-
Election of 2000
Al Gore's lawyers demanded the ballots to be hand counted and in a later court case, the Supreme Court ruled that selective hand recounts were unconstitutional. Bush won the presidency by one electoral vote. This complication placed a negative connotation on the Democratic party and strengthened conservatives. -
Period: to
Presidency of George W. Bush
-
9/11
Islamic terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, bringing chaos to NYC. Bush declared later that evening that any government harboring the terrorists would be held equally responsible. Bin Laden denied involvement, but showed approval of the attack, so Bush offered $25 million for his death or capture. In the U.S., thousands of Arabs were detained and those with immigration violations were imprisoned. This event was difficult for Bush to deal with, being only one year into his presidency. -
Anthrax Scare
A week after 9/11, letters containing anthrax spores were sent around which ended up killing 5 people. There were two main suspects and they were Steven Hatfill and Bruce Ivins. Steven was a bioweapons expert who was eventually exonerated, while the latter eventually killed himself from overdose in 2008. -
The Axis Of Evil
Bush identified Iran, North Korea, and Iraq as an axis of evil that threatened his actions. Following the crush of the Taliban, Bush announced that the United States could no longer wait during dangerous events and that the U.S. would go to war with Iraq. The congressional support for war appropriation was overwhelming. Missiles were released a year later. -
No Child Left Behind Act
President George W. Bush signed this act into law on January 8th, 2002. This bill was created due to the fear that American Education was falling behind on a global scale, and it's purpose was to strengthen the role of Government in holding school systems accountable for the education of their students. It emphasized the importance of education for students who were learning English, special needs students, students in poverty, and lastly, those who were further behind in academic excellence. -
Creation of Homeland Security
After 9/11 and the anthrax scare Bush created the cabinet department called the Department of Homeland Security. It's main mission was anti-terrorism and the like, such as cyber security. They were to keep the homeland safe. -
Reelection of George W. Bush
George W. Bush won reelection after a long campaign focused on the war on terrorism, and traditional and moral values. His victory was a somewhat narrow margin of 286 over 251 in the electoral college and he campaigned against governor John Kerry. -
Hurricane Katrina
This event, along wth 9/11, shadowed Bush's presidency even though he could not control them. On August 28, the Nation Weather Service had sent out warning about Katrina saying the damage would be devastating and the areas it gets to would be uninhabitable. 100,000 people were unable to evacuate, some because they were too poor to own a car. The damage was just as bad, if not worse, than predicted. TV crews arrived much earlier than government help(Federal Emergency and Management Agency) -
"Surge" by General Petraeus
In Iraq, General Petraeus used a tactic called "surge" to decrease violence. The strategy was "clear, hold, build". Insurgents were removed from the country and Sunni leaders were brought back to power. Initially, there were high casualties for Americans and civilians, but it gradually worked and violence was decreased in Iraq. -
Virginia Tech Shootings
On April 16th, of 2007 Seung-Hui Cho opened fire on the Virginia Tech campus, killing 32 students and staff, marking the largest campus massacre in United States history. President Bush gave his condolences to members of the institution and the families of those who had died in a public address later that day.
