-
US Invasion of Panama
The United States created a military plan called Operation Just Cause, in which they invaded Panama. The United States invaded the country to overthrow the dictator, Manuel Noriega. He was wanted for racketeering and drug trafficking. America came out victorious over Noriega and as a result the Torrijos-Carter Treaties were renegotiated. -
Rodney King and LA Riots
King was driving under the influence and while he was being arrested after a high speed chase with officers, he was beaten and a bystander recorded the footage. After seeing the footage, the African American community broke out in anger and started riots all around Los Angeles fighting against police brutality. These riots sparked racial conflict and brought light to police brutality that was occurring in America based on race.The riots lasted for about a week. -
Jeffrey Dahmer Arrest
Jeffrey Dahmer was an American serial killer who ran across the country and committed 17 murders. Dahmer plead insane to the judge for all of his murders; however, the judge found him sane in 15 of 17 murders and he was sentenced to 15 life sentences. He contributed to a familiar feeling of discomfort in America at the time. As a result, Americans lived in fear of serial killers living among them. -
Passage of NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement allowed Mexico, America and Canada to be able to trade without legislation limiting their boundaries. It abolished tariffs and other barriers between the countries. It was signed in 1992 by the three countries and took effect on January 1, 1994. Once it was put in place, all tariffs were lifted on goods that had been produced by the countries. -
OJ Simpson Trial
In this case, football star, OJ Simpson, was accused of murdering his girlfriend. When the police arrived to detain him, he was involved in a high speed police chase including his famous Ford Bronco. The trial of OJ Simpson further divided white people and black people in America. The African American community believed he was innocent and the white people in America believed he was guilty. -
Unabomber Arrest
Ted Kaczynski, otherwise known as the Unabomber, was wanted by the government because of his multiple attacks on American soil. Kaczynski would mail homemade bombs to people, whether they be high ranking executives or regular people. He began his attacks in 1978 and continued to do them on and off until he was arrested in 1996. The attacks resulted in higher security and more awareness regarding terrorism. -
Olympic Park Bombing
This was a domestic terrorist attack perpetrated by Eric Rudolph. He pipe bombed the Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. The explosion killed two and injured 111 people. This event was one of the earliest domestic terrorist attacks on America and it was a slap in the face to Americans who thought their country was untouchable. -
Heaven's Gate Cult Suicide
The Heaven's Gate Cult was a group led by Marshall Applewhite. They were a religious movement that believed aliens were the higher power. Applewhite gained a decent following and convinced them that in order to make it to the afterlife, they had to kill themselves. 39 people killed themselves in this mass suicide which was one of the first mass suicides and it caused many to distrust religions. -
NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia
The National Atlantic Treaty Organization was fighting against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Kosovo War. There had been ethnic conflict between the Albanians and Serbs and the Yugoslavian government. NATO declared the war a humanitarian war which justified their intervention. After NATO stepping in the conflict and violence was ended in the countries. -
Columbine Massacre
In the Columbine Massacre, two students killed 12 other students and one teacher. This school shooting was the first mass murder that had happened in a school. It prompted higher security measures and mental health checks in schools to ensure the disaster would not happen again. This raised awareness to the danger that guns posed to people anywhere regardless of age, race, or gender.