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Religious Fundamentalism
Religious Fundamentalism is a movement that believes in the absolute authority of a religious text, teachings, or speaker usually in a literal manner. It is typically intended to influence state policy. -
California v. Bakke
A court ruling that upheld affirmative action in college admissions but not race quotas. -
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein was the Iraqi president between 1979-2003. He was a brutal dictator and eventually disposed by the US. -
Sandinistas
Revolutionaries who overthrew the Nicaraguan government; aided by the Carter administration. -
Moral Majority
A political group that aimed to further the conservative/Christian agenda. -
Trickle Down Economics
Implemented by Reagan in his presidency, trickle-down economics advocates going easy on the wealthy with regulations/taxes to let the wealth 'trickle down'. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the U.S. and helped the country return to prosperity at home and worked to end/lessen Cold War tensions abroad. -
Supply Side Economics
Supply-side economics is a theory that says that growth economically can best be achieved through low taxes and low regulation, and was implemented by Reagan -
Sandra Day O'Connor
First appointed woman to the supreme court. -
AIDS
The HIV/AIDs crisis was a sexually-transmitted epidemic popular especially among gay communities. Tens of thousands died while Reagan's administration was criticized about dragging their feet to act due to homophobia. -
PACTO Strike
Union workers go on strike for better hours, wages, and conditions. Reagan announced that those who did not return to their jobs would be fired. -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
Revised the federal income tax system with huge tax cuts. -
Boland Amendment
The Boland Amendment is a name given to multiple acts passed by Congress to prevent Reagan from interfering in the state of affairs in Nicaragua. -
Lech Walesa
Lech Walesa founded and led Solidarity, the Soviet Bloc's first independent trade Union, and later went on to become the president of Poland. -
Beirut Bombings
In Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War a marines barrack was bombed in an act of terrorism. -
Geraldine Ferraro
First woman to run for vice president. Ran on Walter Mondale's ballot. -
SDI
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a proposed missile defense system meant to defend the US from nuclear weapons. -
Walter Mondale
Ran for president against Reagan after being Carter's vice president; was the first candidate to run with a woman is his vice president. He lost by a landslide. -
Glasnost & Perestroika
Meaning restructuring and openness, these were reforms put into place in the USSR by Gorbachev that ultimately led to the Cold War's end. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Head of the Communist Party and President of the Soviet Union when the USSR ended. Very reform-oriented and helped to end the Cold War. -
Iran-Contra Affair
Irangate was a political scandal in which it was revealed that Reagan had sold weapons to Iran in exchange for hostages, and then gave that money to aid Contras in Nicaragua. -
Immigration Act of 1986
This immigration act was meant to penalize/prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants due to concerns that they were stealing jobs, and criminalized the act of knowingly hiring an illegal immigrant. -
William Rehnquist
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; made the court much more conservative and scaled back the extent of Roe v. Wade -
PLO
The Palestine Liberation Organization fighting for the liberation of Palestine and against Israel. Under Reagan it was designated a terrorist organization by the US. -
INF Agreement
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was between the US and USSR and made them agree to rid of their nuclear weapons. -
Yasser Arafat
Leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization -
"Tear Down This Wall"
Reagan's speech in West Berlin in which he demanded for Gorbachev to tear down the wall separating the city. -
George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush was the 43rd president of the US. He was a republican and in office at the Cold War's end. -
"Read my lips, no new taxes"
"Read my lips, no new taxes" was a campaign promise made by George H.W. Bush during his reelection campaign that further boosted his popularity among conservatives. -
Panama Invasion
The US invaded Panama to overthrow dictator Manuel Noriega. -
Tiananmen Square
Protests took place in Tianamen Square, China as part of a student-led democracy movement. It ended in massacre but led to eventual political reforms as many came to question the communist party. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War wound down, East Berlin's Communist Party announced that people were free to cross the city's borders. The wall was demolished shortly thereafter. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
A civil rights act prohibiting discrimination against mentally/physically disabled people in employment, transportation, building accessibility, transportation, etc. -
Persian Gulf War
Saddam Hussein led an invasion of Kuwait, resulting in a war between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations in which the US was involved. -
Ethnic Cleansing
A systematic forced removal of a specific ethnic group. Involves genocide, forced migration, intimidation, etc; prominent in the Yugoslav Wars. -
Breakup of the Soviet Union
The USSR dissolved into multiple self-governing states due to domestic issues and outside pressure. -
Internet
The creation of the World Wide Web was crucial to the information revolution, connection businesses, individuals, and governments from across the world and making wealth of information available to most everyone. -
Bosnia and Kosovo
Ethnic conflicts/independence/insurgence movements in Yugoslavia; both countries had wars. -
Start I and II
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was a treaty between America and the then-USSR to limit nuclear weapons and ICBMs. It expired in 2009 and the second version was signed in 2010. -
Boris Yeltsin
A political opponent of Gorbachev's during the time of the USSR, Yeltsin became the first president of the Russian Federation. -
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by George H.W. Bush. He was the second African American judge on the supreme court and his nomination was controversial due to his conservative views and an accusation of sexual assault. -
Ross Perot
The candidate of the Reform Party in the 1992 election and 1996; lost to Clinton both times but pulled out a surprising amount of votes for a third party candidate. -
Deficit Reduction Budget
Clinton aimed to erase the federal deficit by balancing the budget. He succeeded in creating a budget surplus. -
NRA
The National Rifle Association is a guns right activist/lobbying political group. In response to the Brady Bill, they spend millions lobbying against it and funded numerous lawsuits against it. -
EU
The European Union is a political and economic union of 28 European states with a single internal market and shared currency and policies. -
Brady Bill
A handgun violence prevention act; made a five-day waiting period and background checks necessary. -
West Bank and Gaza Strip
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are Palestinian territories which are under the control of Israel, resulting in conflict between the two states and concessions of shared authority. -
Bill Clinton
The 42nd US president and a democrat who was in office for two terms. He was impeached by Congress. -
"Don't ask, don't tell"
This was the US policy on gay people serving in the military enacted under Clinton. Basically, those closeted could not be discriminated against, but openly gay people couldn't serve. -
Failure of Health Reform
Proposed by Clinton, the Clinton health care plan was a healthcare reform to enforce that all employers must provide health insurance to employees. Opposed by the health industry, republicans, and libertarians, it eventually failed. -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement is a trade agreement for free trade between Canada, the US, and Mexico -
Contract with America
A document released by the Republican party making promises to the American public if they were the majority party in Congress; it was considered a victory as they won many seats in said election. -
WTO
The World Trade Organization - an organization regulating international trade. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
A truck bomb domestic terrorism attack that killed many and injured more; prompted counter-terrorism government action. -
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich was the speaker of the House of Representatives; a Republican and promoter of the contract with America. -
Nuclear Proliferation
The treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is an international treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Nuclear Proliferation is the spread of weapons to states not recognized as Nuclear Weapon States by the treaty. -
Welfare Reform
Restricted welfare benefits and grants greatly and required able bodied recipients to search for employment. -
Bob Dole
The 1996 Republican Party candidate who lost to Democrat Clinton in his re-election. -
G-8
G8 was an international governmental political forum consisting of 8 nations. -
Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State under Clinton and the first woman to hold said position. -
Clinton Impeachment
Clinton was impeached due to trying to cover up an affair, leading to charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. He was not removed from office and later acquitted of the charges. -
Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore was a supreme court decision regarding the recount dispute over Florida. The court declared their recount mandate was unconstitutional and forced it to stop, guaranteeing Bush's victory. -
Enron
Enron Corp. was involved in a financial scandal, as they had been hiding debt and involved in fraud. When this was exposed and a government investigation opened, the company filed for bankruptcy. -
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was the 43rd US president, a republican, and the son of former president George H.W. Bush. -
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a militant Sunni Islam multi-national terrorist organization founded by Osama Bin Laden (among others) that mounted numerous attacks, including the 9/11 attacks on the US. -
Osama Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden was the leader and founder of Al-Qaeda and planned the 9/11 attacks and other terrorist attacks. He was later killed under a mission by the US government. -
Bush Tax Cuts
Bush passed changes to the US tax code - the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA), which cut taxes significantly for families, but also decreased federal revenue as a result. -
9/11
The 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon were terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda on the US and resulted in greater security and counter-terrorism efforts in the US. -
Al Gore
Al Gore was Bill Clinton's vice president for both terms, as well as the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2001 election. He lost to George W. Bush. -
Taliban
The Taliban is a fundamentalist Sunni Islam political movement within Afghanistan. After their fall from government they are fighting against the Afghan government for control. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind was signed into law by Bush with standards-based reforms that schools had to follow in order to receive federal funding. -
"Axis of Evil"
A phrase used by president George W. Bush to describe countries accused of sponsoring/promoting terrorism. -
Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security was founded under president Bush to be responsible for public/domestic security, including anti-terrorism, immigration, border security, cyber security, disaster prevention/management, and etc. -
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom was an armed conflict involving a US-led invasion to overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. -
Abu Ghraib Prison
This was a prison complex in Iraq taken over by the US military to hold those suspected of terrorism, and it was later exposed that tortures and other abuses took place there by the US military. -
John Kerry
A democrat, John Kerry was the 2004 party nominee, and lost to Bush's reelection. He later went on to become the secretary of state under president Obama. -
WMD's
Weapons of Mass Destruction is a label used by the US military to describe large-scale technologies such as those chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear that can cause, well, mass destruction. -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was an incredibly descrutive Category 5 hurricane that swept across the American coast of the Gulf of Mexico that killed many and left behind extreme costs in damage. -
Kyoto Accord
The Kyoto Accord extended the UNFCCC committing nations to work to reduce the effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. -
Housing Bubble
Due to demand, speculation, and exuberance, housing prices were run up throughout the 2000s, with prices peaking in 2006 - when demand began to slow and supply increased, the bubble popped in 2007. -
Great Recession
The great recession was an economic recession that took place due to the 'burst' of the housing bubble. -
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton ran against Barack Obama for the Democratic Party nomination for the 2008 election, but lost. She eventually became secretary of state and ran again in the 2016 election, this time as the party nominee. -
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin was John McCain's running mate/the Republican Party vice president nominee in the 2008 election. -
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
AKA the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, these government-sponsored enterprises both fell into great debt during the 2008 financial crisis and were placed under direct government control. -
John McCain
John McCain was the 2008 Republican Party candidate who lost to Barack Obama. -
D.C. v. Heller
This ruling found DC's handgun ban unconstitutional by violating the second amendment. -
Tea Party
The Tea Party movement was a conservative movement within the republican party, specifically calling for a reduction of the national debt, lower taxes, and opposed universal healthcare. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the 44th US president and a democrat. He was president for two terms and also the first African American president. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor is an associate justice of the US Supreme Court and the first of Hispanic descent to be appointed. -
Affordable Care Act
AKA Obamacare, this act expanded US healthcare coverage and was a regulatory overhaul. -
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring was a movement including both violent and nonviolent protests taking place in the middle east and north Africa for more democratic governments. -
Citizens United
This US Supreme Court ruling that the free speech clause of the first amendment did indeed apply to corporations/unions/associations and prohibits government restriction of independent expenditures. -
Dodd-Frank Act
The Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law by president Obama that placed major regulations on the financial industry (particularly Wall Street) for consumer protection. -
Syrian Civil War
This is an armed conflict between the Syrian government and several insurgent factions initiated by uprisings part of the larger Arab Spring movement. -
Debt Ceiling
The US debt ceiling is a limit placed on the amount of national debt issued by the treasury the country can have, thus limiting their ability to borrow money. -
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney was the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 who lost to Obama. -
Shelby County v. Holder
This supreme court decision struck down a coverage formula which required certain jurisdictions to get preclearance for changing voting laws/practices, as said coverage formula was based on old data. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
Two men detonated homemade bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing/injuring runners and onlookers. The men later claimed to have been motivated by extremist Islamic beliefs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. -
Same-Sex Marriage
The US Supreme Court established same-sex marriage across the country by striking down all state bans on same-sex marriage.
