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G.I Bill
The GI bill was created in 1944. The bill was made to give WWII veterans low-interest rates to buy home and it also offered college tuition for any veteran that wanted to go to school. The Veterans could also use the money to start a business. This will lead to an explosion in the housing market and the economy will benefit from it. The GI bill is still in effect today, but for all veterans. -
Atomic Weapons
President Harry Truman was unaware of the Manhattan Project. The project has been developing for over four years. The U.S was in competition with the Germans to develop the first atomic bomb. The first test bomb went off in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The Trinity Bomb was tested. Japan was given an ultimatum to surrender and they refused. In August 6, 1945 the Little Boy would be dropped on Hiroshima. -
Iron Curtain
The Irom Curtain was the physical and psychological border that was created by the Soviet Union. It was created to separate Western Europe from Eastern Europe. The Border was created so that Western Influence could not come across and stop the communist ideals that the Soviet Union was trying to spread. By making the wall Capitalist ideals could not corrupt communism. The Soviets would string barricades and barbed wire across their border of influence forming the curtain. -
The 2nd Red Scare
The 2nd Red Scare began in 1947 and would last for 10 years. Americans believed that they were losing the cold war so they freaked anytime they heard of communism. The House Un-American Activites Committee or HUAC was established. HUAC would target NAZIS and anybody that has had any affiliation with communism. People who were targeted were to be tried or they would go to jail. Many famous people would be targeted including Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and MLK. -
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The Cold War
1947-1991 -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift began in Summer 1949 and lasted until May the following year. Joseph Stalin and the Soviets did not like that there was Capitalism in Germany, so he sealed off the Soviet Union portion of Berlin and blocked off the railroad tracks. Stalin wanted the West to leave Berlin so that he could have full control. U.S and British planes would supply West Berlin day and night sending in supplies for over a year. Stalin would eventually give up and reopen the border. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was America's foreign policy that was created by Harry Truman in 1948. The policy was meant to stop the spread of communism by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Doctrine stated that the U.S would assist democratic countries to fight communism by providing military and economic aid. The Doctrine assisted Europe who was torn apart from WWII and vulnerable to everything. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was created by soldier George Marshall. The U.S would loan to Europe over $13 billion dollars at the time in order to rebuild Western Europe. This would help restore the world's faith in capitalism. The Europeans would adopt American labor, farming, and manufacturing techniques. This would allow Western Europe to recover from the War. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a conflict that the U.S became involved in to stop the spread of communism. North Korea was supported by Stalin and decides to invade South Korea. The U.S would bring in more troops and push their way to the border of North Korea and China was they would stop because the Chinese were there for support. They would then move back to the 38th parallel were a ceasefire would eventually be called and the war ends in a stalemate. -
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was President Harry Truman's continuation of the New Deal. The deal would focus on healthcare, public housing, education, and public works. There was also an emphasis on increasing the minimum wage and giving telephone and electricity access to everyone. The Fair Deal was not able to reach its full potential because of the Korean War. The Deal also need bi-partisan support which was difficult to obtain. -
Beat Generation
The Beat Generation, also known as the "Beatniks" was a generation of Artists, writers, and poets. The reject the culture in America of materialism. They also rejected the idea of home ownership and a family. They believed in individual freedom and enjoying life. The Beats were pro hippies and supported their ideas. The Beats would borrow slang from the African American community. Some words include "dig it" and "man". -
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The 1950s
1950-1959 -
Ike Turner
Ike Turner was an African American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Turner is known for making the first Rock and Roll Song, "Rocket 88". Rocket n Roll would be a phenomenon in the 1950s thanks to Turner and other great artists like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and the Comets. Though Rock and Roll would be controversial between teenagers and their parents, it would be a main part of the culture from the 1950s. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley and the Comets was a Rock and Roll band that was founded in 1952. The Comets created the song "Rock Around the Clock Tonight". The song fell in with the belief of Rock and Roll being sexually suggestive. This was one of the first songs to make Rock and Roll exploded in the U.S. Rock n Roll would be popular especially among teenagers. Teenagers would rebel against their parents who frowned upon Rock n Roll. -
News
The invention of the TV provided people with a new way to get their news on what was happening around the country. The American Bandstand was a show that informed people of all the new music of the time.The Ed Sullivan was also popular and important in keep people updated on the loop of trends. He would invite a number of artists on his show and they would be featured. -
TV shows
By the mid-1950s, over 70% of families had a TV in their home. The TV was the new source of entertainment. Shows such as "I love Lucy" & "Father knows best" showed what an ideal family looks like. Some of the values that were emphasized is being obedient to your parents and working hard to earn everything you have. -
Brown v Board of Education
The Court Case of Brown v Board of Education is one of the most important court cases in civil rights. Linda Brown a small black girl from Kansas was attempting to go to a school closer to her home but was stopped. Thurgood Marshall would represent the Brown's in the court case and he would use psychological evidence to win the case. SCOTUS would rule that the case of Plessy v Ferguson was unconstitutional and public places were now forced to integrate. -
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The Civil Rights Movement
1954- 1968 -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was the King of Rock and Roll. He made Rock and Roll exploded and popular. He was born extremely into a poor family and adopted rhythm and blues from African Americans. Presley's style of Rock and Roll had a sexual association. The young people enjoyed it, but many adults would frown upon it. Presley would make many appearances on shows including the Ed Sullivan show. -
Polio Vaccine
By the 1950s Polio had been killing thousands of American children every year. Polio who were infected were left paralyzed after the disease left their bodies. FDR was a victim of Polio in his adulthood. Dr. Jonas Salk was the first doctor to develop a vaccine to fight Polio. The Vaccine was created in 1955. An Oral vaccine would be invented later in 1961 by Albert Sabin. By 1944 Polio would no longer be a problem in the U.S. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in Montgomery, Alabama after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat. Jo Ann Robinson would make 35 thousand flyers and posted them around Montogomery. The African Americans would boycott the buses for a whole year. They would carpool with each other instead or walk to work. The boycott was successful because the bus companies needed African American riders in order to stay in business. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was enacted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Act would allow African Americans to have more access to voting rights because many Whites in the South were resisting black voting rights by requiring them to pay a tax, have a certain license, or stand near the poll booths and intimidate the voters. Many southern legislators would oppose the act and attempted to stop the passing of the Act by filibustering. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 incident occurred in September 1957. White people in Little Rock, Arkansas were resisting integrating African American children into their schools. These segregationalists where resisting the rulings of Brown v Board for as long as possible. Governor Orval Faubus would order the state National Guard to stop the 9 African students from entering Central High school. President Eisenhower would intervene and have the children escorted to school for the year. -
Sit-Ins
Sit-ins was a form of non-violence protest that occurred in the late 1950s. The first sit-in occurred Greensboro, North Carolina. African American protestors would go to white dinners and sit down in seats that were designated for white people. The protestors would be mocked, beaten, and have food thrown at them. Sit-Ins were organized by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee which composed of teenagers. This form of protest would be successful as dinners would desegregate. -
New Frontier
The New Frontier was the name of JFK's agenda when he was the president. Some of the things that Kennedy wanted was to raise the minimum wage, help out overcrowded schools, cutting taxes for businesses, and increase spending to avoid another recession. JFK also challenged the U.S to get a man to the moon within 10 years. Part of the New Frontier also included the establishment of the Peace Corps which was created to spread capitalism. -
Politics
The TV was now an outlet for politicians to use to appeal to their supporters. Nixon used the power of TV to make his "Checkers Speech". The TV allowed Nixon to appeal to a wider audience as he was running for President. The election of 1960 was the first time Presidential debates were shown on TV. People say that this was one of the reasons why JFK won the election because he looked more confident and more charming. -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
The Earl Warren Supreme court was known as one of the most liberal courts in U.S history. The Warren Court would take down many conservative rules that were in place. Some include prayer in school, Jim Crow, Interracial marriage, and many others. The Warren Court made it possible for JFK and LBJ to pass most laws that they created. This turned the country into a liberal government for a period of time. -
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The 1960s
1960 - 1969 -
Freedom Rides
Freedom Rides would occur in 1961. In order to fight segregation, whites and blacks traveled on buses together deep down south. Their purpose was to challenge the resistance that Southerners had towards the SCOTUS case rulings. Many Southerners would violently clash with the bus riders and harass them. This would force the government to do something. A ride to Anniston, Alabama led to the tires on the bus being slashed and eventually fire bombed. -
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was founded by JFK during his presidency. The Corps was created too spread Capitalist ideas. The program inspired young college students to work in poor countries and participating in humanitarian projects. JFK's plan was mostly unaccomplished during the time that he was in office. Conservatives did not support this agenda because they believed it was too liberal and did not want to give money to poor schools. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Castro in Cuba was scared of the U.S and wanted protection, so the Soviet Union sent troops and ICBMs to Cuba in secret. The U.S discovered the Soviets and deemed it unacceptable. The Soviet Soldiers were to attack the U.S if they were invaded. Kennedy underestimated the number of Soviet Soldiers in Cuba. He would create a naval blockade to stop the Soviets from arming the IBCMs. Khrushchev would call his ships back and the two leaders would come to a deal of disarming some of their weapons. -
March on Washington
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr and 500k African American people marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C to send a message to people in the South. President Kennedy was proposing a civil rights bill. but many southern congressmen were threatening to filibuster the bill, so on the 100 year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation MLK recited his famous, "I have a Dream" speech for everyone to hear. -
Birmingham Bombing
On September 15, 1963, a bomb was hurled inside the 16th street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama and killed 4 African American girls. This incident occurred approximately 2 weeks after MLK's march on Washington. Supposivley the KKK was behind this because they were upset about the March. The men that were responsible for the bombing were never tried until 2000. Those men would be jailed and some would die in jail. -
Ascendancy of Lyndon Johnson
After the Assassination of JFK Lyndon Johnson, the VP at the current time would be sworn into office aboard the Air Force One. LBJ would go on to creating the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination to see if anyone else was involved. Johnson would take over JFK's New Frontier until the 1964 presidential election where he would run for president himself. He will continue the New Deal legacy as well. -
Assassination of JFK
JFK flew to Texas in order to campaign for his reelection. He landed in Love Airfield, Dallas, Texas and was headed to a luncheon at the Dallas Trade Mart. Kennedy wanted to generate excitement among the crowds, so he rode through downtown where people lined up to see him. The parade route was published a few days prior, so everyone could come and see Kennedy. As he was driving through downtown he would be shot in the head and killed. -
Warren Commission
The Warren Commision was created by President Lyndon B Johnson to investigate JFK's assassination. A number of Kennedy's enemies would serve on the commision. They would come to the conclusion the Lee Harvey Oswald was the only person involved in the Assassination. Many people did not believe the findings founded by the commision because the final blow appeared to have come from the side of Kennedy. Many conspiracy theories would erupt from the findings of the comittee. -
Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Ad played a major role in LBJ victory in the 1964 Presidential election. The Ad used the people's fears of Cold War and the threat from the Soviet Union of nuclear warfare and destruction. The Ad targeted Goldwater's comments about NATO and how he said that commanders should have the authority to use nuclear weapons. The ad portrayed little girls everywhere will be blown up if Goldwater were to be elected as President. -
Barry GoldWater
Barry Goldwater served in the Senate representing Arizona for 30 years. In 1964 he decided to run for president and represented the Republican party. He was conservative and wanted to get rid of many of the New Deal & Great Society Programs. Some of the programs included social security and Civil rights. Many people from the South began to leave the Democratic Party because it was too liberal and began joining the Republican Party. -
Great Society
The Great Society was the name of Lyndon B Johnson's Agenda when he was serving as the President. The Great Society continued the New Deal and made promises of better education, good standard of living, and beautification of the U.S. With the help of the liberal Warren court Johnson was able to pass many of the bills and laws that he proposed. He would use the "treatment" as well to get what he wanted from people and to impose his plans. -
Counter Culture
Counter Culture consisted of are people who opposed the current culture and have different opinions about the norms of society. These people followed the beats generation. They believed in individual freedom instead of the nuclear family. People part of the counterculture would use drugs to connect with their inner selves. Women would also begin to fight for their own rights in a movement called feminism. They will attempt to empower themselves through sexuality. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Johnson administration set up the Incident and provoked Vietnamese forces to attack an American Destroyer. After two "attacks" American troops would begin to mobilize and begin operation Rolling Thunder. The Incident was created so that the U.S can be involved in the Vietnam War to protect capitalism. This incident would eventually lead to the creation of the War Powers Act that would limit the military power of the president. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
After seeing the events of Selma on TV, LBJ announced a bill that granted everyone in the U.S equal voting rights. In August 1965 the bill would be signed and put into law. The Bill would prohibit poll taxes, literacy test, and any discriminatory laws that prevented people from voting. People can now use the federal registers to vote if the state does not follow the 15th amendment. The result would be an increase number of African Americans registering to vote. -
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party was a group of paramilitary African Americans. The Party was founded in October 1966 in Oakland, California. People in the Party wore commando style attire and were armed to defend African Americans on the streets. The Party would appeal to many young African Americans in the cities and gain momentum. Their founder Huey Newton would be jailed for manslaughter and by the time he was released the Party ceased to exist. -
Silent Majority
The Silent Majority was the White people who lived in the U.S. Many people in President Nixon's courts were upset about the countless liberal policies that were passed in the 1960s. The disliked the programs that helped the minorities, so Nixon was forced to cut the budget for the Great Society programs. The term Silent Majority came into existence when Nixon addressed the Nation and asked the Silent Majority to support the effort of the Vietnam War. -
Warren Burger Supreme Court
President Nixon appointed Warren Burger as the Chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1969. This would mark the beginning of a Conservative Age in the U.S. In the 70s white kids would be shipped across town to attend minority school. The Silent Majority was angry and riots began to occur. SCOTUS would overturn the forced busing and whites would begin moving farther away from the city in a process called White flight. Many schools closer to the city would now become full of minorities. -
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The 1970s
1970 -1979 -
Decline of Industrial Midwest
As we approach the 80s steel production in the U.S began to decline dramatically. Production dropped to 14% from 50% of the world's steel production. This was a result of foreign competition. Foreign companies created new methods that made steel cheaper and more efficient to manufacture. Many steel mills in the Midwest would begin to shut down. The area would be nicknamed the rust belt. Companies would begin moving south because there was cheap labor. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment or the ERA was passed by Congress in 1972 but fails to be ratified by 3 states. Phyllis Schlafly was responsible for stopping the amendment from being passed. She organized conservative women together to protest and stop the ratification. The Conservative women feared that the Amendment would ruin family life. The Conservative women would fear for the creation of unisex bathrooms or having to serve in combat. -
Watergate
Watergate was one of the biggest scandals in the 20th century. The Watergate was a hotel and Headquarters of the Democratic Party at the time. Nixon sent 5 "plumbers" who were undercover agents to spy on the Democrats and gain information about the upcoming campaign. One of the plumbers would be caught and Nixon was discovered to be involved. He would execute Executive Privilege which allowed him to not incriminate himself. He would eventually be faced with the choice to resign or be empeached. -
OPEC
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was also known as OPEC. OPEC controls a majority of the World's Oil supply. They are in charge of managing the oil supply so that the world does not run out of oil. During the Yom Kippur War OPEC would place an embargo on the U.S for supporting Israel. This caused gas prices in the U.S to skyrocket. President Nixon would eventually convince OPEC of lifting the embargo by giving up so territory. -
War Powers Resolution
The War Powers Resolution Act was passed in 1973. The act was created because the President had too much power over the military. The Act was usual during WWII to mobilize troops, but President Johnson would abuse it in the Gulf of Tonkin. The President now can only have 60 days of military control without the permission of Congress. If the President wants more than he/she will have to go in front of Congress to ask for more. -
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade was a SCOTUS case that dealt with women and abortion. Women had been protesting for legal abortion for years because many states outlawed the practice. States would only allow abortions if the mother's life was endangered or for any other extreme cases. Norma McCorvey would sue Texas for her right to privacy. She would keep her name secret and sued using the name Jane Roe. The SCOTUS would rule that outlawing abortion is unconstitutional and abortion is only legal in 1st trimester. -
Jimmy Carter's Presidency
When Jimmy Carter became the President he tried to create a populist type of excitement like JFK. On Inauguration Day, he would walk from the Capitol to the White House. Carter's Domestic Policies were very simple. He would pardon ten thousand draft dodgers from the Vietnam War and allow them back into the country. Carter would establish the Departments of Education and energy which would attempt to bring up declining schools and promote the use of renewable energy. -
Beginnings of the Personal Computer
The U.S will begin to have a shift in technology. Due to the production of steel declining many people will begin to turn towards the production of technology. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak changed America when they invented the Apple 1 Computer. This technological device was the first of its kind and would revolutionize the world. Bill Gates would be another person who would change the technology scene. He would create a new operating system called Microsoft that can run on any computer. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The U.S supported the Shah of Iran because he supplied the U.S with oil. Ayatollah Khomeini would lead an Islamic revolution and they mistrusted the U.S, so they would take 52 Americans from the U.S embassy hostage. President Carter would send a special forces team to rescue the hostages, but an accident would occur and the mission would fail. Saddam Hussein would invade Iran later on and negotiates a deal with Khomeini to end the Crisis. The hostages would be released in January 1981. -
Entertainment in the 1980s
One of the most popular forms of entertainment in the 80s was Cable TV. With the use of satellites, people could now view new and special channels such as CNN, ESPN, and MTV. These companies grew dramatically with the help of the cable. Cable TV would help Madonna and Micheal Jackson launch their careers into stardom. Rap Music would also become very popular in the 80s with the Whites stealing Rock n Roll from the African Americans. Many people would go to video arcades in their free time. -
Reagonomics
Once Ronald Reagan became President he had a plan to build the economy back up. His plan was called Reaganomics. In his plan, he would cut corporate and income tax, and create better jobs. This would result in people spending more money and build the economy. In 1986 his tax reform would be passed cutting taxes by 42%. Reagan's Plan would not work though. The national debt would triple by 1988 and American income would stagnate. -
AIDS Crisis
In the 1980s many gay people were seen as people with a mental disorder. AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was a disease that was transmitted sexually. Thousands of homosexuals would contract the disease. They would not know about the disease and it would continue to spread across the nation through blood transfusions. Many people AIDS was the gay's punishment until heterosecual people began contracting AIDS as well. -
Election of 1980
The candidates for the presidential election of 1980 was Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Reagan represents the Republican Party and Jimmy Carter would run for another term representing the Democrats. Reagan would unite the Conservative party and many would vote for him. Due to the bad economy during Carter's Presidency and the hostage crisis in Iran, many people would lose faith in Carter. Reagan would defeat Carter and win the Election in November that year. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was born April 8, 1946, in Hickory, Mississippi. Johnson would grow up and become an entrepreneur and co-founder of BET, an entertainment company. He would become the first African American billionaire in America. The company would have a channel on cable tv that would feature music videos, black sitcoms, and many other forms of entertainment. Johnson would work at the company until 2005 when he would retire. -
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The 1980s
1980 - 1989 -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor would be the first female Supreme Court Justice. She would be nominated by President Reagan in 1981. O'Connor sided with the conservatives while serving, but she would later switch over and begin to side with the liberal ideas. In 2006, after working 25 years O'Connor would retire to care for her husband whose health was declining due to contracting Alzheimers. -
Space Shuttle Program
The Space shuttle Program began in 1981. The Program was carried out by NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The first shuttle was launched in April 1981. Her name was Colombia and her launch was a success. Sally Ride would become the first American women in space with the help of the program. In 1986 the Challenger would explode and postpone flights to space for 2 years. The program would last until 2011 when NASA ended it to fund other programs. -
Sam Walton's Just in time delivery
Sam Walton opened up Walmart which was a retail store that would offer a wide variety of products. This would reduce the price of the goods and the savings would be passed down to the customers. Walton would create a system called just in time delivery. The stock in the back would be small and products would arrive in the store when they need to be restocked. This system was very efficient especially with the help of computers that would keep track of all the numbers. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as "star wars" or SDI was created in 1984. SDI was created to help the U.S defend itself from a nuclear threat from the Soviet Union's ballistic missiles. The defense system would use satellites to shoot down the missiles while they were airborne. The U.S could not develop the technology, so they gave it to the Soviet Union hoping they would go bankrupt trying to develop the system. The Soviet Union would take the system and try to develop it. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Sandinistas in Nicaragua were Pro Communist and were planning to overthrow the American dictator in 1979. Reagen would secretly arm the Contras to fight the Sandinistas. Congress would find out, but Reagen's administration would still secretly support the contras. The Reagen administration would also gain some money by selling weapons to Iran. The money gained would supply the Contras and vice versa. Colonel Oliver would cover up their actions. A plane crash in 1986 would reveal the weapons. -
Period: to
The 1990s
1990 - 1999 -
First Persian Gulf War
The Conflict would begin with Iraq fighting Iran in the 80s. The war would end in a stalemate. During the fight, the U.S and Kuwait lend Iraq billions of dollars and they did not want to pay Kuwait back. They blamed Kuwait for hurting the Iraq economy with cheap oil, so Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait to avoid paying the debt. The U.S would engage operation Desert Shield and put troops in Kuwait and remove the Iraqis. Iraq would then be sanctioned for the rest of the 90s. -
Rodney King Incident
The Rodney King Incident would occur in March 1991. Rodney King was an African American man who would be chased 78 miles by the LA Police. The chase would end with King being beaten. The beating would be caught on tape and all the media outlets would post it. Following the arrest riots would occur for 4 days. Asian shops would be stolen from by Black and Latino residents because they were angry for not being hired. The officers would be arrested and charged with assault and excessive force. -
Election of 1992
The Election of 1992 was William "Bill" Clinton who represented the Democratic Party versus George H.W. Bush who would run for a second term and represent the Republican Party, Clinton was the Governor of Arkansas and a charismatic leader who understood his people. Bush would be known for turning down the economy, but very popular for the outcome of the Persian War. Ross Perot ran as a third party taking away votes from Bush. Clinton would win with only 43% of the votes. -
NAFTA
NAFTA or the North American Free Trade Agreement was a created in 1993. NAFTA would consist of the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. The agreement would knock down trade barriers and allow tax-free trades between the three countries. Rules were put in place to regulate the agriculture and technology industries. Americans would lose many manufacturing jobs as a result of NAFTA because the jobs would now go to Mexico due to the cheap labor. NAFTA would also stop the production of Mexican knockoff products. -
Don't Ask Don't Tell
For the past few decades, gays were looked down upon. They were blamed for AIDS and everyone looked at them in a disgusted manner. Many of them would keep being gay a secret. Bill Clinton's Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy was created for gay people. Before the policy gays could serve in the military, but not be public about being gay. This policy would allow gay men to serve in the military and express who they are. -
Healthcare Reform
As President, Bill Clinton would try his best to nationalize healthcare. Nationalizing healthcare has been a liberal goal for hundreds of years. Clinton would give the task to Hillary Clinton his wife. This made Hillary one of the most active first ladies since Eleanor Roosevelt. Republican would use the media and call it socialized medicine. The reformation would fail until 2009 when Barack Obama took over as President. -
Internet
The Internet has been around since the 60s in military bases. It was used to exchange data. Supercomputers in the 80s would allow communication on college campuses. By 1994, four million homes in the U.S would have an internet connection this would later grow to tens of millions by the end of the decade. America Online would be a service provider and have emails for people to communicate with one another. The Internet would now be used in everyday life. By 2001 there were 130 million uses. -
Lewinsky Affair
Monica Lewinsky was an intern working at the White House. She would have sexual affairs with President Bill Clinton multiple times in the Oval Office. She would be moved to work at the Pentagon where she befriended Linda Tripp and told of her affairs. Kenneth Star a special prosecutor would get evidence from Tripp and publish it to the media. Clinton would deny the affair and swear under oath. Evidence would be found and Clinton would face Impeachment. -
Balkans Crisis
In the Mid 90s, tensions were brewing in the former Yugoslavia. The Croatians and Serbians were Christians while the Bosnians were Muslim. After the fall of Communism in 1991, a civil war would break out between the two sides. Serbians would have a mass genocide against the Bosnians and thousands would die. Kosovo and Albania would declare for independence from Croatia and Serbians. The genocide will continue and NATO would be forced to bring in troops and bomb sites to stop the genocide. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey was born January 29, 1954. Oprah is most known for the talk show that she created. The show would discuss the trends that occur and the issues that people around the world were experiencing. Oprah would become one of the richest women in the world and represent African American women. In the 2008 election, she would support Obama. By 2011 she would retire and put an end to her show which lasted from 1986 to 2011 and rated and one of the best of all time -
Election of 2000
The Candidates for the 2000 election were Al Gore who represented the Democratic Party and George W. Bush who represented the Republican Party. Gore was Clinton's VP, an environmentalist, and emphasized retirement of the baby boomers. Bush was the Governor of Texas and believed in an ownership society. Ralph Nader would run as the third party and pull votes away from Gore. This election would be one of the closest in history with the election being decided by the SCOTUS. -
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Contemporary
2000 - present -
USA PATRIOT ACT
The USA PATRIOT ACT or Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism was created after the 9/11 attacks. Law enforcement and federal agencies would now be able to conduct searches and surveillance. Many immigrants would be detained and monitored. Many people were opposed to the Act because it gave the executive government too much power and was a violation of personal privacy. -
9/11 Attacks
On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda members would hijack airplanes and turn their course. Two would hit the World Trade centers, one would hit the Pentagon and the last plane will be taken back by the passengers and crash in a field. 2,973 people will die from these attacks. These events will make the world fully aware of terrorism and its dangers. The U.S will declare a war to end terrorism which eventually leads to the 2nd Iraq War. -
Compassionate Conservatism
During his, Presidency Bush made promises to use private industries, charities, and religious organization to assist the poor. He followed conservative values and did not want the people to rely on the government. He believed the poor was too reliant on the government and lost their desires to become better. With this belief Bush would attempt to reduce the size of the government to carry out his plans. -
The Housing Bubble
A Major recession would hit the U.S economy from 2002 to 2003. Bush would cut the taxes by 15%. Most would now be directed towards the wealthy. Housing prices would now double and they would be sold for profit. Many people would go into the subprime market for loans with a variety of interest rates. This will weaken the economy and the interest rates would stay low until 2008. Houses will now be very difficult to buy and last for years. -
2nd Iraq War
Saddam Hussein was blamed for the attacks of 9/11. Saddam used Chemical weapons in the war against Iran and was believed to obtain nuclear weapons. The Bush Doctrine allowed the U.S to use any force to fight terrorism. The U.S would link Saddam to Niger and attempting to buy Uranium. Even with these false accusations, the U.S would invade Iraq. First, they would bomb and soften up their targets. Then troops were brought in and the Iraq army would fall. -
Election of 2008
In the 2008 election, Barack Obama represented the Democratic Party and John McCain represented the Republican Party. Obama was a senator from Illinois and against the Iraq war. He would beat out Hillary Clinton to represent the Democratic Party. John McCain was a Former Navy Pilot and POW from the Vietnam War. Both candidates promised to end the Tax cuts made by President Bush and leave Iraq. Obama would win the election by 53% of the popular and a large margin of the electoral college. -
The Great Recession
The Great Recession would begin in 2008 during the Presidential campaign. The price of homes would fall due to banks lending too much money to risky investments. This would lead to many foreclosures of houses and business. The government would be forced to bail business, brokered houses, and insurance companies. This Recession would be one of the worst since the Great Depression. President Bush would need to loan almost 1 million dollars to banks to recover. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in 2009 under the Obama administration. The Act used $700 billion of government spending to create new jobs and save the jobs that were still there. The Act was created to help pull the U.S economy out of the Recession of 2008. The Act would successfully allow the economy to grow and stabilize. However, this would put the U.S further into debt with foreign nations. -
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Healthcare Act was also known as "ObamaCare" ObamaCare would be passed in 2010 under the Obama administration. The Act would require everyone to have insurance or pay a fine. This would benefit private insurance companies because they would gain more money. Those who could not afford private insurance companies would receive Obamacare with the fines that they pay. Many liberals were unhappy because even though healthcare would now be nationalized, it was not a single pay system.
