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Signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act
The ADA is an act that prevents discrimination based off of disability. In addition to just prohibiting discrimination, the ADA also says that employers must provide necessary accommodations to any workers with disabilities, and has accessibility requirements in public spaces. It was signed by George H.W. Bush and recognizes both physical and mental disabilities. -
Confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court
With the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, President Bush was looking for a conservative, black judge, to maintain the racial balance in the supreme court as well as skew the views of the supreme court to the right. Thomas was seen as unqualified for the job, and the American Bar Association gave him one of the worst recorded scores for a supreme court nominee. His nomination and eventual acceptance was highly controversial, due to his political views, qualifications, and race. -
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a massive, category 5 hurricane that hit the south-east US. It caused 27.4 billion dollars in damage and killed 63 people. It was the biggest hurricane to ever hit the US at the time. Disaster relief services were criticized for their inadequate and slow response. -
US Involvement in Somalia
The UN, including the US, intervened in a civil war happening in Somalia. The involvement reached its peak at the Battle of Mogadishu, in which eighteen US soldiers were killed. The UN hoped to bring an end to the civil war in Somalia and set up a stable government, but as both diplomatic and military efforts failed, the UN withdrew military forces, but still made an effort to bring peace to Somalia. -
Signing of NAFTA
President Clinton signs the NAFTA. NAFTA, or the North American Free Trade Agreement would eliminate nearly all tariffs between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The agreement helped all 3 nation's economies and bolstered relationships. -
Million Man March
The Million Man March was a massive gathering of African American Men with the intent to bring awareness to the political and social issues that African American's faced, as well as promoting their sense of community and self worth. -
Olympic Park Bombing
Eric Rudolph used several pipe bombs to commit an act of terrorism in the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The explosion killed 1 person and injured over 100 more. Rudolph later bombed several more places and was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison with no parole. -
NATO Bombing in Yugoslavia
NATO bombed Yugoslavia in an effort to end the Kosovo War. NATO wanted to completely end all hostilities, and establish a UN presence in the area, and reorganize the government of Kosovo. NATO's involvement was almost entirely from the air, and it effectively defeated the Yugoslavian military. -
Columbine Shooting
The Columbine Massacre was the first major gun violence incident at a school. Two high school students killed 12 other students, one teacher, and then themselves. Police were criticized for their slow response, and the massacre provoked nationwide discussion about gun rights, bullying, and other violence in media. -
Y2K Scare
Many people believed that when the year transitioned from 1999 to 2000 that computers would have issues transitioning dates and cause a widespread crash in long running systems. Only minor errors occurred, though conspiracy groups and extremists stoked fear and claimed that it would be the end of the world.
