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California v. Bakke
Ruled that a university's use of racial "quotas" in its admissions process was unconstitutional, but a school's use of "affirmative action" to accept more minority applicants was constitutional in some circumstances. -
Saddam Hussein
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. -
Moral Majority
A political action committee founded by Jerry Falwell dedicated to moral values and in opposition to feminism and gay rights. -
Supply-Side Economics
Used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the efficiency of resource use. -
AIDS
Huge deadly outbreak in the '70s 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. -
Ronald Reagan
American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to the presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. -
Trickle-Down Economics
Also referred to as trickle-down theory, is 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
Also known as the ERTA or "Kemp–Roth Tax Cut", was a federal law enacted in the United States in 1981. 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
At 7 a.m. on August 3, 1981, the union declared a strike, seeking better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour workweek. After supporting PATCO's effort in his 1980 campaign, Ronald Reagan declared the PATCO strike a "peril to national safety" and ordered them back to work under the terms of the Taft-Hartley Act. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Retired Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from her appointment in 1981 by Ronald Reagan until her retirement in 2006. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Court. Prior to O'Connor's appointment to the Court, she was an elected official and judge in Arizona serving as the first female Majority Leader in the United States as the Republican leader in the Arizona Senate. -
Walter Mondale
Vice president of Carter and when he won the democratic nomination he was defeated by a landslide by Reagan. He was the first presidential candidate to have a woman vice president, Geraldine Ferraro. -
Brady Bill
Gun-control law named for presidential aide James Brady who had been wounded and disabled by gunfire in the assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981. -
Boland Amendment
Democrats opposed to the administrations policies in nicaragua passed this to prohibit further aid to the contras. -
SDI
Reagan's proposed Strategic Defense Initiative (1983), also known as "Star Wars," called for a land- or space-based shield against a nuclear attack. Although SDI was criticized as unfeasible and in violation of the Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Congress approved billions of dollars for development. -
Beirut Bombings
Acts of terrorism that occurred on October 23, 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Lebanese Civil War. -
Internet
Computers, faxes, cell phones, and the Internet; had huge economic impact. -
Geraldine Ferraro
In 1984 she was the first woman to appear on a major-party presidential ticket. She was a congresswoman running for Vice President with Walter Modale. -
Religious Fundamentalism
A religious movement whose objectives were to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy where evey word of the bible is interpretted literally. -
Iran-Contra Affair
Scandal that erupted after the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran in hopes of freeing American hostages in Lebanon; money from the arms sales was used to aid the Contras (anti-Communist insurgents) in Nicaragua, even though Congress had prohibited this assistance. Talk of Reagan's impeachment ended when presidential aides took the blame for the illegal activity. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Soviet leader that was installed as chairman of the Soviet Communist Party in March 1985. He was amicable, energetic, and most of all committed to reforming the Soviet Union. He championed two policies: glasnost and perestroika. -
William Rehnquist
An American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States -
Immigration Act of 1986
An update of the 1965 Immigration Act and outlawed the hiring of undocumented immigrants, but offered legal status to aliens who had lived in the U.S. for five years. -
Glasnot & Perestroika
Two policies announced by Gorbachev with remarkable, even revolutionary implications. "Openness" aimed to ventilate the secretive, repressive stuffiness of Soviet society by introducing free speech and a measure of political liberty. "Restructuring" intended to revive the moribund Soviet economy by adopting many of the free market practices such as the profit motive and an end to subsidized prices. -
"Tear down this wall"
This speech was given at the Brandenburg Gate. This was where the entrance of the Berlin Wall was located and it is where JFK delivered his speech upon his visit to Berlin after WWII. He gave this speech to declare the United States' position on communism and the Soviet Union. This was the United States official backing of the Germans in their attempt to reunify their country. -
INF Agreement
Arms limitation agreement settled by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev after several attempts. The treaty banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe and marked a significant thaw in the Cold War. -
"Read my lips, no new taxes."
Said by George H.W. Bush as he accepted the Republican nomination, stating that he would not tax the American people further. He eventually did raise taxes though as a way to lessen the national budget. -
George H.W. Bush
42nd president of the United States, previously being Ronald Reagan's vice-president. His policies and ideals derived heavily from his predecessor and were built on them. He was a well-to-do oil tycoon before devoting himself to the public. He served as a congressman, emissary to China, ambassador to the UN, director of the CIA, and vice president before becoming president. -
Tiananmen Square
Suppression of Chinese democrats by the PLA. It caused much condemning from western nations including the U.S. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Marked the symbolic end of the Cold War and was the begining of the collapse of communism in eastern Europe. -
Panama Invasion
Ordered by Bush in December 1989 to remove the autocratic General Manuel Noriega. The said purpose of the invasion was to stop Noriega from using the country as a "drug pipeline" to the US. -
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. -
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. -
Breakup of the Soviet Union
Disintegrated into Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, and other independent countries; pushed by Gorbachev's more progressive reforms including more structured government, less communism, and reduction of arms -
Boris Yeltsin
Soviet and Russian politician and the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. -
Start I and II
The United States and the Soviet Union signed this treaty in July 1991 which called for a reduction in the number of long-range nuclear warheads and bombs held by each country by about one-third over a period of seven years. Strategic Arms Reduction Talks, 1993-94 between USA and Russia to reduce the active deployment of ICBMs. -
Persian Gulf War
After Iraq invaded Kuwait, the US invaded Iraq to liberate Kuwait; Iraq set Kuwait's oil fields on fire so the Americans couldn't gain the oil; this conflict caused the US to set military bases in Saudi Arabia; also called Operation: Desert Storm. -
Clarence Thomas
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. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Passed by Congress in 1991, this act banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commerical buildings. -
EU
Economic union between countries in Europe for mutual gain. Originally formed in 1951 as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), it later became the European Community in 1967, then the European Union in 1991. -
Ross Perot
He rose as a significant third party candidate. A tech-company billionaire who spent his own money campaigning, he ran on one main issue: the U.S. must get the debt under control--he caused the split votes letting Democrats win -
Kyoto Accord
Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change dealing with global warming. It is an environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system." -
PLO
A 1993 agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in which Israel agreed that the PLO could govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip in exchange for PLO recognition of Israel's right to exist. -
Yasser Arafat
A historic treaty was signed between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin that would allow Palestinian self-rule in parts
of Israel, protect Israelis in Palestinian areas, and recognition of Israel and the PLO as legitimate entities. Radical
Israelis and Palestinians denounced the treaty and violence ensued. -
Bill Clinton
Entered off 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. -
Failure of Health Reform (1990's)
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. President Clinton set up a task force led by his wife to come up with a comprehensive plan to provide universal health care along these lines. -
NRA
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. Recovery and also Reform. -
Deficit Reduction Budget
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 where Israel gave Palestinian self-rule in Gaza Strip and West Bank. -
"Don't ask, don't tell"
Common term for the policy about homosexuality in the U.S. military mandated by federal law. he policy prohibits anyone who "demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because it "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." -
NAFTA
Established free trade zone between Canada, United States and Mexico, net gain in jobs due to opening of Mexican markets. -
Contract with America
In the 1994 congressional elections, Congressman Newt Gingrich had Republican candidates sign a document in which they pledged their support for such things as a balanced budget amendment, term limits for members of Congress, and a middle-class tax cut. -
Newt Gingrich
Promoter of the "Contract with America" and the first Republican speaker in 40 years. 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
Truck-bomb explosion that killed 168 people in a federal office building on April 19, 1995. The attack was perpetrated by anti-government militant Timothy McVeigh. -
Nuclear Proliferation
The spread of nuclear weapons to new nations. -
Welfare Reform
Bill that made reductions in welfare grants and required able welfare recipients to find employment. -
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
The first woman to serve as secretary of state; proved to be more assertive in the use of american power. -
G-8
An international organization of the leading capitalist industrial nations: the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, and Russia. The G8 largely controlled the world's major international financial organizations: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). -
Clinton Impeachment
After Clinton confessed before a jury that he and Lewinsky had an improper relationship, the prospect of impeachment became an issue, especially in the congressional elections. -
Bosnia and Kosovo
A combination of diplomacy, bombing, and troops from NAT countries, including the United States, stopped the bloodshed first in Bosnia in 1995 and again in Kosovo in 1999. -
"Ethnic Cleansing"
Process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region. -
WTO
International trade organization that prompted strong protests from anti-global trade forces in Seattle, Washington in 1999. -
George W. Bush
Forty-third president of the United States. The son of former president George H. W. Bush and former governor of Texas, he emerged victorious from the contested election of 2000, where he lost the popular vote. -
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. -
Bush v. Gore
This case was during the 2000 presidential election between Bush and Gore over Florida's 25 electoral votes. The decision made George W. Bush the new president of the United States, and the fiasco made people question the need for the electoral college. -
Housing Bubble
Sales of new homes in the United States went on a roller-coaster ride, rising by 60 percent between January 2000 and July 2005, before falling by 76 percent between July 2005 and January 2009. -
Hillary Clinton
An American politician, former diplomat, and First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 -
Bush Tax Cuts
Two laws passed in 2001 and 2003 that reduced taxes for virtually every American: cut income tax rates; eliminate estate tax; reduce taxes on capital gains and dividends. -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act of 200 is the most recent iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the major federal law authorizing federal spending on programs to support K-12 schooling. -
Enron
The Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, 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. -
9/11
Terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon buildings, perpetrated by Al Qaeda and directed by Osama bin Laden; when the Taliban regime in Afghanistan refused to hand over bin Laden, the US launched a massive military attack against them; the terrorist attacks brought a sense of fear and anxiety to the American people, leading to legislation and policies that aimed to increase security, but also encroached on civil liberties. -
Al-Qaeda
A global militant Sunni Islamist terrorist group founded by Osama bin Laden, responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. -
Osama Bin Laden
Founder of al Qaeda, the terrorist network responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001, and other attacks. -
Taliban
Extreme conservative Muslims, protected Osama bin Laden by allowing him to hide in Afghanistan after he masterminded the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States, government of Afghanistan until 2001, harbored and encouraged Al-Qaeda. -
Homeland Security
US federal agency created in 2002 to coordinate national efforts against terrorism. -
"Axis of Evil"
A term coined by President Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address; this "axis" included Iraq, North Korea, and Iran. -
WMD's
Weapons of mass destruction. One of the pretexts for the attack on Iraq; Saddam Hussein had refused to cooperate with UN weapons inspections, a condition of the Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War. UN inspectors were unable to find evidence of their existence, the US and their British allies launched an invasion of Iraq in 2003, leading to the fall of Baghdad and the end of Saddam's rule. -
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation where U.S. troops invaded Iraq and Saddam's forces collapsed almost immediately. -
Abu Ghraib Prison
An Iraqi Prison where some iraqi prisoners of war were abused by their American guards and interrogators. -
John Kerry
Decorated Vietnam War veteran who lost the 2004 presidential election. -
Hurricane Katrina
Natural disaster that decimated New Orleans; the Bush administration was widely criticized for its slow and insufficient response to the emergency. -
Great Recession
Officially began in December 2007 and ended in mid-2009, has had long-term lingering effects on unemployment, and was preceded by the largest housing bubble in US history, caused by short term economic thinking, speculation, and irresponsible spending. -
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Reassured investors who were worried about homeowners defaulting on mortgages by selling bonds to investors and using the funds to purchase mortgages from banks. -
Barack Obama
American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. -
John McCain
He was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama. -
D.C. v. Heller
Provisions of the District of Columbia Code made it illegal to carry an unregistered firearm and prohibited the registration of handguns, though the chief of police could issue one-year licenses for handguns. -
Sarah Palin
American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality, served as the ninth Governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. -
Sonia Sotomayor
She became a U.S. District Court Judge in 1992 and was elevated to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998. In 2009, she was confirmed as the first Latina Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. -
Dodd-Frank Act
In July 2010, Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) in response to the collapse of the economy that began with the 2007 meltdown of the mortgage lending market. -
Affordable Care Act
An expansion of Medicaid, most of employers must provide health insurance, have insurance or face surtax, prevents rejection based on pre-existing condition. Also referred to as "Obamacare", signed into law in 2010. -
Tea Party
A conservative political movement mobilized in opposition to Obama's fiscal, economic and health care policies. -
Citizens United
Sought an injunction against the Federal Election Commission in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent the application of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. -
Arab Spring
A revolutionary wave of protests and demonstrations overtaking dictators in the Middle East. -
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, along with its allies, and various forces opposing both the government and each other in varying combinations. -
Mitt Romney
Republican nominee for president in 2012, former governor of Massachusetts. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
Terrorist attack that took place a short distance from the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. -
Shelby County v. Holder
Landmark United States Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of two provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Same-Sex Marriage
Same-sex marriage is the marriage of a same-sex couple, entered into in a civil or religious ceremony. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses in the case Obergefell v. Hodges. -
Debt Ceiling
Legislative mechanism to limit the amt debt that can be issued by Treasury by limiting money gov can borrow.
