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Clinton Becomes President
Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd President of the United States following George H. W. Bush. This was a big win for the Democratic party since Bush and previous President Ronald Reagan had both been Republicans. Americans at this point expected his administration to focus primarily on economic reform which was important to Americans because it offered faster and stronger economic growth. This was very appealing to Americans since it offered higher living standards. ( Kruse and Zelizer, 204.) -
President Clinton Signs “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
This was a law that was placed to prohibit gay and bisexual people from serving in the Military openly. This meant that people who were gay weren’t allowed to serve in the military, the only way they could was if no one knew about it. This meant that military officials wouldn’t investigate the sexual lives of both servicemen and women, meaning they would never be exposed. It was important that this law was signed because it meant people could still serve their country. (Kruse and Zelizer, 206) -
The signing of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)
The signing of this Act threatened the idea of same-sex marriage. It was considered one of the most significant changes of the decade since it contested the issue of same-sex marriage which resulted in social conservatives making a landmark piece of legislation. This led to people becoming extremely upset since they felt this was an unconstitutional law. This law being passed was extremely significant since it was considered unconstitutional and led to many protests. (Kruse and Zelizer, 218) -
Columbine Shooting
This shooting was considered one of the worst at the time in schools. It took place when two teens first attempted to bomb the school, which failed but resulted in 13 people being killed, and 20 others being hurt, the two ended up killing themselves. This was an important event since it sparked an international debate on gun control. This then led to the NRA having to start and make decisions as to what they were going to do to prevent another tragedy like this from happening again. (Mak, 1-4) -
The Attack on 9/11
The US was attacked by members of the terrorist group Al Qaeda. The attack consisted of 4 planes being hijacked by the members with the intent of flying them into government buildings, and 3 out of 4 succeeded. This was major for Americans since it was an extremely deadly attack on American soil. It reshaped our views on terrorism and the security and safety of our country. Not only that, but it led to people becoming discriminate to certain races such as Muslims. (Kruse and Zelizer, 249) -
Signing of Homeland Security Act
Signed by President George W. Bush, which created the Department of Homeland Security in the executive branch. This Act was put into place due to the results of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The department's job was to oversee the operations when it came to the war on terror. It was also created to help civilians understand what readiness meant when it came to terrorism. This was an important Act since it was an Act created in hopes to improve Americans' safety. (Kruse and Zelizer, 264) -
Creation of Facebook
Facebook was created by 4 Harvard Students. It was created for people to socialize, and share pictures with one another, especially college students. Some people felt that it was created as a way for the government to track people. It was an important creation since it was a new way to connect online with others. But it did and has raised concerns that it is used as a disguise for the government to track, which is why people feel there should start to be restrictions. (Jackson, 1-3) -
Hurricane Katrina
The hurricane formed on the 23rd of August and hit the ground in the US a few days later. It was a category-5 storm and was one of the deadliest, most expensive natural disasters to take place in US history. There was an estimated $108 billion worth of damages and close to 2,000 deaths. Since this storm was so horrific it led to the US changing its ways and learning better ways to handle the aftermath of these types of disasters. (Kruse and Zelizer, 280) -
Barack Obama Becomes President
President Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States, serving for two terms. Obama becoming President was huge for the United States since he was the first African American to ever be President, and he held office for two full terms. Overall this was a very significant time since he went through his ups and downs, but ended up receiving the Noble Peace Prize which was very significant since he was only the fourth-ever President to receive one. (Obama, 1-2) -
The Affordable Care Act and Patient Protection
The Affordable Care Act and Patient Protection was signed by President Obama, it is also known as "Obamacare". The law had three main goals which were to make affordable health insurance possible for more people, expand the Medicaid program, and lastly, it would support innovative medical care delivery methods. This was designed in hopes to lower the costs of health care in general. Overall ACA was an important law that was placed and help a great number of people. (ASPA, 1)