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Bush v Gore Source:http://goo.gl/lpbFdm
In the 2000 presidential election, Florida was a deciding state in the Electoral College. However, due to voting machine malfunctions in several counties, the results, with 327 votes between the 2 candidates couldn't be guaranteed accurate. A manual recount was ordered in the counties where issues were reported. The US Supreme Court, declared the recount unconstitutional because it was "arbitrary", and violated the 14th Amd Equal Protection Clause. Many voting machines were replaced as a result. -
September 11 Attacks Source:http://goo.gl/Ccsog
The September 11 attacks on Manhattan and Washington DC were some of the most tragic and influential events in contemporary history. That morning, a group of religious extremists, led by Osama Bin Laden, hijacked four airplanes, targeting US landmarks, such as the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. Almost 3,000 victims died in the attacks, and over 6,000 people were injured. The attacks were a catalyst for many major changes in U.S. culture and law, and drastic measures to improve security. -
War in Afghanistan Source:http://goo.gl/pRH0w0
Dubbed Operaration Enduring Freedom, the intent of this program was for the U.S. and U.K. to drive the Taliban out of power after they refused to extradite Osama bin Laden. They were later joined by their allies in the operation. In May of 2011, Osama bin Laden was captured and killed, and in May 2012, an exit strategy was decided. U.S. combat ended in 2014, with only residual forces staying behind until the end of 2016. -
Patriot Act Signed into Law
The Patriot Act, passed only six weeks after the September 11 attacks, is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation of the last 15 years. Critics point to it as an example of the danger of rushed policies. The law made significant changes to the US surveillance policy, including the ability to conduct searches through third parties, and to trace the location of electronic communications. Opposition of the law gained even more ammunition after the revelation of the NSA's PRISM program. -
Invasion of Iraq Source:http://goo.gl/0tkjem
The decision to take military action against Iraq was extremely controversial. About a month before entry, three million people protested against it in Rome. In the U.S 63% of Americans polled said they wanted the Bush administration to find a diplomatic solution. Despite this the invasion went on for 21 days, and the government of Saddam Hussein was overthrown. The U.S. stayed involved in the conflict until 2011. It is now believed that these events could be related to the rise of ISIS in Iraq. -
First Injury
When Noah was four years old, he fell down while trying to walk downstairs, because he was not being careful. He hurt his left arm, but it was not broken, thankfully. He did, however, have to wear a cast for a couple weeks. This experience taught Noah that his actions can have unfortunate consequences, which was something he didn't entirely understand at that age. -
Special Persons Day
When Noah was in Kindergarten, he was eager to participate in Special Persons Day. He was eager to have his grandmother go to class with him, as well as excited for all the activities, including a class play. He was so excited that morning that he sprinted to the car, and he tripped onto the driveway. His Mom gave him bandages, and made him feel better, but he had to go to school late because of this, and almost missed out on what he was so excited for. Noah learned self-control and paitence. -
First Camping Trip
Going to camp for a weekend was a new experience for Noah, and there were somethings he had to get adjust to. First, he had to deal with sleeping somewhere that was less than comfortable. He also had to sleep in complete darkness, while at home he is used to having lights from the hallway and street fill up his room. The lack of these luxuries as well as a few more made Noah much more grateful of what he had. -
First Tennis Lesson
When Noah was seven years old, his parents took him to try to play tennis for the first time. Noah was not very interested in sports before then. He tried baseball and soccer before, but he did not like either of them. Tennis, however, was interesting for him, and ended up becoming one of his favorite hobbies, and something that he continues to enjoy participating today. -
Getting in Trouble
When Noah was 8, he liked to play outside with his neighbors. They liked to play tag and run around together. One day while they were playing, one of the kids snuck into the backyard of an older couple in the neighborhood. They used to have young kids, and still had playground equipment in the yard. Noah was hesitant, but went since everyone else was going. Soon, the couple noticed, and told their parents. This experience taught Noah to trust his judgement, and not blindly follow others. -
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 Source:http://goo.gl/fSttj3
Durng the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. government took steps to stablize the economy, with perhaps the most heavily debated one being the bailout of several financial institutions. With this law, the Secretary of the Treasury was allowed to spend as much $700 billion to by assests, and to directly supply cash to banks. Some claim that they should not have protected the banks, because they were the ones who caused the crisis by offering too many high-interest loans to people unable to pay them -
Election of Barack Obama Source:http://goo.gl/HgnLzU
Barack Obama's election was a significant milestone, because it was only the first time an African American had so much as earned a major party nomination, but also the first time a non-Caucasian person had won a presidential election in the entire country's history. The fact that he was able to earn the highest office in the nation was inspirational, because it affirmed the belief that the United States is a place where equality prospers. He was reelected in 2012, and his term ends January 2017 -
First Day of Junior High
When Noah first went to the Junior High School, he did not know what to think. He was excited to finally get out of elementary school, and have a little more freedom about what classes he takes, and what he is doing after school. What he found was that to enjoy that, he would have to study, and pay closer attention in class. This was new to Noah, because he barely ever had to study when he was elementary school. He overcame it, however, and is now able to transition to high school more easily. -
First Time Wearing Glasses
When Noah was in seventh grade, he had his eyes checked in school. The nurse told him that he had trouble reading from a distance, and that he needed glasses. Noah did not take this seriously, and didn't tell anyone, until a couple months later, when his parents found the results. They took him to an eye doctor, and had him try on a pair of glasses. He was amazed by how much clearer everything looked. This experience taught Noah not to keep secrets just because he thinks nothing is wrong. -
Tennis Team
This was the first time Noah had played on his schools tennis team. Joining the team was a significant experience for Noah, because most of the players that he was on the team with were better tennis players than him. Being surrounded by players like that forced Noah to become more focused and disciplined, as well as learning how to deal with occasional embarrasment. This experience, though challenging, was important for Noah as a character building experience. -
Service Project
For Noah's Eagle Scout service project, he ran a community food drive. Noah had to operate and manage the entire project, which included asking businesses for donations, delegating and explaining assignments, and designing and producing flyers. These responsibilities all improved Noah's skills in organization, communication, and time management. The project was a huge success, with over 1,000 cans collected for the local food pantry, who was very gratef for the contributions. -
Obergefell V. Hodges Source:http://goo.gl/BGkKmR
In this landmark Supreme Court ruling, it was decided that any state law or amendment that infringes a same sex couple right to marry is unconstitutional because of the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling was a milestone for supporters of marriage equality, because it required that all states of the U.S. must recognize the validity of same sex marriages. This came after many years of progress on getting individual states to recognize these marriages.
