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Presidential Election of 1980
Running for re-election in 1980, president Carter was facing significant opposition regarding his foreign policies and the struggling economy. Running for the Republican Party was Ronald Reagan, a former governor and actor. Reagan promised to reduce government influence, staunchly oppose the Soviet Union, and stop what many conservatives saw as an attack on Christianity. As a Result, Reagan won the presidency. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
Another aspect of Reagan's anti-communism plan involved creating a better defense system against missiles. The Strategic Defense Initiative was a planned space-based system which could theoretically shoot down Soviet missiles. The plan was ridiculed by many as being too technologically advanced and was called science-fiction rather than a liable option for America. -
Operation Urgent Fury
The Reagan administration drastically shifted foreign policy from Carter's human-focused plans. Reagan pledged to directly fight communism, especially in Latin America. In 1983, communists attempted to take control of the small Caribbean nation of Grenada. Reagan quickly dispatched U.S. Marines to the island, and the group was able to remove the communist government within a week. The success of the mission gave Americans a much needed sense of victory. -
Boland Agreement
The Boland Agreement was unanimously approved by Congress to bar America from funding the contras. The contras were an insurgency fighting the leftward-leaning Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Several members of the Reagan administration had been willing to overlook the contras' brutal activities, and at one point officials actually broke the agreement by continuing to supply funds. -
Jesse Jackson Runs for President
In 1984, Jesse Jackson became the first African American man to run for president. Jackson had to compete for the the Democratic Party nomination in 1984 and 1988. While Jackson never won the nomination, his second place win in 1988 acted as proof of a strong shift in society. No longer were African Americans limited to small elections or faced with racially-motivated unpopularity. -
Stock Market Crash
Popularly known as Black Friday, the stock market on this date crashed 800 points. Many investors lost substantial amounts of money in a crash commonly associated with rampant speculation. Black Friday illustrated the stunning duality of the economy during the late 1980s, as massive success and startling poverty co-existed and would periodically shift places. -
Mikhail Gorbachev Retires
Mikhail Gorbachev was the latest leader of the Soviet Union and strongly maintained the superiority of communism. However, the power of the Soviet Union was on the decline as more countries began to grow wary of its influence. Gorbachev's retirement signaled the official end of the Soviet Union and, by extension, the Cold War. The conflict against the Soviet Union would stop being such a profound influence on American policies. -
World Trade Center Collapses
In a startling tragedy, operatives of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization took control of four planes and planned on flying them into important American landmarks. Three of the planes succeeded, with both World Trade Towers and the Pentagon being hit. The thousands of lost lives called for immediate American retaliation and sparked a continuing war on terrorism.
