland security. (Fault Lines 249-251) -
The U.S invaded Iraq to remove the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, from power. The invasion began with a massive aerial bombardment and ground invasion which overthrew the Iraqi government. Saddam was captured by U.S forces on December 13th, 2003 in Tikrit where he was hiding in a small, underground bunker. The U.S have been searching for him since the invasion. This was celebrated by the U.S government, but did not end up stopping violence in Iraq.(Council on foreign relations article: Iraq War) -
A powerful and deadly hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast of the U.S. It damaged and caused flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, especially in New Orleans. It was the most expensive natural disaster in American history and resulted in 1,833 deaths from the storm or the floods. ("Fault Lines", 280-281) -
A worldwide economic crisis that started in the U.S due to the collapse of the subprime mortgage market. This led to a big banking and financial system collapse. The stabilization act was passed which authorized the U.S treasury to purchase billions in troubled assets from financial institutions to stabilize the banking system and established the TARP, which provided additional funding to banks and other financial institutions.(Washington Post, A guide to the financial crisis + notes) -
He became the 44th president of the U.S. He was the first African American to be elected to the presidency. Obama's campaign focused on hope and change and issues like healthcare, climate change, and the war in Iraq. He signed the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform, the Consumer Protection Act, and ordered an operation that resulted in the death of the 9/11 attack leader, Osama bin Laden. (The White House, Barack Obama + notes)