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California v. Bakke
This court case led to the decision of not allowing a university to use racial "quotas." -
Supply-Side Economics
This macroeconomic theory argues that economic growth is most affected by lowering tax rates and decreasing regulation. -
Trickle-Down Economics
This is an economic theory that states the benefits of the wealthy trickle down to everyone else. -
Ronald Reagan
On January 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan was elected as the President of the United States. -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
This act was created to encourage economic growth through reductions in individual income tax rates. -
PACTO Strike
This particular strike involved PATCO workers who wanted $10,000 wage rise, a shorter work week, and better retirement benefits. They were forced to go back to work due to Reagan stating that contracts would be cancelled and lifetime employment ban would take place in 48 hours. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first women to serve on the Supreme Court, as a Justice. She was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served until 2006. -
AIDS
The first reported case of AIDS was in 1981. -
Boland Amendment
The Boland Amendment is a term used to describe three U.S. legislative amendments from 1982-1984. These amendments were created to limit U.S. government assistance to the Contras. -
SDI
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a missile system (proposed) to protect the United States. This plan was announced publicly for the first time by President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983. -
Beirut Bombings
These bombings were an act of terrorism during the Lebanese Civil War. -
Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale was the Vice President to Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. He was later defeated by Ronald Reagan, once again, in the election of 1984. -
Geraldine Ferraro
In 1984 Geraldine Ferraro became the first female vice presidential candidate to represent a major American political party. -
Iran-Contra Affair
This affair was a major political scandal that occurred during the second term of Ronald Reagan. This particular scandal went on for two years. This involved the secretly facilitated selling of arms to Iran by Senior administration officials. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the General Secretary of the Communist Party for the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. -
Bob Dole
Bob Dole was the Republican leader of the United States Senate from 1985 to 1996. -
William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1986 until his death in 2005. He was appointed to this position by President Ronald Reagan. -
Immigration Act of 1986
This act criminalized the hiring of known illegal immigrants. -
"Tear down this wall"
"Tear down this wall" is a line from a speech made by President Ronald Reagan in regards to the Berlin Wall in 1987. -
INF Agreement
This was an agreement between the United States and the USSR on the elimination of nuclear and conventional missiles. -
"Read my lips, no new taxes."
This was a phrase from a 1988 presidential campaign speech made by George H.W. Bush. -
Al-Qaeda
This was an organization founded by Osama Bin Laden that organized the attack on 9/11. -
Moral Majority
This was a prominent American political organization associated with the Christian right and Republican Party. -
George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush was elected as President of the United States of America in 1989. -
Tiananmen Square
The Tiananmen Square protests were student held demonstrations in Beijing. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was finally torn down in 1989, this symbolically marked the end of the Cold War. -
Panama Invasion
The United States invaded Panama from 1989 to 1990 and ended up in a US victory. -
Sandinistas
This particular political group was voted out of office in 1990. This is a democratic socialist political party that was formed in Nicaragua. -
Religious Fundamentalism
This was a religious movement with the primary goal of returning the foundations of faith. -
Lech Walesa
Lech Walesa was the President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. -
Persian Gulf War
This was a year long war that involved in the buildup of troops and defenses of Saudi Arabia. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act prohibits any discriminating behavior towards those with disabilities. -
Internet
Internet was originally brought up in 1983 but become more popular in 1990. -
Glasnost and Perestroika
Perestroika was a Russian political movement in the Communist Party and was highly associated with Glasnost until 1991. -
Breakup of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union finally dissolved in 1991. -
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999. -
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas was appointed as the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1991. -
NAFTA
The United States entered NAFTA in 1991 to establish a trilateral trade bloc in North America. -
NRA
In 1991, Wayne LaPierre became the president of the National Rifle Association. -
Bosnia and Kosovo
Bosnia and Kosovo were two nations of Yugoslavia that decided to become independent in 1991. -
Ross Perot
Ross Perot ran a presidential campaign in 1992 and ran against both Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. -
PLO
In 1993 the PLO and Israel came to an agreement which led to the PLO recognizing Israel's right to exist. -
Start I and II
This was a bilateral treaty between the US and Russia on the limitation of defense arms. -
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton served as the President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. -
Failure of Health Reform (1990's)
This was a health plan proposed by Bill Clinton that later on failed. -
"Ethnic Cleansing"
An ethnic cleansing is the genocide of unwanted ethnic or religious groups in a culture. -
West Bank and the Gaza Strip
These two territories were passed over to the PLO in a 1993 treaty. -
EU
This is a European economic organization that consists of 28 member states. -
Al Gore
Al Gore served as the Vice President of the United States of America from 1993 to 2001. -
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton served as the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. -
"Don't ask, don't tell"
This was a policy instituted by Bill Clinton that allowed homosexuals to enter the military. -
Brady Bill
This bill enacted federal background checks and a waiting period for the purchase of firearms. -
Taliban
This political group was founded in 1994. -
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich was the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
This was a domestic terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. -
Nuclear Proliferation
This particular treaty was extended in 1995. -
WTO
The World Trade Organization was founded to regulate international trade. -
Welfare Reform
This was a welfare reform that led to limited-time assistance for those in need of welfare. -
Contract with America
This was a document released by the Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. -
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright served as the first woman to be the United States Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001. -
G-8
This was a political forum from 1997 to 2014 with participation of the major industrialized countries in the world. -
Clinton Impeachment
Clinton was impeached in February of 1999 due to various charges. -
Bush v. Gore
This court case settled a recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election. -
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was elected as the President of the United States of America in 2001. -
Bush Tax Cuts
This refers to changes made in the tax codes by George W. Bush. -
9/11
This was a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. -
No Child Left Behind
This was the most recent educational act that took place in the United States. -
Homeland Security
George W. Bush founded the Department of Homeland Security as a means of protecting the United States. -
"Axis of Evil"
This was a term used by George W. Bush concerning countries involved with terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. -
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. -
Operation Iraqi Freedom
This was an operation during the Iraq War that led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. -
Abu Ghraib Prison
This was a prison where many United States military officials violated the human rights of many detainees. -
Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat was the leader of the PLO until his death in 2004. -
Hurricane Katrina
This was a natural catastrophe event that caused much damage to Texas and Florida. -
Kyoto Accord
This a protocol that ensures a global reduction in the use of greenhouse gases. -
WMD's
This particular term is an abbreviation for weapons of mass destruction. -
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin served as the ninth Governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009. -
Enron
This particular commodities company ceased operations in 2007. -
Housing Bubble
This refers to the time the real estate market experienced an incredible spike. -
Great Recession
This refers to a period of global economic decline in the early 2000's. -
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
These were privately owned but government sponsored enterprises. -
John McCain
John McCain lost the 2008 presidential election to Barack Obama. -
D.C. v. Heller
This was a Supreme Court Case that was concerned with the Second Amendment Rights. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the first African-American President of the United States of America. -
Tea Party
This was a Republican Conservative movement on federal budgeting. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor is a current Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, she was appointed in 2009. -
Dodd-Frank Act
This act was a Wall Street Reform and Consumer Act. -
Affordable Care Act
This was an act that was created to lower the health costs of the country. -
Arab Spring
This is another name for the Arab Revolutions that took place during the time. -
Citizens United
This was a case concerning the regulation of political campaign spending by organizations. -
Osama Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden was shot and killed by US forces in 2011. -
Syrian Civil War
This is an ongoing war that is taking place in Syria and started in 2011. -
Debt Ceiling
In 2012 the United States Treasury started taking extreme measures to try and solve the debt problem. -
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney was the Republican Party's presidential nominee for the 2012 election. -
Deficit Reduction Budget
This budget led to the smallest budget since 2008. -
John Kerry
John Kerry served as the United States Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
This was an act of Islamic terrorism on a Boston Marathon in 2013. -
Shelby County v. Holder
This was a Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Same-Sex Marriage
In 2013 a law was passed that allowed the marriage of same-sex couples.
