-
Ronald Reagan Wins Presidential Election
The Presidential Election was held on November 4, 1980 between candiates Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Reagan ran as a staunch fiscal conservative and a Cold War hawk, vowing to reduce government spending and shrink the federal bureaucracy. Reagan won the election with 51 percent over Carter's 41 percent. -
MTV Debutes
MTV was a cable channel on television and it was used for telegenic artist lik Madonna, Prince, and Micheal Jackson to boost their reputations and album sales. -
Beirut Bombing
When Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, Reagan supplied the Iraq dictator with military intelligence and business credits. Now shortly after Isreal invaded Lebanon, Reagan dispatched Marines to the city of Beirut to serve as a peace-keeping force. On October 23, 1983, a suicide bomber killed 241 Marines stationed in Beirut. Congressional pressure and anger from the American public forced Reagan to recall the Marines from Lebanon in March 1984. -
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
President Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act. American policymakers hoped to do two things: deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the United States while simultaneously choking off future unsanctioned migration. -
Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987
Leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev reached out to President Reagan to negotiate the ends of the arms race of the Cold War. Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1985, and Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986. The two summits did not come to a full concrete agreement but did end to a U.S.-Soviet history relationship. This trust made possible the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987, which committed both sides to a sharp reduction in their nuclear arsenal. -
George H. W. Bush Wins Presidential Election
Reagan’s vice president, George H. W. Bush, triumphed over Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. He promised to continue the conservative work that had commenced around the 1980s. -
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
Bill Clinton signed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, repealing provisions of the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act separating commercial and investment banks, and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which exempted credit default swaps. -
The Persian Gulf War
On October 16, Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, giving Bush the power to make war in Iraq. -
9/11 Attack on America
On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen operatives of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization hijacked four passenger planes on the East Coast. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower and American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western façade of the Pentagon. Around three thousand Americans had been killed due to this terrorist attack on America.