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National Rifle Associate (NRA) Lobbying Begins
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871, the group has informed its members about firearm-related legislation since 1934, and it has directly lobbied for and against firearms legislation since 1975.Founded to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA continues to teach firearm safety and competency. The organization also publishes several magazines, and sponsors competitive marksmanship events. -
“Trickle Down Economics”
Trickle-down economics, also called trickle-down theory, refers to the economic proposition that taxes on businesses and the wealthy in society should be reduced as a means to stimulate business investment in the short term and benefit society at large in the long term. In recent history, the term has been used by critics of supply-side economic policies, such as "Reaganomics." Whereas general supply-side theory favors lowering taxes overall. -
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a phrase used to refer to a government-led initiative that aims to stop illegal drug use, distribution and trade by dramatically increasing prison sentences for both drug dealers and users. The movement started in the 1970s and is still evolving today. Over the years, people have had mixed reactions to the campaign, ranging from full-on support to claims that it has racist and political objectives. -
AIDS Epidemic
The AIDS pandemic is a consequence of the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) around the world. The presence of the virus is documented in most of the countries of the planet, but the prevalence rates vary from country to country. The total number of people affected by the pandemic is unknown, as most of the carriers of the virus are usually unaware of their situation until the moment they present some opportunistic diseases . -
Conservative Resurgence
The liberal wave started during the Progressive Era, gained momentum with FDR’s New Deal in the 1930s, crested with LBJ’s Great Society in the 1960s, and ran out of steam by the mid-1970s. Conservative Ronald Reagan won the 1980 presidential election by arguing that “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” The Departments of Energy (1977-) and Education (1979-) expanded federal bureaucracy some in the ’70s. -
Sandra Day O’Connor Appointed to U.S. Supreme Court
Sandra Day O’Connor will always be known as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but her impact reaches much further than that. O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas on March 26, 1930. She spent her childhood on the Lazy B, her family’s ranch in Arizona. O’Connor displayed high levels of intelligence at a young age. Her family wanted to instill in her a love of education, but schooling options near the ranch were limited for a young woman. -
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Ronald Reagan
Reagan a former actor and California governor served as the 40th president from 1981 to 1989. Raised in small-town Illinois, he became a Hollywood actor in his 20s and later served as the Republican governor of California from 1967 to 1975. Dubbed the Great Communicator, the affable Reagan became a popular two-term president. He cut taxes, increased defense spending, negotiated a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviets and is credited with helping to bring a quicker end to the Cold War -
Marines in Lebanon
A suicide bomber drives a truck packed with explosives into the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. That same morning, 58 French soldiers were killed in their barracks two miles away in a separate suicide terrorist attack. The U.S. Marines were part of a multinational force sent to Lebanon in August 1982 to oversee the Palestinian withdrawal from Lebanon. From its inception, the mission was plagued with problems–and a mounting body count. -
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—and the ensuing political scandal—threatened to bring down the presidency of Ronald Reagan.Reagan Doctrine The Iran-Contra Affair, also known as “The Iran-Contra Scandal” and “Irangate,” may not have happened were it not for the political climate. -
The Oprah Winfrey Show First Airs
The Oprah Winfrey Show, often referred as The Oprah Show or simply Oprah, is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced and hosted by its namesake, Oprah Winfrey, it remains one of the highest-rated daytime talk shows in American television history.The show was highly influential to many young stars, and many of its topics have penetrated into the American pop-cultural consciousness -
“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!”
Tear down this wall was a famous quote and challenge of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan to the former secretary general of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall .
The speech was made in front of the Brandenburg Gate in commemoration of the 750th anniversary of Berlin, on June 12, 1987, and the desire to Reagan for the wall is tearing down was a symbol of freedom in this . -
End of Cold War
Dissent at home grew while the stagnant economy faltered under the combined burden. Attempted reforms at home left the Soviet Union unwilling to rebuff challenges to its control in Eastern Europe. During 1989 and 1990 the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end
