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G.I. Bill
Also known as the The Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, the G.I. Bill was created after World War II. Its purpose was to help veterans, "readjust" into normal society. This is done through many different programs that gave these veterans benefits which covered tuition and expenses so they they could go to college, or get training for a profession. This act was improved on in 1966, where even more benefits were introduced, and peacetime servers were also compensated. -
Iron Curtain
The "Iron Curtain" was a termed that was coined after Winston Churchill's speech. It represents the boundary that separates Europe into two economic and political halves. In the west was the capitalistic free economy Europe, and in the east was the communistic soviet Europe. Although seen as a mental boundary, it took its physical form as a heavily armed and fortified militarized zone. -
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was the name of president Harry Truman's domestic reform proposals. It was an extension of the new deal and sought to help bring equality and fairness to all social classes in America. It called for higher minimum wages, housing, and employed many people. However only two reforms were able to pass through congress and those were the Housing Act of 1949 and the Social Security Act of 1950. -
Atomic Weapons
Atomic weapons were an invention of many different scientists such as Julius Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein. These weapons use nuclear fission and fusion to create devastating explosions. The most notable display of power of these weapons were the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II. Due to their massive damage to the environment and people, there has been an armistice called M.A.D. to prevent a nuclear winter occurring in future -
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Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
In an effort to fight back against the spread of communism world wide the Truman Doctrine was created. The Truman doctrine was a foreign policy that gave aid to countries like Greece and Turkey to help contain communism. The U.S. rather than using military force to fight off communism, but rather gave these countries financial aid to help create a capitalist economy that will ward off communism. -
Television
The television was the result of a trio of inventors Philo Farnsworth, Charles Francis Jenkins, and John Logie Baird. This invention allows people to see moving images, either pre-recorded or in real time. This became an affordable product for families to watch the news and entertainment programs, and was a big thing in the '50s. The television played a major role in civil rights, as it allowed people at home to watch how African Americans were treated poorly. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was passed under president Harry Truman. Its goal was to help Western Europe rebuild after World War II. The United States gave $13 billion dollars to Europe so that they would be able to re-establish their economy, and repair damages from the war. This plan played a major role in containing communism, as Europe is the main front against the Soviets. -
Berlin Airlift
After World War II, Germany was split into 4 different zones controlled by the French, British, Americans, and Soviets. However the capital of Germany, Berlin, was deep within the Soviet territory, and was also split into 4 sectors. When Stalin closed the railroads leading to Berlin for the West to send supplies, the Americans were forced to airdrop supplies into Berlin. These supplies included food, clothing and resources for west Berlin to sustain itself. They even gave the kids chocolate :D. -
2nd Red Scare
Similar to the first Red Scare, it was a time of fear of the communist party. The people of the United States were heavily paranoid of Soviet spies and supporters throughout the government and country. It did not help that there were many scandals at this time. People such as Joseph McCarthy and his "list" of communist supporters in the government. The Sputnik launch also worsened people's fears about how communism was slowly beginning its takeover of the world. -
Beat Generation
The beat generation, was a generation that went against the ideals of traditionalism and conservationism. They sought to introduce freedom and rhythm into American literature, so they primarily created and listened to rock and pop music. Their poetry and writing included descriptions and pictures of nature and the beauty of life. According to Mr. Godfrey they're basically "proto-hippies". -
News
The news was broadcasted on television to people world wide. It helped educate people of the events that are occurring around them at that time period. In 1952, the news was able to broadcast the Democratic and Republican conventions to people, so that they were able to get the daily scoop of what was happening. This with television gave people the ability to stay on top of events even though they are hundreds of miles apart. -
Period: to
1950s
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Period: to
Civil Rights
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Korean War
The Korean was a successful attempt at containing communism. It all began when communist North Koreans attacked the south at the 38th parallel. Stalin suspecting that the British and U.S. were conspiring against him decided to assist the North by giving them weapons. And the United States fearing the spread of communism supported the South, effectively making Korea a proxy war. General McArthur wanted to use nuclear weapons to quickly end the war, but Truman went against it. -
Ike Turner
Ike Turner is a famous 1950s rock and roll artist. His first recording, "Rocket 88" in 1951 is considered a contender for first rock and roll song. His career lasted from 1950 onward, and his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. Although he was very famous for his music, it all went down hill when Ike had assaulted his wife, causing his career to effectively disappear. -
Brown v. Board
One of the most important supreme court cases in American history. Brown v. Board all began when Linda Brown, was denied entrance to Topeka’s all-white elementary schools, which was closer to her home, but instead was forced to go to an all black school across town. Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit, and he felt that this segregation violated the so-called “equal protection clause”. In the end the case overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson case, making "separate but equal" unconstitutional. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
Dr. Jonas Salk was born in New York and was very poor when he was younger. His parents strove to give him a better education, and resulted in him becoming an American biologist and physician. He is best known for the research and development of a first polio vaccine. -
Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin is a Polish American medical researcher. He and his family moved to America when he was younger to escape persecution, and lived a tough life working various jobs while attending school. After he completed his medical degree in New York he began research on the polio virus. When Salk created a vaccine that killed the virus, Sabin was able to improve upon it and created an oral vaccine that contributed to the eradication of the disease. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
Emmet Till was born in Chicago, and at the age of 14 his mother decided to let him know how bad segregation was in the South. She sent him to Mississippi to stay with family for a while. While he was there he allegedly whistled at a white lady. The lady told two white men J. W. Wilam and Roy Bryant who tracked him down, brutally killed him and tossed his body in the river. He was identified later by a ring he got from his mother. News caught on and this push the civil rights movement. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was an extension of past conflicts that had been going on in Vietnam for a while. Similar to the Korean war, the Soviets had begun supporting the communistic North Vietnamese, and the United States answered in the same way to contain communism. However back at home there were many people who were against the war, since it seemed like we were fighting for nothing. Eventually the United States had to pull out since Vietnam wouldn't give up, and the costs were too much for nothing. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Segregation laws stated that African Americans were not allowed to sit next to white on the but, and would be forced to give up their seat if asked by a white person. Rosa Parks was the first person to deny a white person their seat, and was arrested. This caused people throughout the city to do the same, and became an act of civil disobedience. The supreme court then decided that bus segregation was unconstitutional. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley attended the Assembly of God Church with his parents, where gospel music became an important influence for him. He made his debut when he sang "Love Me Tender" in 1956 where he premiered in New York City at the Paramount Theater. He became one of the most famous Rock'n'roll artists in the 1900s, and created a new style of music and dance for everyone in the United States. -
Little Richard
Richard was taken in by a white family who owned a club in Macon, where Richard eventually began performing and honing his talent. In 1951 Richard caught his first major break when a performance at an Atlanta radio station yielded a record contract with RCA. He went on to become one of the most known rock 'n' roll artist, and his flamboyant performances, and was an influence to another popular band, the Beatles. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 incident happened in Little Rock, Arkansas. 9 African American students were integrated into an all white school, and this caused an outrage in the people. Mayor of the town Orval Faubus, called the national guard to block the students from entering the school. From hearing the news, president Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the students to school. In the end Faubus closed all the schools, so that African Americans were not able to get their education. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
This Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first civil rights legislation since the one in 1875. It was passed under Eisenhower, when whites started the massive resistance against African Americans after the Brown v. Board decision. The act sought to show that the federal government was serious about desegregating the southern way of life. This act would allow future civil rights legislation to be created. -
Space Race
After World War 2 a new conflict arose between the communist Soviets and the capitalist United States, called the Cold War. The Space Race was a competition in the Cold War, where the two countries competed for technological superiority by going into space. The Soviets too the lead when they successfully launched Sputnik, the world's first man-made object into space, this caused the Americans to lose hope in the race. However, everything changed with the U.S. was able to land a man on the moon. -
Native-American Civil Rights Movement
The Native-Americans Civil Right Movement began in the 1960s, and took major influences from African Americans civil rights movement. They sought to show people the native Americans deserve what they were promised from the earlier laws and acts passed to protect the rights of Native Americans. In a symbolic act to represent how they were treated, they bought Alcatraz island with knick knacks, and turned it into a haven for Native Americans. -
Sit-Ins
Sit-Ins were an act of peaceful civil disobedience that started in the 1960s. The Greensboro sit-in was the first one to start it all off. African Americans would sit in any public facility that was segregated and would sit their and silently protest. They would face violent assaults and beatings, and would be arrested by the police. There was no fighting back, since it would make them look bad to the media. This would give the civil rights movement another push. -
Counter Culture
The counter culture is a group of people who went against the social norms, and created their own type of culture. Hippies made up the majority of this population, and they would peacefully protest against many things that were wrong with society. The counter culture also included those that went against the Vietnam war, people who only wanted peace, and to not be involved in other conflicts. -
Feminism (1960s)
Feminism became very big in the 1960, women wanted to move away from the old way of life, where women were seen as home wives and their only job was to take care of the children. They decided that they needed an organization that would make an impact to changing the social norm, so they created the National Organization for Women. -
Hippies
Hippies made up the majority of the counter culture population. They had a flamboyant style of clothing, and could be seen detached from the materialistic world. They used drugs like LSD to become one with life and find a deeper meaning to the world. They believed in non-violence and that there should be peace everywhere. Hippies strove to become a different culture than the following the social norm. -
OPEC
OPEC stands for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Its purpose is to control the petroleum export in the Middle Eastern countries such as Controls Middle Eastern natural resources. Members are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Since cars became a affordable in the 1900s, many Americans had a need for gas. OPEC is able to manage the consumer intake of oil, so that the resource does not disappear. Oil prices skyrocketed because of the high demand. -
LSD
LSD is a a synthetic hallucinogenic drug, and became very popular in the 1960s. People would use it to become detached from the world so they could "find their inner selves". With its overwhelming popularity so many people had a hold of the drug, so the government had to intervene, and banned it from being legal to possess. -
Period: to
1960s
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New Frontier
The New Frontier is the name of the John Kennedy administration reforms. As the name suggests, its purpose was to open a new age in the United States, and pushed technology and civil rights. Kennedy was a firm believer in the Space Race, and decided that the United States would be the first people to land a man on the moon. It influenced people to join the Peace Corps, or jump on the social justice bandwagon. -
Peace Corp
The Peace Corps was a program which allowed people to volunteer and assist developing nations all around the world. It was created to help improve the lives of the people around the world, so that everyone would feel equal and protected, and in turn that would reduce the amount of conflicts due to unequal lifestyles. -
Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. He was heavily influenced by the African American civil rights movement, and wanted to create equality economically for Hispanics in California. He worked to improve the working conditions of farmers, so they would become equal to white Americans. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis occurred in communistic Cuba, when soviets had supplied the country with nuclear warheads. The United States fearing the weapons being so close to their country, decided to invade Cuba and subdue the weapons in the Bay of Pigs invasion, which included anti-communist Cubans. This failed, and lead Kennedy to create a blockade around Cuba, which blocked supplies, and Soviet submarines from entering or leaving. In the end the missiles, were sent out of Cuba. -
Assassination of JFK
The Assassination of JFK occurred in Dallas, Texas. John F. Kennedy was touring the city and campaigning for the upcoming election, and decided that it was a good idea to pop the top of his convertible so that people could see him better. His route was publicized and this allowed Lee Harvey Oswald to snipe JFK. He was shot in the head and died, while Governor Connally was sevearly injured and also passed away. Shortly after his assassination VP Lyndon Johnson was proclaimed the new president. -
The Great Society
The Great Society was the name of president Lyndon Johnson's set of domestic policies and reforms. He used his "Johnson" method to intimidate people into getting what he wanted, so he was able to get many things pass congress. The main goal of the Great Society was to eliminate poverty, and remove racial injustice, improving the environment and reducing crime rate. -
Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Ad was a campaign ad for Lyndon B. Johnson. It is a weird advertisement, where a little girl is picking the petals off of a daisy flower, and then you hear a countdown for an atomic bomb. The ad gave the message that if we did not vote for Lyndon B. Johnson we would all perish, with this it caused many of the people in the United States to easily vote for Lyndon due to paranoia and fear. -
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater was the Arizona senator, and became the republican candidate in 1965, running against Lyndon B. Johnson. A conservative Republican, he called for a harsher diplomatic stance toward the Soviet Union and opposed arms-control negotiations with that country. -
Civil rights of 1964
The Civil Rights of 1964 is the best result of the civil rights movement in America. It states that an discrimination of any kind based on race, religion, sex, or national origin is unconstitutional. One of the major factors that lead to this act being passed was the Martin Luther King Jr. march, where hundreds of people marched in front of the white house to get congress to pass the act. This act is a result of the blood sweat and tears African Americans had fought for, since the slavery ban. -
Watt Riots
The Watts Riots was a violet African American protest in the city of Watts, Los Angeles. It was caused after a white police officer pulled over and arrested Lee Minikus, who had been suspected of drunk driving. This event caused many people to lose belief in the civil rights movement, because of how African Americans were portrayed on television around the world, and was a major set back for the movement. -
The New Right
The New Right was an outspoken conservative movement that sought to counter the counter culture. It spoke against social issues such as abortion, pornography, and affirmative action. This movement helped get Ronald Reagan to easily win the election of 1980 -
Period: to
1970s
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Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly was part of the New Right movement, where she spoke against the feminist movement. She believed that the house wife should stay in place and is a comfortable living style for all women. She protested against the equal rights of women, and believed that gender division should stay in place. She is a prime example of an activist of the conservative backlash in the 60s and 70s -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal occurred at the Watergate hotel, which was the democratic national committee headquarters. Nixon had hired spy plumbers to infiltrate the hotel, and wire tap the phone lines, so that he could have an advantage during the elections. The plumbers were caught, and when Nixon was asked for his involvement he denied them. Nixon tapes himself often, and the Watergate plan was part of it, he refused to turn it in and caused a lot of controversy. Federal trust began to decline. -
Title IX
Title IX became a law in 1972, and stated that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.". The law was passed due to many events of the civil rights movement such as Brown v. Board, Civil Rights Acts, and women's feminist movements. -
Roe v. Wade
The Roe v. Wade case began when Norma McCorvey (A.K.A Jane Roe), instituted federal action against Henry Wade, when she was not able to abort her pregnancy. The supreme court disagree with Roe, that women should be able to abort where ever and when ever. So they ended up allowing the states to regulate the abortion rules, but only after the end of the mother's first trimester. -
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a public policy that promotes the principles that made America great: free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. It was a conservative movement under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, it sought to help maintain the original values of that made the United States what it is today. -
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act(s) were a series of policies that helped protect the environment and its inhabitants, from the quickly changing world. They placed many restrictions on what people could and could not do to the habitat of animals, and to the animals themselves. An endangered species list was created, where animals of low population were put on a watch list, and were protected to avoid extinction. -
Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was a political group formed in the 1970s, founded by Jerry Falwell, a religious leader and televangelist. It was a conservative and religious party, which sought to integrate religion into everyday norms, and keep it that way. It strove to keep the pro-family/pro-american life that everyone during this time period wanted to change. -
Three-Mile Island
Three-Mile Island is the site of a nuclear power plant located Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania. There have been many incidents such as a nuclear meltdown incident that occurred in The incident was a result of human and mechanical error, causing the reactor to overheat and explode, this released radiation over a 16 mile radius. -
Sam Walton's Just-In-Time Inventory
Sam Walton is known for opening his chain of stores, Walmart and Sam's Club. His popularity came from his method of maintaining the store's stock the "Just-In-Time Inventory". It removed the need for storage at each store. Instead, the local distribution center can know, via satellite, when a given store is nearly out of a product and can truck more in immediately. -
Video Games
Video games were invented by German game developer Ralph Baer. Video games were on the rise with the introduction of new game consoles such as the Magnavox Odyssey. It gave people a new and fresh way to entertain themselves, and it made use of new technology that would "wow" people. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was born in May 8, 1911, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. He grew up a singer and a guitarist, and became one of the best known and popular blues artist ever. His hits include "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and "Sweet Home Chicago". But much of Johnson's life is shrouded in mystery. Part of the lasting mythology around him is a story of how he gained his musical talents by making a bargain with the devil. -
Period: to
1980s
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Election of 1980
The election of 1980 was a competition between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Before this election people were very dissatisfied with Jimmy Carter, especially with hostage incident in the Middle East. During this time the economy was in bad shape, and Reagan took advantage of it, campaigning a better economy with him as president. This allowed Reagan to easily win with a land slide of over 51% of the popular vote. -
Reaganomics
Reaganomics is the name of Ronald Reagan's economic improvement policy. These policies combined a monetarist fiscal policy, supply-side tax cuts, and domestic budget cutting. Their goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and stimulate economic growth. The polices were effective and we started to see a growth in the economy. -
Space Shuttle Program
Originally the space shuttle program was created to build a space station that could be used by the military to research and observe different areas of the world. It focused on the development of space craft that are able to leave the atmosphere, and allow man to further improve life on Earth. -
AIDS Crisis
AIDS is a STD, that weakens the immune system. In the early 1980s, AIDS cases were beginning to be reported in America, but the Reagan administration chose to do little about the growing epidemic. To the majority population it was seen as a gay man's disease, and was a punishment from God for men being gay. However, as more and more people died, and the female gender was also being effected it raised suspicion, and made people start developing a counter measure to it. -
SDI
The Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed "Star Wars"), was a Ronald Reagan plan. Its main goal was to create a defense system that is launched into space, which would fire lasers at any nuclear warheads, which would help prevent destruction of cities. Reagan gave these plans to the Soviets, hoping that they would over spend on these plans and go bankrupt, which would overall weaken communism, and end the Soviets. -
Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan Doctrine was a strategical and orchestrated plan made by Ronald Reagan, to overwhelm the influence of the Soviets, and would eventually end the Cold War. A part of the plan was to bankrupt the Soviets, where Reagan gave them the SDI plans, and hoped that they would spend too much energy on developing it instead of worrying about its citizens. Another plan was to fund the Contra weapons to help fight the Soviets. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Iran Contra Affair was part of the Reagan Doctrine. The Reagan administration secretly supported the Contras in Nicaragua, and funding them with weapons so that they could fight against Soviet occupiers in the country. They also facilitated the arms trade in Iran, with the intent to fend off the Soviets. -
Balkans Crisis
The Balkan countries include Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece. Bosnian Muslims, Serbs, and Croats were killing each other by the thousands. Christians and Muslims were massacring one another just because of their religious beliefs. President Clinton eventually was forced to intervene, US led NATO forces launched a massive aerial bombardment of Serbia. -
E-mails
Electronic mails were created by Shiva Ayyadurai an American born Indian scientist and entrepreneur. It allowed people to instantaneously send messages from one person to another through the power of the internet. Apps such as AOL connected many people to the internet and allowed people to communicate to each other anonymously. This started the age where people could communicate across the world, and simplified the life of many people. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 24, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She won the miss black Tennessee pageant and she attended Tennessee State University in 1971 where she began working in radio and television broadcasting in Nashville. The "Oprah Winfrey Show", became very popular and she became the richest African American by the 20th century. She helped campaign for president Obama in 2007, which helped Obama win the elections. -
Black Entertainment Television
BET or Black Entertainment Television was founded by Robert and Sheila Johnson, the show featured many black artists from all around, that showed off their different musical talents and backgrounds. This became one of the first African American only owned shows, and became very popular with all types of audiences. -
Period: to
1990s
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Persian Gulf War / 1st Iraq War
The war began when Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied its neighbor country Kuwait. Startled by this action Saudi Arabia and Egypt called upon the United States to intervene. War began with a massive U.S. air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm. After 42 days of relentless attacks by the allied coalition in the air and on the ground, U.S. President George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire, and officially ending the war. -
Rodney King Incident
Rodney was born in Sacramento California on April 2, 1965. Rodney King was caught by the Los Angeles police after a high-speed chase, the officers pulled him out of the car and beat him brutally, the incident was caught on videotape. The four officers involved were charged with excessive violence. However, after a three-month trial, a predominantly white jury acquitted the officers, inflaming citizens and sparking the violent 1992 Los Angeles riots. -
Internet
The Internet that we know today was created by Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf. The internet allowed for people to connect to one another globally, and gave one another the ability to quickly share information. People were able to anonymously interact with one another, and this would eventually lead to cyber crimes. However, the internet changed the world to what it became today. -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement is a policy signed by Canada, the United States, and Mexico which created a trade bloc between all three countries. It superseded the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Canada, and became the largest trade bloc in the world, with overwhelming GDP by 2007. -
Lewinsky Affair
The Lewinsky affair was a secret relationship between Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. Monica was an intern in the white house, and was caught only, because she told a friend of hers about the affair and her friend had spread the news to other people. Clinton was then questioned, and eventually he was impeached from office. -
Defense of Marriage Act
People began taking notice in same-sex marriage in the 1980s, and many were opposed of it. In the supreme court case of Baker v. Nelson, it was constitutional to limit same-sex marriage. People pushed for the civil rights of gay people to be able to marry their loved ones. Finally the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law by Bill Clinton, and made it so that it is illegal for states to recognize the legality of same-sex marriages. -
Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore was a supreme court case that decided on who would win the election of 2000. Unlike other SCOTUS cases this was instantly addressed since it was a national case. The case ruled that the state of Florida's court-ordered manual recount of vote ballots in the 2000 presidential election was unconstitutional, because it granted more protection to some ballots than to others, violating the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. This in turn would give the victory to bush. -
Period: to
Contemporary
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Compassionate Conservatism
Compassionate Conservatism was a political philosophy that stresses using traditionally conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society. It was meant to make people take a more "compassionate view" of welfare problems such as housing and education. Basically we need to make everything better and more comfortable for everyone, while thinking about the future. -
9/11 Attacks
The 9/11 attacks were a series of abducted airplanes by terrorist group Al-Qaeda. They hijacked four planes two ended up hitting the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one went into the Pentagon, and the other crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. It was a moment of pure devastation for the American people, it was the first major terrorism attack on the United States, caused many to fear more to come. This attack would lead to the 2nd Iraq war. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
The No Child Left Behind Education act was proposed by George Bush and was created in order to reestablish the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It did not assert a national standard, but instead emphasized standardized testing, report cards, and teacher qualifications. It supported the setting of high standards to increase the performance of students, and gave provisions to disadvantaged students. -
2nd Iraq War
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks president George W. Bush decided it was necessary to attack the terrorist organization of Al-Qaeda, so that the United States would not have to endure another attack like that. The war was comprised of two parts, first was an invasion by U.S. and British troops, which quickly defeated Iraqi troops. The second part was U.S. occupation which was met with Iraqi insurgency. The war ended in 2011 when the U.S. finally withdrew from the Middle East. (kinda) -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005. When the storm hit land it was a category-5 storm which lasted over a week, it brought along huge floods that brought billions of dollars of damage. Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were displaced from their homes, and the people were displeased with the government's inability to meet the people needs during and after the storm. -
The Great Recession
The Great Recession was a global economic devastation, where the world's markets started to collapse. The main cause was that people with poor credit were buying expensive homes with increasing prices, financial institutions acquired thousands of risky mortgages in hopes of quick profit, but it turned to bite them. The stock market had reached its all time high, but quickly declined which caused thousands of investors to lose everything. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
This act was signed by Barack Obama in 2009, its intention was to help rebuild and stabilize the economy, and to fix what occurred during the Great Recession. $787 million were spent to revive the economy in the U.S. to create jobs, and promote investment and consumer spending. It also fostered more accountability and transparency in government spending. -
Sonya Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor was born on June 25, 1954, in the Bronx of New York City. Sonya Sotomayor is the first ever Latina supreme court justice. Sotomayor's first leanings toward the justice system began after watching an episode of the television show Perry Mason. Her mother pushed her for higher education and she graduated summa cum ladde, from Princeton University. In 2009 president Barack Obama nominated her to be the next supreme court justice. -
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare was a healthcare reform. Its main goal was to expand health insurance coverage to low income Americans through the Medicaid programs. This act was met with a lot of back lash due to the penalty put on people for not having health insurance, which in turn lead to people not having enough money to buy health insurance in the first place.
