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Election of 2000
American presidential election 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. -
September 11, 2001
Terrorists attacks occurred; resulted in declaration of a War on Terror and attacks against Osama Bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan; war is expanded into Iraq in 2003, resulting in a Second Persian Gulf War. -
PATRIOT Act of 2001
Gives government power to conduct search and surveillance to protect against future terrorist attacks; seen as violation of civil rights by liberals. -
Election of 2008
Americans elected Illinois senator Barack Obama their 44th president. The result was historic, as Obama, a first-term U.S. senator, became, when he was inaugurated on January 20, 2009, the country’s first African American president. He also was the 1st sitting U.S. senator to win election to the presidency since John F. Kennedy in 1960. With the highest voter turnout rate in four decades, Obama and Delaware senator Joe Biden defeated the Republican ticket of Arizona senator John McCain
