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G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill was a Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 for veterans during World War ll. The G.I. Bill offered World War ll vets low interest rates on houses if they were going to buy one, it offered a paid college tuition, gave business loans, and unemployment insurance.This bill is known to be around today still. The purpose of the bill was meant to cover the costs associated with these veterans getting a education or training. -
Atomic Weapons
In the Second World War, Japan was conquering and committing foul acts such as the Rape of Nanjing until American Soldiers pushed them back. In the worst and final attempt to stop the Japanese, the United States dropped their newly created Atomic Bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many innocent Japanese civilians were killed but it wasn't until the second day, with the second bomb, did the Japanese finally surrender, thus concluding World War Two. -
Period: to
The 1950s
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Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain is not physical, but is an ideological and militarial border created by the Soviet Union after the end of world war 2. The goal was to seal off their eastern European allies with the less communistic western Europe and other capitalistic countries. The term had only been metaphorical until a speech was given by former British prime minister Winston Churchill where he resented the soviet unions actions and said, "...an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” -
2nd Red Scare
Joseph McCarthy attacked certain groups, intimidated witnesses, ignored facts, and made up charges that eventually goes too far. This was known as McCarhyism.
House-Select Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was formed to catch Nazi spies. Their targets were communists and former communists. Alger Hiss was an example of this implication.
Alger & Ethel Rosenberg were the ones known to release atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets, therefore they were tried and electrocuted. -
Period: to
The Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was created to establish the cease of the spread of communism in foreign countries, aid the military and economy by helping countries fight against communism.It provided political assistance to democratic nations under a threat from the enemies. The war-torn Europe was the most vulnerable during this time. -
Rock & Roll
Elvis Presley made Rock & Roll phenomenal during this time. He was born poor, and adopts rhythm & blues. He created a sexual dance style called, Elvis the Pelvis. He appeared on shows like Ed Sullivan, eventually he offends millions of older Americans.
Bill Haley and the Comets made Rock & Roll popular.
Ike Turner was the first person the make a Rock & Roll song called "Rocket 88"
Little Richard created the song called, TuttiFruitti that was being ripped off by white artists. -
TV/ Television
The television was seen as new entertainment showing shows and news, most of them were 75% in black and white color. TV Shows like "I Love Lucy" and "Father Knows Best" were shows to show ideal families, convey obedience and hard work to the audience watching.
The News was useful to politicians, they used the television to show the audience who is right, and inform them on what is actually happening in the world. Politics like Nixon, and Kennedy used the television for support for their side. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was named after the Secretary of State, George Marshall. The plan stated that loans were given to rebuild Western Europe, and meant to restore faith in capitalism. American labor like farming and manufacturing took practice in Europe during this time period. The overall purpose of the Marshall Plan was that the U.S. provided economic assistance to help restore the economy of postwar Europe. -
Berlin Airlift
During this time Stalin was upset because he didn't like the capitalism in Germany so he sealed off borders, wanting the West to quit Berlin. Afterwards Berlin was divided into 4 military zones, and the U.S. plus British planes supplied the West of Berlin with tons of supplies everyday by air shipments. The airlift lasts almost a year, eventually Stalin gives up and reopens the border. The Berlin Airlift ended on the 12th of May of 1949. -
A Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was created by President Truman at this time. The Fair Deal meant that there would be health care, public housing, education and public works. The deal also gave minimum wage, electricity and telephones during this time. The Fair Deal does scale back due to Korea. Truman creates a anti-communist agenda, gets support from bi-partisans, and Truman fights for keeping the New Deal around. -
1950s TV
In the 1950s, TV began taking off with sitcoms and game shows ruling over the rest. For three years the classing "I Love Lucy" staid at the top of the ratings. "The Price is Right" also began and took off at this time. However in the late fifty's western shows became the mainstream 8 out of 10. Television started to replace the radio in giving important messages and sports games. The most popular shows in the fifty's were I Love Lucy, Gun smoke, The $64,000 Question, and Texaco Star Theater -
Korean War
The Korean War is also known as 'the Forgotten War' due to its timing being foreshadowed by the larger, more published World War 2 and the Vietnam War, as well as information about the war being censored. The War was over Communism and Capitalism ruling over the whole Korea. Northern Korea believed in communism while the South capitalism, adding to the Soviet-American rivalry. Each regime rejected the legitimacy of the other, creating a divide that lasts today. 3 to 4 million died in the war. -
Beat Generation
A social and literary movement that started in the 1950s and centered in the bohemian artist communities in the west. University students were beginning to question the rampant materialism of their society. They were apolitical and indifferent to social problems, they advocated personal release, purification, and illumination through heightened sensory awareness from drugs, jazz, sex, or the disciplines of Zen Buddhism. They were not a large movement in terms of numbers, but had great influence. -
Little Richard
Little Richard began his singing career in the early 1930s, but it wasn't until the 1950s that his music became defining moments in the development of the new american favorite, Rock 'n' Roll. He was known for his very flamboyant sound. He even influenced the well known "Beetles". In 1955 Richard signed up with Specialty Record and produced "Tutti-Frutti" which became an instant Billboard hit, reaching number 17. He also produced rock hits "Long Tall Sally", and "Good Golly Miss Molly" -
Bill Harley and His Comets
in the late 1940s, the very beginnings of Rock and Roll music were beginning to take place. There were many bands and artists that used partial rock and roll in their music and produced some of its earliest hits. One of these artists is Bill Haley and his Comets. Their music was a fusion of country music, Western Swing, and black R&B. His first Rock and Roll record to make the pop charts was his "Crazy, Man Crazy" in 1953. -
Polio Vaccine
an epidemic of polio left Americans terrified for the well-being of their children. 58,000 new cases of polio were reported with over 3,000 of them dying from the disease. Polio became known as "infant paralysis" due to it mostly affecting children. Doctor Jonas Salk announced on March 26, 1953 on a national radio that he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, thus preventing the disease. -
Elvis Presley The King of Rock n' Roll
In the early 1950s Rock 'n' Roll took off in America with Elvis Aaron Presley being regarded to as the "King of Rock and Roll". At the very peak of Rock and Roll Elvis' music career began wit his first recording at Sun Records. His first single, "Heartbreak Hotel", became a number one hit. Presley became one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th Century for more than just Rock and Roll. -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
Earl Warren was a leader in politics. He was elected governor in 1942 where he secured major reform legislation during his three terms in office. He over saw Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 in which segregation of schools was unanimously voted unconstitutional. Warrens persuasion is what concluded the very divided case in a unanimous decision. The Warren Court fought for civil rights in elections, criminal justice, and defending all human rights. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
The violent murder of 14 year old African American boy Emmett Till started a spur of outrage in the black community and shinned a light on the brutality of Jim Crow segregation in the South. The boy was allegedly flirting with a white woman, and the woman's husband brutally murdered humiliated him and tortured him before tying him to a cotton gin and drowning his body into the river. The outrage this incident caused goes down as an early impetus of the African-American civil rights movement. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam war is similar to the Korean war as in the North wanted a communist government while the South, ally of the United States, wanted a capitalistic country. This war was intensified due to the ongoing Cold War between the US and the Soviets. There were 3 million casualties in total, with over 50% of the dead were Vietnamese civilians. Communist forces seized South Vietnam, thus ending the war in 1975. The country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976. -
Polio Vaccine
Polio was a disease that made individuals that gained this disease feel weak, this disease affected thousands of children per year. A significant person that was affected by polio would be FDR, and after the disease would passes through it left people paralyzed. Dr. Jonas Salk was the developer of the vaccine for Polio. The vaccine deactivated the virus, eventually in 1961 a oral vaccine was available for children that had been affected for them to take. Polio was eradicated globally by 1994. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
1955, Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was arrested for refusing to give her seat up for a white man. This started a boycott by the African American Montgomery, Alabama community to not ride their buses in protest of segregated seating. The boycott lasted for a littler over a year, ending with the United States Supreme Court ordering Montgomery to integrate its bus system. This was also one of Martin Luther King Jr's first major leadership positions for civil rights. -
Space Race
Nikita Khrushchev was known as a new Soviet premier in 1953, meant to overture peace and prosperity but was a lie. He secretly built military and space technology that surpasses Americans.
Sputnik was known to be the first orbiting satellite in 1957 of the fall. Sputnik was the size of a basketball, it was known as a beeping radio signal. Americans were fearful of falling technologically behind.
NASA is known to quickly develop satellite technology. The space race was between U.S. & USSR. -
Little Rock 9
After supreme court ruled segregation of public schools unconstitutional in the court case Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka, nine African American students became the first to enter a white-only school. These nine children became known as the little rock nine. The first school to be integrated was Little Rock Central High School. The kids arrived for their first day of school on September 4th, but due to aggressive protests weren't able to have a full day of school until September 25th. -
Acid or LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, synthesized in 1938, in Basel, Switzerland, by Albert Hoffmann, but wasn't made popular until it was abused in the 1960s. Psychologist Timothy Leary encouraged doping out and abusing drugs. This started a counterculture of drug abuse that spread from America to the UK, where LSD remains abused more than any where else in the world. LSD was created while Hofmann was developing a new blood stimulant but was later discovered to have high hallucinogenic effects. -
Anti-War Movement
When the Vietnam War first started, most Americans believed that defending South Vietnam from communism was in the national interest. However, as the war kept going, American views started shifting. Many believed that the growing numbers of casualty and cost was no longer worth it. The once small anti-war movement grew into a large, strong majority. Reasons for opposing the war were on morals, environmental protection, and economic grounds. Many college students also criticized the draft. -
Hippie Movement
The Hippie movement that started in San Francisco Valley in the 1960s brought a counterculture focusing on peace, drugs, and love across the US. Those who went against repressive puritanical sexual norms became known as Hippies. The movement began with those who protested the US' involvement in the Vietnam war and the highly-debated civil rights movement. They typically wear lots of floral clothing, men grow long. untamed beards, and also influenced their own film and literature. -
New Frontier
During John F. Kennedy's presidential acceptance speech in 1960, he used the tern "New Frontier" when describing his administrations domestic and foreign programs. He came into office wanting to eradicate poverty and improve the national space program. "We stand today on the edge of a New Frontier - the frontier of the 1960s... Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space. unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice..." - John F. Kennedy -
Second Wave Feminism
1960s were years of great accomplishment for the feminism movement. Betty Friedan's, "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963 is regarded as the start of the second wave of feminism, as it got a lot more people to pay attention. The rising of CR groups in the 1960s became the backbone of the movement. Their goals were to encourage personal storytelling to spotlight sexism. Many significant protests also happened in the 60s through 70s. Contraceptives, specifically birth control, became legal -
Period: to
The 1960s
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Peace Corps
President Kennedy spoke to students at the University of Michigan during a campaign speech inspired the students to dedicate themselves to the cause of peace and development- which inspired the beginning of the Peace Corps. In his second speech just two weeks later, he inspired over 25,000 more, and so Kennedy took immediate action as president to make the campaign promise a reality. The program was an outgrowth of the Cold War. -
George Wallace
George Wallace was voted in under a segregationist platform in 1963, however was forced by the federal government to end segregation of the University of Alabama. He became a national spokesman for resistance to racial change and was defeated in his race for presidency. In the 1980s, his views dramatically shifted and he apologized to civil rights leaders he had so forcibly opposed in the past. In time he made more African American political appointments than any other figure in Alabama history. -
Ciban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, US and Soviet Union leaders faced 13 days of political and military standoff over the installation of nuclear armed Soviet missiles on Cuba which was just ninety miles away from US soil. Many feared that the world was on brink of nuclear war after president John Kennedy spoke to his citizens about his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba as well as securing everyone that the US was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize Soviet threat. -
Birmingham March
Activists from Birmingham, Alabama launched the Birmingham Campaign which was a collection of sit-ins, marches on City Hall, and boycotts on downtown merchants to protest segregation laws in the city. The peaceful protesters were met with many violent attacks from the police which produced iconic photos that changed many views and became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. Local officials agreed to allow slow desegregation on May of 1963, however violent outbreaks still occurred. -
March on Washington
On August 28, 1963 A. Philip Randolph and Martin Luther Kind Jr led the massive protest "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom". The Protest occurred in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.. and aimed to draw attention to African Americans facing inequalities a whole century after emancipation. Martin Luther King Jr gave his iconic "I have a dream" speech - in which would become one of the most famous orations of the civil rights movement- and of human history. -
Warren Commision
The Warren Commission, deriving from the chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren, was put in place to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 29, 1963; just seven days after the death of the 36th president. The Warren Commission is officially known as The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. It was put in place by President Lyndon B. Johnson who had taken the presidents position after his death. -
Ascendancy of Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson ran against John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign and was elected Vice President. After the assassination of JFK on November 22nd 1963, Johnson swore in as the president of the United States. He swore to build "A Great Society" for America and their allies. The first thing Johnson did as the 36th president was a new civil rights bill and a tax cut that Kennedy had been pushing before his death. He had the widest popular margin in the election of 1964 -
Birmingham Bombing
Activists from Birmingham, Alabama launched the Birmingham Campaign which was a collection of sit-ins, marches on City Hall, and boycotts on downtown merchants to protest segregation laws in the city. The peaceful protesters were met with many violent attacks from the police which produced iconic photos that changed many views and became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. Local officials agreed to allow slow desegregation on May of 1963, however violent outbreaks still occurred. -
Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy
President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. In a parade, JFK and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy rode in a Lincoln convertible when Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots from the sixth floor hitting the president and Governor Conally. Kennedy died at Dallas' Parkland Hospital 30 minutes later at age 46. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took over as US President and declared Nov. 25th a national mourning day for the assassinated president. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally ended segregation in the work environment. At the time this was manly to integrate African Americans, and so it is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. President John F. Kennedy created the Act despite strong southern opposition, but it wasn't enacted until Johnson's Presidency. Since then the Act has been added to as well as started the creation of more acts such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -
Selma March
In Selma, Alabama, in 1965, a civil-rights protest march occurred. In an effort to register black voters in a highly racist Alabama, protesters planned a 54-mile march from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery. However they were met with deadly violence from local policemen and white vigilante groups as the world watched. Under the protection of the National Guard troops, the protesters finally arrived in Montgomery after three days, raising awareness over the difficulties black voters face -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
After the assassination of JFK, and president Johnson took over in office, he was bewildered by the shocking violent acts towards black protesters at the Selma to Montgomery March and decided to meet with congress to outline ways to prevent denial of African American citizens from voting. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965, with Martin Luther King Jr., well-known civil rights activist and leader of the Selma march, present at the ceremony. -
Nixon Presidency
Richard Nixon became the 37th US President after winning the 1968 election. He is best known for being the only president to resign from office. He would rather resign than face impeachment from the Watergate scandal. The Watergate scandal was Nixon's and his administrations cover up of the burglary at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.. The scandal tarnished his legacy and deepened American mistrust of the government. -
Stagflation in the 1970s
The United States skyrocketed after World War 2 in manufacturing and economic power, but in the seventies the US started to hit a peak and could no longer rise any longer. The 70s had continuing inflation and stagnant business activity.People began to expect continued increases in the price of goods, so they bought more. This increased demand pushed up prices, leading to demands for higher wages, which pushed prices higher still in a continuing upward spiral. -
The New Right
As a consequence of the dramatic shift in family life from liberal law changes such as Roe vs. Wade as well as the rising vocal gay rights movement, the New Right began. The New Right was a fervent pro-life movement. The movement was made up of a combination of Christian religious leaders, conservative business bigwigs, and fringe political groups. They believed homosexuality was a crime against God, and that a woman's place was in the home in support of her family. -
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1970s
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Watergate
During Nixon's Presidency, he hired 5 "plumbers" which were actually agents to infiltrate the Watergate Hotel which houses the democratic headquarters to bug high members' phones to try and get information about the democratic party. When tapes came out that proved Nixon's scheme, he pledged executive order, after being found out Americans started to not trust the government. He resigned to avoid being impeached in his second term. Nixon is the only president to resign from his position. -
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
The OPEC, dominated by Arabs, put a full embargo on the United States over time until Israel evacuated the territories occupied in the Arab-Israeli war. They saw the opportunity to use oil as a military weapon and were to reduce their exports by 5% every month. the OPEC gained more clout in the early 1970s due to an increase in demand of oil and a decline of US oil production. After the United States agreed militarily, the embargo was lifted however oil prices remained dramatically higher. -
Heritage oundation
The Heritage Foundation is one of the most influential conservative research organizations in the United States of America. The foundation was founded in nineteen-seventy-three and took a leading rile during Ronald Reagan's presidency. The Heritage foundation was created by those who were discontent with Richard Nixon's embrace of liberal consensus. -
Roe V Wade
Texas resident Roe wanted to terminate an unwanted pregnancy by abortion however Texas laws at the time prohibited abortions unless the mothers life was at stake. The question taken to court was if the constitution embrace a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion. The court concluded with the woman having total autonomy over the pregnancy during the first trimester. The laws of 46 states where affected by the Court's ruling. -
Gerald Fords Presidency
Gerald Ford became the 38th president of the United States on August 9, 1974 after President Richard Nixon resigned office because of the Watergate scandal. He became the first unelected president. Ford helped restore the damaged view and confidence in government from the American people. Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as president which generated a swarm of controversy as millions wanted to see the disgraced former president brought to justice. -
VHS
The Video Home System, or VHS, is a video recording on tape cassettes developed by Victor Company of Japan and was introduced to the United States in early 1977. VHS and Beta max received the most media exposure, but VHS eventually won, dominating 60 percent of the North American market by the 1980s. VHS's during this time cost an average of about 50 dollars per movie. -
Three-Mile Island
Three Mile Island is the site of a nuclear power plant in south central Pennsylvania. In March 1979, a series of mechanical and human errors at the plant caused the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, resulting in a partial meltdown that released dangerous radioactive gasses into the atmosphere. Three Mile Island stoked public fears about nuclear power—no new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States since the accident. -
Rise of the N.R.A. to national politics
The National Rifle Association, otherwise known as the NRA was founded by two Union Civil War veterans in 1871, but grew as a heavy influence in the late seventies in both political parties in the Unites States. Due to this, both democrats and republicans felt that if they were pro-gun, that they would gain the necessary votes needed in order to take a larger hold in government. By the 1970s the NRA came to view attempts to enact gun-control laws as threats to the Second Amendment. -
A.I.D.S Crisis
In the 1980's an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) quickly became an epidemic in the gay community. The disease affected majority homosexual males during this time. As a result, many care and education centers were created, but the government did little to help. Years later the government committed millions of dollars into public to help this epidemic. Fear of contracting the immune disease, mass discrimination against the gay community sky rocketed in the 1980s through the 1990s. -
Sam Walton's Just-in-Time Inventory
Samuel Walton is the founder of Wal-Mart. His business increased dramatically, finding ways to sell his products for the lowest price possible. He used the Just-in-Time Inventory management where inventory is received only when needed and not before. This system lowered inventory carrying costs, increased efficiency, and decreases waste. The system is very accurate in the predictions of demand for their products. -
Reganomics
During the campaign of 1980, Ronald Reagan announced a plan to fix the nation's economic mess. He claimed an undue tax burden, excessive government regulation, and massive social spending programs hampered growth. Reagan proposed a phase for 30% tax cut for the first three years of his Presidency. The bulk of the cut would be concentrated at the upper income levels. The economic theory behind the wisdom of such a plan was called trickle-down economics. -
Reagan Presidency
Ronald Reagan won the election of 1980 as a strong Republican. He was known for being intolerable, intolerant, racist, due to act that negatively impacted people of color role in the view of citizens. However he played a major role in ending the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He had an assassination attempt made on him in 1981. His foreign policies included pressuring the Soviet Union, providing aid to anti-communist movements in Eastern and Latin countries. -
Election of 1980
In the United States presidential election, Ronald Reagan won in a landslide against Jimmy Carter. The main reason for this overwhelming win is because of the Iranian hostage crisis and Americas stagflation. He adopted the stance that big government is bad and that many facilities to improve minority lives were unnecessary and unfair. President Reagan ran on a campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. Reagan got Iran to release its hostages on his Inauguration day in 1980. -
Period: to
1980s
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Sandra Day O'Connor
In 1981 during Ronald Reagan's presidency, he nominated Sandra Day O'Connor to the United States Supreme Court. She was known as the first woman justice to serve on the nation's highest court. She was the piece to swing votes in many cases. She served for 24 years before retiring in 2006 due to her husbands declining health. She tended to vote in line with Republican platform and focus on laws that she believed best fit the intentions of the United States Constitution. -
Space Shuttle Program
The Space Shuttle Program was meant to construct the International Space Station and inspire generations on. In April 1981, NASA launched its first space shuttle fleet, Columbia shuttle. Afterwards the Challenger, launched on April 1983, successfully completed nine milestone missions but ended in tragedy when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on its 10th launch. 7 crew members died that day, and the incident changed the space program from that moment on. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) also known as Star Wars, was President Ronald Reagan's space defense program proposed to protect the United States from nuclear threats from the Soviet Union. However due to overwhelming cost at the time, the proposal was postponed for another time. The plan was established due to the massive tension between the two super powers which became known as the Cold War. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra Affair was a secret U.S. arms deal that traded missiles and other arms to free some Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon, but also used funds from the arms deal to support armed conflict in Nicaragua. The controversial deal making threatened to bring down the presidency of Ronald Reagan.Reagan himself was never charged, and, in 1992, George W. Bush, Reagan’s vice president who was elected president in 1988, preemptively pardoned Weinberger. -
Oprah Winfrey
A billionaire businesswoman, is one of the most affluent and powerful people in America. She was the first black woman to host a nationally syndicated weekday talk show. Winfrey became the third woman to own her own studio, when she started Harpo Studios in 1988. Her company, Harpo, Inc., has grown to include divisions for production, film, radio, print, online, and philanthropy. By 1991, Winfrey was earning a whopping $80 million. -
Technology
Internet went commercial during the 1990's in the United States. People would be able to get on a computer and check stocks, emails, online gaming, and digital files. Technology is considered the second most revolutionary part of American history, second would have to be the invention of language. Affordable cell phones became available as well during this time, along with texting that became a new common form of communication. -
Period: to
1990s
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Persian Gulf War
The 1991 Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations mandated by the United Nations and led by the United States.This led up to the war with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 that was met with immediate economic sanctions by the United Nations against Iraq. Hostilities commenced in January 1991, resulting in a decisive victory for the coalition forces, which drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait with minimal coalition deaths. -
Rodney King Incident
Rodney King was brutally beaten by four white LA police officers while he was unarmed in 1991. King was kicked and hit with clubs violently without being able to defend himself. A bystander happened to catch the incident on a camcorder. Despite the evidence, a jury found all four men not guilty for their violent action done upon King. The outcome of the trial started the worst rioting against police brutality in the U.S. The Rodney King Case changed perceptions of police brutality. -
Election of 1992
The election of 1992 contained Democrat, Bill Clinton, defeating Republican President George Bush. Independent candidate, Ross Perot, gained nearly 19 percent of the vote which is the highest percentage of any third-party candidate in a U.S. presidential election in 80 years. Since Clinton was suffering from personal scandals and facing a tough primary race, Bush was weakened by a faltering economy, the conditions were perfect for a third-party bid to come into at the time. -
World Trade Center Bombing
Terrorists drove a rental van with a homemade bomb inside the trade center and lit the fuse under the twin towers. The explosion resulted in 6 deaths including a pregnant woman and over 1,000 injuries to citizens. The bomb left a large crater several stories deep in its detonation zone. During this time period, it was one of the worst terrorist attacks ever in the U.S. Over ten years after the towers completion the government examined possible terrorist threats. -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The North American Free Trade Agreement( NAFTA) is an agreement created by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in order to benefit all three in trade by eliminating tariffs between them. NAFTA developed in the 1980s, and its origin lie in the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement of 1988—creating the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act by mid-1990s. It had already eliminated most trade barriers between the United States and Canada. -
Don't ask, Don't Tell Policy
Referencing to Bill Clinton's presidency, it was prohibited for all LGBT to serve in the military. Clinton's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy allowed closeted members of the military to serve.His reasoning was because homosexuals being in the military would negatively impact good order, high moral standards, and discipline. He knew the policy would have controversy on either side but he still felt it was "a major step forward". -
Balkan's Crisis
In 1995, Bosnian Serbs began to man slaughter the largely Muslim population living in their own country. In July, 1995 the violence had reached a climax when they overran Srebrencia and eliminated over 8,000 defenseless men and boys. As a response, President Clinton initiated the Operation Deliberate Force, a ample NATO military response. March 24th, U.S. had led NATO forces launched cruise missiles and bombs at targets in Yugoslavia. -
Defense of Marriage Act
On Sept. 21, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act denying federal recognition of same-sex marriages. A day later after saying the law should not be used as an excuse for discrimination, violence or intimidation against gays and lesbian individuals. DOMA's passage did not prevent individual states from recognizing same-sex marriage, but DOMA imposed constraints on the benefits received by all legally married same-sex couples. -
Election of 2000
The presidential election was held on Nov. 7, 2000, in which Republican George W. Bush narrowly lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore but defeated Gore in the electoral college. early in the general election campaign it appeared that Bush might easily defeat Gore, who appeared wooden and dismissive of Bush in the campaign’s debates and who was criticized repeatedly by the Bush campaign as an exaggerator. However, in October the gap in the polls between Bush and Gore narrowed dramatically. -
Period: to
Contemporary
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Compassionate Conversationism
Former president George W. Bush defined, practiced compassionate conservative and how it effects the administration. It was intended to help education and fight poverty that is suffered at home and around the world. It rejects the old argument of a big government, and states that government should be focused, effective, and close to the citizens in the nation. Bush encouraged these citizens to go try and solve their own conflicts, but government say that it will help them build better lives. -
George W. Bush Presidency
George W. Bush, the eldest offspring of former president George H.W. Bush, became the 43rd president of the United States in the 2000 election. This is the 4th election in US history where the winner was based on popular vote. He barely won against Al gore. His time in office was difficult due the 9/11 terrorist attacks. His response, president Bush declared a global "war on terrorism", established the Department of Homeland Security, and authorized U.S. lead wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. -
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
On September 11, 2001, four US airplanes were hijacked by Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda members. Two were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one hit the outside of the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when the fliers learned of their plans and overtook them. The attacks triggered US initiatives to combat terrorism and defiened the presidency of George W. Bush. -
Second Iraq War
Iraq War consisted of two phases, the first of these was a brief conventionally fought war, involving a force of troops from the United States invading Iraq and rapidly defeating Iraqi military and paramilitary forces. It was followed by a extended second phase in which the U.S.led most of Iraq was opposed by an insurgency. Afterwards violence began to decline in 2007, and the United States gradually reduced its military presence in Iraq, it formally completing its withdrawal on December 2011. -
Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Late August of 2005, the Southern states in the Gulf Coast of the United States was hit with a category 5 storm, Hurricane Katrina. The storm on land was a category 3, and caused over $100 billion damage for the southern states it had hit. People were very angry that the government, FEMA, didn't effectively help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. From this disaster nearly two thousand people were killed during this time either from the hurricane itself or the flooding that happened due to it. -
The Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of economic decline observed from world markets in the United States. In the overall impact, the International Monetary Fund concluded that it was the worst global recession since World War II.The Great Recession was related to the financial crisis of 2007 to 2008 and United States subprime mortgage crisis of 2007 to 2009. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the first African American president of the Unites states elected in 2008 and serving a second term in 2012.He was born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the 2008 Election, Obama ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic parties nominee. He beat Republican nominee, John McCain, with 52.9 percent to 45.7 percent. As president he inherited economic recession and two ongoing foreign wars. In his second term he created the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obama care -
Election of 2008
In the Election of 2008, Barack Obama won against republican John McCain, making him the United States first African American President. He was also the first sitting U.S. senator to win election to the presidency since John F. Kennedy in 1960. If John McCain had won he would have became the oldest president in their first term in Unites States history. The campaign generated ample amount enthusiasm with the highest voter turnout in forty years in the United States.
