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NRA
The National Rifle Association of America is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun rights. First attempt to achieve economic advance through planning and cooperation among labor, business and government. Codes and regulations to control production, labor relations, and trade among businesses. Declared unconstitutional in 1935. -
PLO
A political movement uniting Palestinian Arabs in an effort to create an independent state of Palestine (Palestinian Liberation Organization). -
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the Supreme Court of the United States for 33 years, first as an Associate Justice from 1972 to 1986. -
California v. Bakke
A landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. It upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy. -
Moral Majority
Political action group formed in the 1970's to further a conservative and religious agenda, including the allowance of prayer in schools and strict laws against abortion. -
Supply-Side Economics
A macroeconomic theory that argues economic growth can be most effectively created by lowering taxes and decreasing regulation. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. -
Trickle-Down Economics
An economic theory that advocates reducing taxes on businesses and the wealthy in society as a means to stimulate business investment in the short term and benefit society at large in the long term. -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
It was an act "to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to encourage economic growth through reductions in individual income tax rates, the expensing of depreciable property, incentives for small businesses, and incentives for savings, and for other purposes". -
PACTO Strike
The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization or PATCO was a United States trade union that operated from 1968 until its desertification in 1981 following a strike that was declared illegal and broken by the Reagan Administration. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Ronald Reagan nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court. She received unanimous Senate approval, and made history as the first woman justice to serve on the nation's highest court. -
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American politician, diplomat and lawyer who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. -
Religious Fundamentalism
Movement whose objectives were to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy where every word of the bible is interpreted literally. -
AIDS
Huge deadly outbreak, started with gay men and was labeled the "gay plague" but soon began to affect drug users, hemophiliacs, and minorities. Expensive to treat, no cure. C Everett Koop caused government to spend 1.3 billion on AIDS assistance. -
Boland Amendment
A term describing three U.S. legislative amendments between 1982 and 1984, all aimed at limiting U.S. government assistance to the Contras in Nicaragua. -
Saddam Hussein
Was the leader of Iraq during the middle of the Cold War. Although initially supported by the U.S. to fight Iran, his invasion of Kuwait made him a prime enemy of America. -
SDI
SDI was Reagan's intent to pursue a high technology missile defense system which was referred to as SDI or Star Wars. -
Beirut Bombings
Two truck bombs struck buildings housing Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) peacekeepers, specifically against United States and French service members, killing 241 U.S. and 58 French peacekeepers, 6 civilians and the 2 suicide attackers. A group called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings and said that the attacks were to get the MNF out of Lebanon. -
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne "Gerry" Ferraro was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who served in the United States House of Representatives. She was the first female vice presidential candidate representing a major American political party. -
Sandinistas
Members of a leftist coalition that overthrew the Nicaraguan dictatorship of Anastasia Somoza in 1979 and attempted to install a socialist economy. The United States financed armed opposition by the Contras. The Sandinistas lost national elections in 1990. -
Osama bin Laden
A founder of al-Qaeda, the organization responsible for the September 11 attacks in the United States and many other mass-casualty attacks worldwide. -
Iran-Contra Affair
A political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, GCL is a Russian and former Soviet politician. He was the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, having been General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. -
Glasnost & Perestroika
Refers to the reconstruction of the political and economic system established by the Communist Party. -
Immigration Act of 1986
The law criminalized the act of engaging in a "pattern or practice" of knowingly hiring an "unauthorized alien" and established financial and other penalties for those employing illegal immigrants under the theory that low prospects for employment would reduce undocumented immigration. -
"Tear down this wall"
"Tear down this wall!" is a line from a speech made by US President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin, calling for the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. -
INF Agreement
The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles. -
"Ethnic Cleansing"
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic or racial groups from a given territory by a more powerful ethnic group, often with the intent of making it ethnically homogeneous. -
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and several other Arab volunteers who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. -
"Read my lips, no new taxes."
A phrase spoken by then-American presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted the nomination on August 18. Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line was the most prominent sound bite from the speech. -
George H.W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Prior to assuming the presidency, Bush served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. -
Tiananmen Square
After several weeks of demonstrations, Chinese troops entered Tiananmen Square on June 4 and fired on civilians. Estimates of the death toll range from several hundred to thousands. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced a change in his city's relations with the West. -
Panama Invasion
Code named Operation Just Cause occurred between mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. It occurred during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ten years after the Torrijos–Carter Treaties were ratified to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the U.S. to Panama by 1 January 2000. -
Lech Walesa
A Polish politician, a former trade union and human rights activist, and also a former electrician. He co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. -
Persian Gulf War
Operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. -
Internet
The world wide web was created in 1990 and used this to send graphics and multi-media across the globe; '93 the first browser was created; millions of computer users use this everyday. -
Nuclear Proliferation
The spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT. -
Breakup of the Soviet Union
Officially granting self-governing independence to the Republics of the Soviet Union. Dissolution of the Soviet Union into 15 independent republics, Conclusion of the Cold War. -
Boris Yeltsin
Was a Soviet and Russian politician and the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. -
Start I and II
Was a bilateral treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. -
Bosnia and Kosovo
Both Kosovo and Bosnia were part of the former Yugoslavia, which began to break up in 1991. -
Clarence Thomas
This man was an African American jurist, and a strict critic of affirmative action. He was nominated by George H. W. Bush to be on the Supreme Court in 1991, and shortly after was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. Hearings were reopened, and he became the second African American to hold a seat in the Supreme Court. -
Ross Perot
Texas billionaire businessman who ran populist campaigns for the presidency in 1992 and 1996. In 1992, he garnered 19 percent of the popular vote, probably throwing the election to Bill Clinton. Perot's campaigns represented anti- establishment sentiment and desires for "common sense" governance. -
Yasser Arafat
Clinton presided over a historic meeting at the White House between Israeli premier Yitzshak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasir. They agreed in principle on self-rule for the Palestinians within Israel. -
Bill Clinton
Entered office in January 1993, as the first democratic president since Jimmy Carter and a self-proclaimed activist. He had a very domestic agenda. When in office he had a lot of controversial appointments. -
Brady Bill
A provision of US federal law that requires a waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks on those who wish to purchase handguns. -
Deficit Reduction
Clinton had better luck with a deficit-reduction bill in 1993, which combined with an increasingly buoyant economy by 1996 to shrink the federal deficit to its lowest level in more than a decade. -
West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Oslo Accords made agreement (1993) where Israel gave Palestinian self-rule in Gaza Strip and West Bank -
EU
The European Union is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. -
Al Gore
Al Gore was Clinton's vice-president and a candidate for the 2000 presidential election. His running caused on of the closest elections in history and a fiasco with the voting system. -
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician, former diplomat, and First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Ran for president in 2017. -
Failure of Health Reform(1990's)
This was a 1993 health care reform package under the Clinton Administration that required each US citizen and permanent resident alien to become enrolled in a qualified health plan. The Health Care bill was defended by Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell in Congress but was ultimately defeated in 1994 because there were not enough Democratic Senators behind a single proposal to pass a bill. -
"Don't ask, don't tell"
The policy was intended as a "compromise" — one that purports to restrict the United States military from "witch-hunting" secretly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members or applicants, while absolutely barring "openly" gay or bisexual people from joining the military, and expelling those already serving during Clinton's term -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. -
Contract with America
The 1994 elections resulted in Republicans gaining 54 House and 9 U.S. Senate seats. When the Republicans gained this majority of seats in the 104th Congress, the Contract was seen as a triumph by party leaders such as Minority Whip Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey, and the American conservative movement in general. -
Tailban
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan currently waging war within that country. -
Newt Gingrich
This controversial Republican Speaker of the House, quickly became one of the most unpopular political leaders in the nation, while President Clinton slowly improved his standing in the polls. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. -
WTO
The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization that regulates international trade. -
Welfare Reform
A comprehensive bipartisan welfare reform plan that will dramatically change the nation's welfare system into one that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance. -
Bob Dole
Attorney and retired United States Senator from Kansas (1969-1996) longest serving Republican leader. Was the 1996 presidential nominee for the Republican party but lost to Bill Clinton. -
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright is an American politician and diplomat. She is the first woman to have become the United States Secretary of State. -
G-8
The G8, reformatted as G7 from 2014 due to Russia's suspension, was an inter-governmental political forum from 1997 until 2014, with the participation of the major industrialized countries in the world, that viewed themselves as democracies. -
Clinton Impeachment
The impeachment of Bill Clinton was initiated by the House of Representatives and led to a trial in the Senate for the impeachment of Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, on two charges, one of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. -
WMD's
A weapon of mass destruction is a nuclear, radio-logical, chemical, biological or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damage to human-made structures, natural structures, or the biosphere. -
Bush v. Gore
Because of the closeness in the election of 2000, Gore ordered that ballots be recounted in Florida because of a potential mistake. The Florida Supreme Court authorized a recount in all counties. -
Enron
The Enron scandal eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. In addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time, Enron was attributed as the biggest audit failure. -
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was also the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. -
Bush Tax Cuts
Refers to changes to the United States tax code passed originally during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama. -
No Child Left Behind
Authorizes several federal education programs that are administered by the states. The law is a re authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Under the 2002 law, states are required to test students in reading and math in grades 3–8 and once in high school. -
9/11
Attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States. -
Homeland Security
A cabinet department of the United States federal government with responsibilities in public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. -
"Axis of Evil"
The phrase axis of evil was first used by U.S. President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address and often repeated throughout his presidency, to describe governments that his administration accused of sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction. -
Operation Iqaqi Freedom
The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein. Ended in 2011. -
Abu Ghraib Prison
In April of 2004, graphic images surfaced of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners being held at the Abu Ghraib prison just outside of Bagdad in Iraq during the U.S led war on terrorism. The images showed soldiers abusing, and staging humiliating sexual positions. -
Kyoto Accord
An international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring. -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was an extremely destructive and deadly Category 5 hurricane that caused catastrophic damage along the Gulf coast from central Florida to Texas. About 1,833 deaths from this. -
Housing Bubble
The United States housing bubble was a real estate bubble affecting over half of the U.S. states. Housing prices peaked in early 2006, started to decline in 2006 and 2007. -
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of general economic decline observed in world markets during the late 2000s and early 2010s. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country. -
Sarah Palin
Republican vice-presidential candidate with John McCain in the 2008 election, the second woman to run for vice president of a major party and the first Republican. -
John McCain
Republican senator from Arizona who lost the 2008 Presidential election to Democrat Barack Obama. -
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
They buy mortgages from lenders and either hold these mortgages in their portfolios or package the loans into mortgage-backed securities (MBS) that may be sold. -
D.C. v. Heller
Held that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home, and that Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban and requirement that lawfully-owned rifles and shotguns be kept "unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock" violated this guarantee. -
Tea Party
The Tea Party movement is an American conservative movement within the Republican Party. Members of the movement have called for a reduction of the national debt of the United States and federal budget deficit by reducing government spending, and for lower taxes. -
Sonia Sotomayor
An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. She has the distinction of being its first justice of Hispanic descent and the first Latina -
Barack Obama
Forty-forth president of the United States, and first African American elected to that office. -
Affordable Care Act
The law has 3 primary goals: Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally. -
Arab Spring
A revolutionary wave of both violent and non-violent demonstrations, protests, riots, coups, foreign interventions, and civil wars in North Africa and the Middle East. -
Citizens United
A landmark U.S. constitutional law, campaign finance, and corporate law case dealing with regulation of political campaign spending by organizations. -
Dodd-Frank Act
It made changes in the American financial regulatory environment that affected all federal financial regulatory agencies and almost every part of the nation's financial services industry. -
Syrian Civil War
An ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria fought primarily between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic led by President Bashar al-Assad. -
Mitt Romney
An American businessman and politician who served as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and was the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
Two homemade bombs detonated near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring several hundred others, including 16 who lost limbs. -
Shelby County v. Holder
Requires certain states and local governments to obtain federal preclearance before implementing any changes to their voting laws or practices. -
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is an American politician who served as the 68th United States Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. Lost the 2004 election. -
Debt Ceiling
Limitations set on the amount of money the government is able to borrow. -
Same-Sex Marriage
Held that the right of same-sex couples to marry on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.
