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Rodney King Police Chase
Rodney King was a black man in Los Angeles that was involved in a police car chase. The 4 defendants are found not guilty in trial which sparked riots with 1 billion dollars in damage and 52 people were killed. This event showed that George H. W. Bush was not in control of conflicts which effects him in the election. This was a pivotal moment in the discussion on police brutality and received widespread media coverage on racial discrimination. (class notes) -
The Branch Davidians Compound in Waco, Texas
David Koresh was the leader of the Branch Davidian followers. There was suspicion of illegal weapons at the compound. Gunfire began at the compound and ultimately the davidians refused to surrender leading to a fire that burnt down the compound with the 70 members inside. This impacted the public view of relationships between religious groups and the government. Anti-gov forces were convinced the gov did this on purpose. This incident had lasting impacts on law enforcement practice (class notes) -
North America Free Trade Act
This act implements free trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 1994. NAFTA decreased or eliminated import and export duties among the three signatory nations, establishing a sizable free-trade area. NAFTA cost president Clinton the support of several important allies in congress. (pg.209) Democrats were against the NAFTA because they were fearful over the loss of jobs. This act showed an impact on regional trade, economic growth, and political relations with other countries. -
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act defined marriage showing the union of one man and one women marriage. It did not recognize same sex marriages at the federal level. But if a same sex marriage was legally preformed in a state it wasn't required to be recognized in a different state. In 2013 this act is overturned because it violated the 14th amendment by not acknowledging gay marriages. This act helped define marriage at the federal level and showed significant implications for LGBTQ+ rights. (notes) -
Childrens Health Insurance Program
The Children's Health Insurance Program has helped states cover the medical costs of children from families whose earnings are too high to be eligible for Medicaid but too low to buy private insurance. This program provided state flexibility and improved health outcomes for children in the United States with low-income families. It helped reduce the number of uninsured children and improve the well-being of children. (https://www.healthcare.gov/medicaid-chip/childrens-health-insurance-program) -
Lewinsky Scandal and Clintons Impeachment
President Bill Clinton was impeached by Newt Gingrich because he lied under oath during his deposition about an affair. Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky who was an intern at the White House and was caught on tape saying the sexual acts were on White House grounds. After impeachment Clintons popularity was still at 73%. This impeachment by Gingrich cost him the HOR. This event had effects on public perception, balance of power, and media coverage of political scandals. (class note) -
Columbine High School Shooting
Two shooters entered Columbine High School with semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and several explosives killing 12 students and 1 teacher. The gunman's original intent was to bomb the school but failed. This shooting started the up tick in school shootings. After this event law enforcement had new training when it came to school shootings causing immediate action at the scene whereas waiting outside caused more casualties. This brought attention to school shootings and gun violence. (class notes) -
2000 Presidential Election
In an election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore the winner was George Bush. The win of this close election was due to the state of Florida with a 537 vote difference. Disputes over the validity of the vote ballots were due to Floridas "hanging chad" ballots causing a recount.This election had a lot of controversy and raised questions on conflict of interest. Bush won presidency in a
decision made by the Supreme Court without winning the popular vote. (pg.242/notes) -
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act
This Act allowed all Americans who pay income taxes to have their tax rates decreased, and a new tax bracket of 10% was established. The reduction was an estimated cost of $1.35 trillion which was the largest single cut in American history. This event was important due to its significant tax cuts, effects on individuals and businesses, and long term effects on the U.S. tax code. (pg. 245) -
September 11 Attacks
Roughly 3,000 people died due to the terrorist attacks by Osama Bin Laden who was apart of the islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda. These attacks were through a series of airplane hijacks. 2 into the World Trade Center in NY 1 into the Pentagon and 1 plane was meant to hit the White House but was stopped by passengers in PA. The war on terror consumes all aspects of American life.Due to 9/11 the security apparatus gets a huge boost. It changes airport security, TSA, Homeland security, etc. (pg.249) -
No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind enforced strict national standards in class subjects reinforcing and even extending the federal government's role in education.It ties student success to testing. Every public school in the country would now be obligated to attain governmental mandated standards of achievement in core courses or risk losing federal funding overall focusing on the improvement of educational outcomes. If the issues weren't resolved, entire schools might be shut down. (pg.248/ class notes) -
Unborn Victims of Violence Act
According to the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, in addition to any charges against the mother, anybody who intentionally kills or injures an unborn child will also be held accountable under federal law for a separate violation.It gave pregnant women who had been the victims of violence legal recourse and acknowledged the rights and safeguards of fetuses under the law. It contributed to ongoing debates about the status of fetuses.(https://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ212/PLAW-108publ212.pdf) -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States. It was a category 5 storm and exceptionally powerful hurricane that caused major death and property damage.New Orleans was hit exceptionally hard as it was in path of the hurricane at its fiercest. The hurricane was the most expensive natural disaster with damage estimates at $108 billion. There were around2,000 deaths due to the storm and flooding in new orleans. Orleans population permanently changed. (pg.280/note) -
Election of 2008
The Election of 2008 had the largest voter turnout since 1908. This election was between Barack Obama and John McCain. Barack Obama won this election becoming the 44th President of the United States as the first African American President.He received widespread support from new voters and voters who have not voted in a long time. Obama was elected in a time of crisis dealing with the rise of ISIS and the deep water horizon. During his presidency he created the Affordable Care Act. (class notes) -
Affordable Care Act
This act was a way for president Obama to make national health insurance affordable for certain groups. The affordable care act was also called "Obamacare". Its intention was to increase the affordability of health insurance while lowering the un-insured rate. it had major impact on healthcare providers, insurers, and consumers. (class notes)