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Election of 2000
In the election of 2000, Republican Texas Governor, George W Bush was elected the 41st president of the United States. What made this election so notable was the close call in the electoral college votes. Both candidates needed one more state to win, that state was Florida. Florida was the last state to get their votes in and was the state that determined who won. Ultimately, George W. Bush won the election with a favoring win of 271 to 266. (Kruse and Zelizer, 241) -
9/11
9/11 shaped the trajectory of our country forever. During this time, George W Bush was president. This terrorist attack was the result of 4 hijacked passenger planes in the US targeting multiple landmarks that represent the United States. These were the Twin Towers, The Pentagon, and a third location that was dodged. Unfortunately , there were many casualties from this event. Our country united to make our country safer, and remember those lives lost. (Kruse and Zelizer, 249) -
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was a military operation. This organization was launched by the United States and its allies in Afghanistan due as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The goal of this organization was to ultimately dismantle al-Qaeda, who was responsible for the attack. By December 2001, the Taliban had been overthrown. (Kruse and Zelizer, 255) -
US Patriot Act
The US Patriot Act is a U.S. federal law passed in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its target was to enhance national security by providing law enforcement and intelligence agencies with ways to investigate and prevent terrorism. The law was passed this day by Congress in the House by a majority vote of 357 to 66 and then by the Senate by 98 to 1. (Kruse and Zelizer, 257) -
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created on November 25, 2002, with the Homeland Security Act of 2002, to provide better protection to US citizens following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The federal government was reorganized to better face the enemy through formation of the DHS and the Patriot Act. (Kruse and Zelizer, 264) -
Midterms
The 2002 U.S. midterm elections, held on November 5, were historically significant. It is a common theme to see the sitting president's party lose seats. However in this midterm election it was the opposite. The Republican Party gained seats in both the House and Senate, which was not a normal occurrence in American politics. This set Bush up for Congress leaning in his favor the next 2 years of his term. (Kruse and Zelizer, 277) -
Homeland Security Act of 2002
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 was a piece of U.S. legislation passed in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 25, 2002, and it created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This was a new federal department with the main goal of preventing and responding to terrorism within the United States. It focuses on security for our country. (Kruse and Zelizer, 264) -
Partial Birth Abortion Ban
The Partial Birth Abortion ban was signed in November of 2003. This law prohibited doctors from performing a DX procedure. The exception is when the mother's life is at risk. During this time, the signing of this law was favored by both parties. This was because it rolled back on religious conservatives and their agenda for abortion. (Kruse and Zelizer, 272) -
Unborn Victims of Violent Act (UVVA)
The Unborn Victims of Violent Act was signed into law in 2004 and is a federal law passed that recognizes an unborn child as a legal victim if they are injured or killed in a federal crime.if a pregnant mother were murdered, the child would become the second victim. The law gave the unborn child recognition of life in the womb. (Kruse and Zelizer, 274) -
Election of 2004
Coming down to this election, a huge topic that was being debated was national security, following the events of 9/11. The 2004 U.S. presidential election, held on November 2 saw Republican President George W. Bush re-elected for a second term. The Democratic nominee was Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Bush won by a close call of 286 electoral votes to Kerry's 251. He also won the popular vote. (Kruse and Zelizer, 271)