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House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
Formed in 1938 by the U.S. House of Representatives originally to reign in Nazi spies. Their purpose changed during the Cold War by focusing on investigating the disloyalty and activities of citizens, public employees, and organizations suspected of being tied with Communism. -
LSD
Discovered on April 16, 1943, by a Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman who accidentally consumed the drug resulting in unusual sensation and hallucinations. The use of LSD increased until the 1960's when the counterculture figures publicly presented the benefits of using it. The negative behaviors and reactions it caused became a problem, therefore, the use, manufacture, and sale were made illegal in U.S. -
G.I. Bill
Passed after WWII in 1944, also known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 created to help veterans, by establishing hospitals, making low-interest mortgages available, and paying cost of education for those seeking to fulfill a career -
38th Parallel
The border between North and South Korea established after the Allies defeated the Japanese in 1945 facing the difficulty of creating an independent Korean nation with Soviets present in northern Korea. The parallel divides the Korean peninsula in the middle, North Korea under Soviet occupation and South Korea under American occupation -
Truman Doctrine
Presidents Truman program in 1947 after being informed that Britain would no longer be able to provide aid to Greece from falling to communism. His program intended to contain communism from spreading among other nations by providing economic and military aid to any nations under the risk of communist forces. -
Alger Hiss
One of the most damaging spy cases during Truman administration, involving Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers. Chambers a former Soviet spy told the HUAC in 1948 that Hiss had given him secret documents while Chambers was a spy and Alger worked in the State Department. After being accused, he sued for libel and denied the accusation from Chambers who had made copies of the documents he said Hiss had given him as evidence. Hiss was later convicted in 1950 with two counts of perjury. -
Marshall Plan
A plan proposed by General George C. Marshall in 1947 during his speech at Harvard University, in which the U.S. will provide financial and technical assistance to war-torn Europe, intended to reconstruct the economy, neutralize communist outbreaks and build secure foreign markets for American products. It was signed by President Truman until 1948. -
Berlin Airlift
An effort by the United States and British air forces of landing cargo planes at the Berlin airport every few minutes after Stalin prevented the new Western German currency from being delivered into Berlin and ordering a stop of all road and rail traffic into the city. Flying in food, fuel, medicine, coal, and equipment each day to keep the people in Berlin alive for 11 months until the Soviets lifted the blockade, being the first major victory for the West during the Cold War. -
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Television
Television during the 1950's increased in homes from 172,000 to 15.3 million providing advertisers to promote a new phase of consumer culture reshaping postwar life being the new form of entertainment. Families started to eat frozen TV dinners or dining out while watching popular shows such as; Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. -
Fair Deal
President Harry S.Truman's proposal of building upon Roosevelts New Deal with his domestic policies of national health insurance, public housing, federal aid to education, and civil rights legislation. It also included the increase of the minimum wage, and enable more rural people to connect to electricity. -
Duck and Cover Drill
Drill practiced in schools across the country first implemented in 1949 when the Soviet Union set off their first nuclear explosive being the beginning of the Cold War. The drill involved students kneeling down under their desk with their hands around their heads and necks. The practice was later produced into an educational film with an animated turtle Bert to encourage kids too duck down on the ground and get under a form of cover whenever they saw a bright flash of light -
Beat Generation
A small controversial group that started during the 1950's composed of young writers, poets, painters, and musicians that rejected the materialism of the consumer culture, and the traditional expectations and responsibilities of the middle class such as marriage, home ownership, and careers. -
McCarthyism
Anti-communist hysteria lead by Wisconsin Senator, Joseph R. McCarthy witch hunts accusing politicians, public figures, and federal employees of being communists without any proper evidence. -
Rock 'n' Roll
A new form of music that emerged during the 1950's that adults blamed it as the reason for the teen delinquency. The music was originally rooted in African Americans blues and gospel that attracted young teens, bringing together musicians and their audiences of various races and backgrounds helping dispel the racial prejudices during that time. -
Ike Turner; "Rocket 88"
Born on November 5, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Turner was a musician, songwriter, and bandleader who is famously known for his band's song "Rocket 88" that is considered to be the first Rock & Roll song.White artist Bill Haley ripped off the song creating his version giving no credit to the original singer Ike. -
Polio Vaccine
Polio is an infectious viral disease that killed a lot of people or left the paralyzed due to the absence of prevention until 1952. The vaccine was developed by Dr.Jonas Salk who announced the successfully tested vaccine on a national radio show that began to be used as trials in 1954 to schoolchildren who were the most affected with polio -
Brown v. Board of Education
Landmarking Supreme Court case in Topeka, Kansas between Kansas Board Education and Oliver Brown parent of Linda Brown who was denied access to Topeka's white schools which were much closer. Claiming that Topeka's racial segregation in schools violated the Constitution Equal Protection Clause, which was dismissed by the federal district court, therefore, appealing to the Supreme Court who took the case. It resulted in the overturn of Plessy v. Ferguson, therefore, forcing integration. -
Elvis Presley
Musician and actor born on January 9, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi famously known for his music during the 1950's. Making Rock & Roll a phenomenon creating his own sexually suggestive dance style giving him the name "Elvis the Pelvis" which offended older Americans. He is often referred to the King of Rock and Roll. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
In 1955 Emmett Till traveled to Money, Mississippi from Chicago to visit relatives. On his visit there at a country store, he was accused of harassing a local white woman. Four days later he was abducted by the woman's relatives who beaten and shot him dead disposing of his body in a nearby river. The murderers were taken to trial who were acquitted. His death and mutilation transformed the Civil rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist and secretary of the local NAACP refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man. She was arrested, encouraging black community leaders to organize a boycott of the city bus system.In which African Americans carpooled, and other transportation than taking the bus infuriating whites by acting in violent ways. The boycotters won a federal case they had initiated against racial segregation on public buses. -
Little Rock 9
After the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed, the governor of Arkansas Orval Faubus a segregationist called out the state's National Guard to prevent the entrance of 9 black students into Little Rock Central High School. Outside of the school was a mob of whites threatening the student violently causing them to be removed by local authorities for their safety. President Eisenhower dispatched 1,000 Army paratroopers to Little Rock to protect the students for the rest of the school year. -
Sputnik
The first communication satellite launched into space by the Soviets reported as the most important story in history by NBC News causing Americans to panic. It was the beginning of the space race, between the U.S. and Soviets, leading Americans to take steps on improving science education, -
Greensboro, North Carolina Sit in.
During the civil rights movement, a new violent tactic was developed at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where, four black college students sat down and ordered at an all-white lunch counter. They were refused service by the clerk who told them they had to eat standing up or outside, but they refused to do so. They waited for 45 minutes and returned the next day with more students. The sit-in movement spread quickly eventually ending when the whites-only policy was lifted. -
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Feminism
During the late 1960's many women split from the civil rights and looked towards feminism, known as the "second-wave" of the feminsit movement.The feminist movement focused equal treatment, opportunity and pay. It also tried to change the mentality instead of legislating female equality, which is also where a new formal title is introduced indicating marital status. -
The Kennedy-Nixon Debate
First presidential debate to be televised in history between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon changing the face of politics. Nixon recently had the flu and still running a fever during the debate making him looked drained on television, unlike Kennedy who had practiced questions and resting for that day. Both candidates had a makeup touch up but it resulted badly for Nixon after he started to sweat. -
New Frontier
The domestic program proposed by John F. Kennedy in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination, aiming a jump start to the economy and trigger social progress. It consisted of raising the minimum wage, relieve overcrowded schools, and increased spending to alleviate downturn. It also included the challenge to land a man on the moon. -
Peace Corps
Established on March 1, 1961, by President John F. Kennedy as a new agency within the Department of Safety. It was created to recruit idealistic young volunteers who would provide educational ad technical service in poor countries and promote world peace and friendship. By promoting a better understanding of Americans, and vice-versa. -
Freedom Rides
A series of bus trips launched by 13 African Americans and white civil rights activists through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals and try to integrate them. They faced a lot of violence on the way, such as the Ku Klux Klan who on May 4 threw a firebomb into the bus, and barricaded the door. Despite the violence, the riders succeeded in the Interstate Commerce Commission ordering all interstate transportation facilities to be integrated in September 1961. -
Agent Orange and Napalm
Substances used during the Vietnam War from 1961-1972 against the Vietcong to expose them by killing of jungle plants killing thousands of people due to the exposure as well cancer and other health problems on both sides. -
Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin born on August 29, 1906, in Bialystok, Poland. Sabin focused on researching polio concluding that it not only grew in the nervous tissues but also in the small intestines. He was convinced that it grew in the small intestines he began focusing on an isolating a mutant form of the polio virus that will be safe to the human body which resulted in the oral vaccine to combat polio. -
Assassination of JFK
On November 22, 1963, while riding in an open car through Dallas, Texas with his wife Jackie by his side John F. Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald a twenty-four-year-old ex-Marine who turned communist. Lee worked in the Texas School Book Depository from where he fired at JFK from the 6th floor with a rifle fatally wounding the President and injuring Governor Connally. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
An American former U.S. Marine who assassinated President John F.Kennedy on November 22, 1963. He had communist sympathies and defected to the Soviet Union where he got married. Harvey came back to the U.S with special permission and is considered the only shooter in the president's assassination. He got away from the police but found hiding in a movie theater and denied he shot anybody saying he was a patsy. A couple days later he was killed by a Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby. -
Warren Commission
Established a week after President John F. Kennedy's was assassinated by Lyndon Johnson his successor to investigate Kennedy's death. The commission was led by Chief Justice Earl Warren with and had many of Kennedy's enemy's apart of it. They came to the conclusions that Lee Harvey Oswald has acted alone in klling Kennedy and there was no conspiracy -
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Counterculture
Developed in the U.S. in the late 1960's seceding the Beat Generation. The counterculture youth rejected middle-class values rejecting cars, suburban homes and average jobs their parents had. Mainly known as hippies, they were more about exploring their inner selves, peace and living in the moment without inhibition while using drugs such as LSD and Heroin. -
Freedom Summer
Civil Rights organizations such as CORE and SNCC organized a voter registration drive during the summer of 1964 aiming to expand black voting in the South. It consisted of black Mississippians and white volunteers who faced constant abuse and harassment from the Mississippi white population. The Ku Klux Klan, state, and local authorities carried out violent attacks against them, such as beating, false arrest resulting in the murder of 3 civil rights activists. -
Daisy Girl Ad
A controversial political advertisement during the election of 1964 about a 3-year-old girl counting as she plucked the daisy petals in a sun field. Her words were replaced by a mission control countdown following a massive nuclear blast playing to the fears of the Cold War mentality. It became an iconic ad changing political advertisements. -
Great Society
President Lyndon Johnson's program intended to create a "Great Society" that would end poverty and racial injustices. It consisted of ending poverty, giving a lot of money towards education, increase healthcare for the elderly, increase public housing, and beautification of highways. It resulted in the creation of Medicare/Medicaid, Head Start, Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, Department of Housing and Urban Development. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Signed into law by President Johnson in 1965 after the Selma March as an effort to register African American voters, which resulted in troopers assaulting the protesters. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ensured all citizens the right to vote, by authorizing the attorney general to send federal officials to register voters in areas that had experienced racial discrimination. The act banned literacy tests that were used to keep blacks and Hispanics from vote transforming politics. -
Watts Riots
A five-day riot in Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles, after two white policemen, arrested a black motorist of drunk driving. The arrest infuriated residents because it was all routine on a daily basis. The riot began by the residents of Watts who were furious looting stores, torching stores and beating whites. The rebellion was put down by the National Guard on August 16, changing the views of whites on civil rights because it was not non-violent. -
Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez, a Mexican-American was a prominent union leader and labor organizer who founded the United Farm Workers Union. He used nonviolent methods such as boycotts, marches, and hunger strikes to draw attention to better working and living conditions for Mexican workers in California. Also by convincing 17 million Americans not to buy non-union picked grapes as a way to help the workers. His methods worked, resulting in the increase in wages and improving working conditions. -
Equal Rights Amendment
First proposed by the National Woman's political party in 1922 to provide legal equality of sexes and prohibit discrimination based on gender. It was passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification set to be ratified by Congress in 1979 but failed by 3 states. It was near ratification with the support given until Phyliss Schlafly organized movements of conservative women to defeat the amendment with the fear it would reduce the rights of wives and harm family life. -
Watergate Scandal
A major political scandal during Nixon presidency, that followed after the break-in at the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C. In which Nixon's administration was connected, who wiretapped phones and stole secret documents. Nixon attempted to cover up his involvement by raising hush money and destroying evidence such as tapes that he refused to turn the tapes in. His involvement soon was proven resulting in his impeachment for abuse of power changing American politics -
Title IX
Part of the United States Education Amendmenments of 1972 enacted on June 23, 1972, prohibiting federally funded educational institutions from discriminating students or employees based on sex. Prohibiting the exclusions from participation, benefits or any education program, including athletics. It was designed to enforce equal access and quality for female athletes since there were few opportunities for athletic scholarships and championships for women's teams. -
Roe v. Wade
U.S. Supreme Court Case in the 1970's between Jane Roe who claimed Texas law criminalizing most abortions violated her constitutional rights and Henry Wade, a Dallas, Tx District Attorney. The law banned abortions except those necessary to save the mothers life. She claimed she was not endangered but could not afford to travel and had the right to terminate.The court case ruled for Roe in which states were forbidden to regulate any aspect of abortion, politically dividing the nation even more. -
Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, is a research and educational institution with the purpose to promote conservative public policies based on the principles of, limited government, free enterprise, traditional American values, individual freedom and a strong nation defense. It took a major role in the conservative movement during Ronald Reagan's presidency which has significantly influenced the U.S. in public policy making being considered one of the most influential conservative research organization. -
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
A permanent intergovernmental organization created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10, 1960. OPEC's objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries in order to secure fair and stable prices for oil producers. In 1973 they implemented an "oil diplomacy", prohibiting any nation that supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War from buying any of the oil they sold, causing the end of cheap petroleum up until March 1974 when the embargo ended. -
Endangered Species Act
Passed in 1973 by Congress and signed into law by President Nixon with the purpose to protect and recover endangered species and the ecosystems upon which they depend on. Under the ESA species can be listed as endangered or threatened, consisting of all species of plants and animals except pest insects. Enacted to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinctions. It is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Serve and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. -
Nixon's Resignation
After being involved in the Watergate Scandal and his actions of covering up the break in with various ways such as his refusal of giving the tapes led the House Judiciary Committee to adopt three articles of impeachment against Nixon; obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential powers and hindrance of the impeachment process. After he released the tapes, he announced his resignation before being fully impeached on television being the first president in American history to resign. -
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Gerald Ford's Presidency
38th President of the U.S.who took office on August 9, 1974, following the resignation of President Richard Nixon who left the White House due to his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. Ford was a modest person, who distanced himself from the elite and was on the Warren Commission. He pardoned Nixon for all his crimes, thinking it would help people get over the scandal. He implemented a Foreign Policy, in which forbids government employees from plotting to assassinate foreign leaders. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
In 1979, a group of Iranian students entered the U.S. Embassy in Tehran taking more than 60 Americans hostages, due to Presidents Jimmy' Carter's decision of giving amnesty to the Shah. After a short period, 13 of the hostages were released with 52 remaining. The U.S. took action by sending forces to rescue them, resulting in the death of 9 servicemen after the helicopters crashed in the Iranian desert. The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, after the election of Ronald Reagan. -
Robert L. Johnson
Born on April 8, 1946, is an African American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor. He is founder of Black Entertainment Television the first cable television network aimed at African-Americans that was first launched in 1980 for two hours on Friday night, that consisted of music videos, comedies, and original programs. He sold the network Viacom in 2001 for a price making him the first black billionaire. -
Election of 1980
The election between the two candidates Democratic Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan. Jimmy Carter's term had come with a bad economy and brought down his popularity down after the Iran Hostage Crisis, in which he was not able to rescue them after many tries. Reagan defeated him on November 1980 and was sworn in in which Ayatollah Khomeini released the American Hostages since he despised Carter. This election marked the new beginning of the "Reagan Revolution. -
AIDS Crisis
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a disease that first appeared in the early 1980's that rapidly became an epidemic among homosexuals in 1981. It later spread to the heterosexual community through blood transfusions. Activists mostly in the gay community responded by creating care and education centers but also called for the government to increase the funding to help in the crisis. President Reagan signed legislation increased federal research for research and education on AIDS. -
Music Television (MTV)
Television network first launched in 1981 with music and music videos of all genres. It went on to revolutionizing the music industry and became an influential source of pop culture and entertainment in the U.S and other parts of the worlds. It started off with airing music videos but later began airing non-video programming geared towards teens and young adults. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas became the first female Supreme Court Justice of the United States in 1981 who was nominated by Ronald Reagan. She developed a solid reputation for being just, is considered to be a moderate conservative, but later she sides with the liberal members of the court. She from the court in 2006, with the reasoning, to spend more time with her husband who had Alzheimer's. -
Strategic Defensive Initiative (SDI) "Star Wars"
A program first initiated on March 23, under President Ronal Reagan intended to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system to prevent missiles attacks from other countries specifically the Soviet Union. It consisted of lasers in outer space that would intercept and destroy Soviet missiles in flight. Congress approved the first stage of funding with the intention of hoping the Soviets will launch an expensive research and development of the same technology causing them to go bankrupt. -
Sam Walton's Just-in-Time Inventory
Sam Walton born in 1919 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma opened the first Walmart in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas offering a large variety of products at low prices. He changed the face of retail by bringing in the method of "just-in-time inventory", which refers to and inventory management system with the objective of having inventory available to meet demand rather than having large in-house stock. He created another chain of stores with the same purpose of low price products, such as Sam's Club. -
Reagan Doctrine
Doctrine in which Reagan defined some of his concepts of his foreign policy, serving as the foundation for the Reagan administration support of freedom fighters around the globe. It was a widespread "war of ideas" against communism, by reviving and expanding the notion of containment by promising to combat the Soviets even if it meant partnering with dictators. -
Challenger Explosion
Mission launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida that was delayed for six days due to weather and technical problems. Until January 28 an unusually cold day, it was forced to be launched despite the engineers warning of certain components being vulnerable to failure at low temperatures. It was lifted off at 11:39, and exploded 73 seconds, leaving hundreds in disbelief due to the death of the entire crew, keeping NASA from sending astronauts into space for more than two years. -
Iran Contra Affair
A scandal during Reagans administration in 1987, over the secret unlawful U.S. sale of arms to Iran in partial exchange for the release of the hostages in Lebanon. Contradicting Reagans insistence that his administration would never negotiate with terrorists. At the center of the scandal was Marine lieutenant colonel Oliver North who used the money from the arms illegally to help the Contra rebels fighting in Nicaragua when Congress had voted previously to ban that type of aid. -
Oprah Winfrey
Born on January 29, 1954, is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show" about current issues and trends, first aired in 1986 and was the highest rated television program in history. She has been considered the richest African American woman in the world and greatest black philanthropist. -
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Persian Gulf War/ 1st Iraq War
International conflict triggered by Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein who ordered an invasion and occupation in Kuwait in 1990 when they refused to forgive the debt. The U.S was called to intervene, to deter a possible attack in Saudi Arabia with Operation Desert. It consisted of 2 phases, the 1st phase was bombing important Iraqi installation and destroying power grids. The Second phase consisted of defeating Iraq troops in Kuwait by ground in 4 days. -
Rodney King Incident
Occurred on March 1991 when Rodney King a 25-year-old African American was chased 78 miles in his car by the L.A police ending with him being beaten by the police. The incident was caught on tape and aired around the world raising public concern about police treatment of minorities. Riots broke out after the incident lasting four days in which Asian shops were looted. -
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Balkans Crisis
A crisis that began in 1991 after Yugoslavia had disintegrated into ethnic warfare as four of its six multiethnic republics declared their independence from communism. Civil War broke out between the Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia, in which Serbian forced murdered thousands of Muslim Bosnians. Clinton saw it as intolerable therefore sending food and medical supplies to Bosnia, and troops to stop the massacres by bombing. -
Election of 1992
The election in 1992 between three candidates, Democrat Bill Clinton, Republican George H.W Bush, and Independent Ross Perot. The election resulted in the win of Bill Clinton with 43% of the vote since Ross Perots third party split the Republican votes for Bush. -
World Trade Center Attack-1993
The attack in which a terrorist place a bomb that exploded in a parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City hoping the building would collapse but it did not. It left a six-story hole on the ground of the parking garage with several collapsed concrete floors, killing 6 people and injuring more than 1,000 people. -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Signed into law by President Bill Clinton hoping the agreement would encourage other nations to work toward a broader world-trade-pact. It was a trade pact between Mexico, U.S., and Canada, knocking down trade barriers between the three nations. It put in place several rules on agricultural and technology industries, causing many Americans to lose their jobs from NAFTA. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
A policy introduced by Bill Clinton during his presidency in 1993 directing that military personnel "don't' ask, don't tell and don't harass". The policy lifted the ban on homosexual service that was instituted during WWII that didn't allow gays to be a part of the military. It prohibited any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about their relationships while serving in the U.S. military, and if they were open about it, they were banned. -
Health Care Reform
Passed during Bill Clinton's presidency with the longtime goal of nationalizing health care. It called for all large businesses to pay for most of the medical insurance expenses of their employees and requiring small businesses to form health alliances so they could provide subsidized health insurance to their workers. The reform was headed by his wife Hillary Clinton but failed when voted down by Congress in 1994. -
Lewinsky Affair
Clinton's sexual affair between 22-year old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, who had more than a dozen sexual encounters within the White House. She was transferred to the Pentagon where she confided with Linda Tripp about her sexual relationship with Clinton, which Tripp secretly recorded. Clinton pressed her to lie about it even under the oath while denying it himself. She soon did testify, thereafter He did also before a grand jury, leading to his impeachment charged with high crimes. -
Bush v Gore (SCOTUS Case)
Supreme Court Case between the two candidates of the election of 2000, Al Gore and Geoge W. Bush, one of the closest elections in history. Where Florida decided the winner of the election, but no one was able to decide who won the state due to the manual ballot count. It resulted in Bush win, but Gore took it to SCOTUS demanding a fair recount, where they decide that Bush won by the electoral college -
9/11 Attacks
Terrorist attack associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Queda hijacked four planes. One of the planes slammed into the North tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, eighteen minutes a second plane hit the south tower. The twin towers burned, and collapsed destroying buildings and killing nearly 3,000 people. The third plane hit the Pentagon, and the fourth was going towards the White House but missed when passengers assaulted the highjackers crashing in Pennsylvania. -
War on Terror
After the 9/11 attack on the U.S., it changed the course of modern life with a number of people paralyzed by grief, fear, and anger. President Bush launched a global crusade to get rid of anti-western and anti-American Islamist terrorist cells. It was a wave of patriotic fever that rolled across the nation, to rebuild what had been lost and defeat those who had caused such destruction and suffering, by launching Operation Enduring Freedom to punish terrorist or those who sided with terrorists. -
USA PATRIOT ACT
An acronym for Uniting and Strengthening American by Providing Appropriate Tools Requires to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism, signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. It is an anti-terrorism law drawn up in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. Its purpose was to empower law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent future terrorist attacks on American ground, by allowing them to conduct wide-sweeping searches and surveillance which many opposed. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
The act passed by President George W. Bush that authorizes several federal education programs that are administered by the states. Under the law, states are required to test the student in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school, which students are expected to meet or exceed state standards. The purpose was to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with fair, and equal opportunity to obtain a high education. -
2nd Iraq War
Armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by the United States-led coalition that toppled the government of Saadam Hussein with bombs to disarm Iraq, free its people and to defend the world from terrorist. Bush built much of a case for war on the idea that Saddam possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction of which he had links to terror. Iraq soon fell leading to the capture of Saddam who was executed by the Iraqis for war crimes. -
Hurricane Katrina Disaster
The hurricane that made a landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on August 29, 2005, the worst natural disaster in the history of the U.S. It brought winds of 145 miles per hour, which cut power lines and destroyed homes. It caused storm surges all along the Mississippi coast overwhelming the levees that protected New Orleans, leaving 80% of the city flooded. -
Barack Obama
Born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu Hawaii, Senator of Illinois was the Democratic nominee for the Election of 2008 with his running mate Joe Biden against John McCain a Republican. He defeated McCain with 365 electoral votes and 53% of popular vote becoming the 44th U.S. president and the first African-American elected to the White House. -
First Hispanic SCOTUS Judge
Sonya Sotomayor born on June 25, 1954, in The Bronx, New York City to Puerto Rican parents was nominated by President Barack Obama in May 2009 to the Supreme Court following the retirement of David Souter. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate in August 2009, becoming the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice of the United States -
Affordable Care Act (ACA) "Obama Care"
Signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, intended to reform a broken health-care system. Its purpose was to make health insurance more affordable and health care available for everyone regardless of their income prior medical conditions. It required uninsured adults to purchase an approved private insurance policy or pay a tax penalty which was widely opposed by Republicans.
