-
NRA
National Rifle Association. Advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights. -
Religious Fundamentalism
A religious movement where objectives were to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy where every word of the bible is interpreted literally. -
Sandinistas
Was a socialist group in Nicaragua and funded by the CIA -
PLO
Palestinian organization aimed to liberate Palestine with violence against Israel -
Nuclear Proliferation
the spread of nuclear weapons to new nations -
Yasser Arafat
Chairman of the PLO -
Walter Mondale
Vice President of Jimmy Carter. -
California v. Bakke
Imposed limitations on affirmative action to ensure that providing greater opportunities for minorities did not come at the expense of the rights of the majority. -
Moral Majority
A political group made up of fundamentalist Christians -
Saddam Hussein
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. -
AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Cases were beginning to be reported in America, but the Reagan administration chose to do little about the growing epidemic. -
Glasnost and Perestroika
Reformation in the Communist party to be more open and transparent -
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. -
Ronald Reagan
40th President of the United States -
Supply Side Economics
Economic growth can be effected by lowing taxes and decreasing regulation -
Trick Down Economics
Theory that advocates reducing taxes on businesses as a means to stimulate investment -
PACTO Strike
Air traffic controllers went on strike and it was declared illegal by Reagan Presidency. -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
lowered income tax rates and allowed for incentives for small business and incentives for saving. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
First Woman to serve on the Supreme Court. -
Boland Amendment
Amendments to limit U.S assistance to Contras in Nicaragua -
SDI
Strategic Defense Initiative to protect U.S from ICBMS -
Beirut bombings
Terrorist attacks against housings in Lebanon against U.S and French Troops. -
Geraldine Ferraro
Running mate for Walter Mondale as Vice president -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Leader of the Soviet Union and eventual President of the Soviet Union. -
Iran-Contra Affair
Scandal in which U.S sold arms to Iran and the funds would be used to fund anti contra movements. -
Immigration Act of 1986
outlawed the hiring of undocumented immigrants, but offered legal status to aliens who had lived in the U.S. for five years. -
William Rehnquist
American Chief Justice in the Supreme Court -
Tear down that Wall
Speech by Ronald Reagan to tear down Berlin Wall in Berlin. -
INF agreement
Treaty between USSR and USA over the elimination of medium and small range missles -
"Read my lips, no new taxes."
said byGeorge H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted the nomination on August 18. -
Al-Qaeda
An international alliance of anti-Western Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organizations -
Osama Bin Laden
Arab terrorist who established al-Qaeda and was accused of planning the terrorist attacks on 9-11. Killed in 2011 in a covert assassination by US Seal Team 6 coordinated by President Barrack Obama. -
George H.W Bush
Was the 41st president of the United States -
Tiananmen Square
A suppression of Chinese democrats by the PLA. It caused much condemning from western nations including the U.S. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the wall marked an end to Soviet influence in the country and allowed for Germany to become reunited -
Panama Invasion
The U.S sent in Marines to Panama to topple President Manuel Noriega, who was deeply involved in the drug trade. The action was taken because the U.S needed a stable government to complete the transfer of the Panama Canal to the control of the Panamanian gov't -
Lech Walesa
Polish president who co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union -
Internet
use of the Internet exploded when British scientist Tim Berners-Lee developed what became known as the "World Wide Web." -
Breakup of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev decreased nuclear arsenals, Communist Party lost power, Boris Yeltsin (president of Russian Republic) led Muscovites to take control. -
Boris Yeltsin
first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999 -
Start I and II
START I is the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. First treaty to provide for deep reductions of U.S. and Soviet/Russian strategic nuclear weapons. START II established a limit on strategic weapons for each Party. -
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. -
Clarence Thomas
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. Second African American to hold a seat in the SC. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commercial buildings. -
Deficit Reduction Budget
Law that mandated automatic spending cuts if the government failed to meet fixed deficit reduction goals leading to a balanced budget -
EU
Economic union between countries in Europe for mutual gain. European Union. -
Ross Perot
Ran on the independent ticket for the 1992 Presidential election. -
Welfare Reform
Legislation that made deep cuts in welfare grants and required able-bodied welfare recipients to find employment. Part of Bill Clinton's campaign platform. -
Bill Clinton
First democratic president since Jimmy Carter and a self-proclaimed activist. 42nd president of the United States. -
Failure of Health Reform
Was under the Clinton Administration and required each US citizen and permanent resident alien to become enrolled in a qualified health plan. -
West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Oslo Accords made agreement (1993) where Israel gave Palestinian self-rule in Gaza Strip and West Bank -
Hillary Clinton
wife of President Bill Clinton, she was also the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 and also headed the committee of health-care reform. -
"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. -
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement. Established free trade zone between Canada, United States and Mexico, net gain in jobs due to opening of Mexican markets. -
Contract with America
proposed smaller government, Congressional ethics reform, term limits, great emphasis on personal responsibility, and a general repudiation of the Democratic party. by Newt Gingrich. -
Newt Gingrich
controversial Republican Speaker of the House -
Oklahoma City Bombing
Truck-bomb explosion that killed 168 people in a federal office building -
Taliban
The protectors of Al Qaeda. They were a Pakistan-based movement of strict and militant Muslims, and they had controlled Afghanistan since 1996. -
Bob Dole
Attorney and retired United States Senator from Kansas, 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 -
G-8
Group of Eight. An international organization of the leading capitalist industrial nations: US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Russia. Largely controlled the world's major international financial organizations: World Bank, IMF, and GATT. -
Kyoto Accord
Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change dealing with global warming. It is an environmental treaty. -
Clinton Impeachment
The House narrowly approved 2 counts of impeachment; lying to the grand jury and obstructing justice -
Bosnia and Kosovo
hundreds of thousands of members of ethnic and religious minorities were killed in a process that was labeled "ethnic cleansing". -
"Ethnic Cleansing"
Process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region -
WTO
World Trade Organization. International trade organization that prompted strong protests from anti-global trade forces in Seattle, Washington. -
Al Gore
Was Clinton's vice-president and a candidate for the 2000 presidential election. His running caused one of the closest elections in history and a fiasco with the voting system. -
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. Result: Such a recount is unconstitutional because there is no standard set in the Constitution to do such nor does the state of Florida have the right to set up a new election law. -
George W Bush
43rd President of the United States -
Bush Tax Cuts
Two laws passed in 2001 and 2003 that reduced taxes for virtually every American:
1) cut income tax rates;
2) eliminate estate tax;
3) reduce taxes on capital gains and dividends -
No Child Left Behind
An education bill created and signed by the George W. Bush administration. Designed to increase accountability standards for primary and secondary schools, the law authorized several federal programs to monitor those standards and increased choices for parents in selecting schools for their children. Linked results on standardized to federal funding for schools and school districts. -
Enron
Enron had manipulated energy prices in California to create a fake crisis, along with other illegal deceptions. These illegal acts were unearthed after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2001. -
9/11
Two planes hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing them to collapse. One plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the fourth, overtaken by passengers, crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. Terrorist attacks. -
Homeland Security
US federal agency created in 2002 to coordinate national efforts against terrorism. -
"Axis of Evil"
Used by George W. Bush in his State of the Union address to describe gov'ts that his administration accused of sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction. -
Operation Iraqi Freedom
A protracted military conflict in Iraq that began in 2003 with an attack by a coalition of forces led by the United States and that resulted in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. -
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
Due to the pop of the housing bubble and bank's risky investment into loans, the banks also began to falter. Wages and jobs decrease, creating a downward spiral -
Tea Party
An American political movement known for its conservative positions and its role in the Republican Party. Members of the movement have called for a reduction of the U.S. national debt and federal budget deficit by reducing government spending, and for lower taxes. -
Housing Bubble
The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in response to the end of the technology surge, encouraging investors to purchase real estate, causing another "bubble" and increased housing prices. -
WMD's
Weapons of mass destruction -
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 -
John McCain
Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election -
Sarah Palin
Ran for Republican VP in the 2008 election -
D.C v. Heller
held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self- defense within the home. -
Barack Obama
44th President of the United States -
Sonia Sotomayor
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. First Latina justice -
Dodd-Frank Act
Congress enacted this 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. -
Citizens United
Court rules that corporations have first amendment right to spend as much as they like in elections. -
Arab Spring
A revolutionary wave of protests and demonstrations overtaking dictators in the Middle East -
Syrian Civil War
The Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad used poisonous gas on the people in the country who were rising up against him. Military action was avoided when the Syrians agreed to give up all their chemical weapons. -
Mitt Romney
Republican nominee for 2012 election -
Debt Ceiling
Legislative mechanism to limit the amt debt that can be issued by Treasury by limiting money gov't can borrow. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
2 homemade bombs detonated 12 seconds and 210 yards apart at 2:49 p.m., near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring several hundred others. terrorist attack -
Shelby County v. Holder
concerned constitutionality of two parts of the Voting Rights Act, one struck down because it was outdated and potentially limited voters' rights. -
Same-sex marriage
Legalized in 2015
