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Ike Turner
(November 5, 1931 - December 12, 2007) Ike Turner was born on November 5, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and grew up playing the blues. By the time of the 50s, his band, The Kings of Rhythm, grew very popular for their song "Rocket 88" which was an early example of Rock & Roll. -
Little Richard
Little Richard is an American musician, singer, and songwriter; he was an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than six decades. Little Richard's most celebrated work comes from the mid-1950s when his dynamic music and charismatic showmanship laid the foundation for rock and roll. In 1986, he was even inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of its group of inductees. -
Elvis Presley
(January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977) Elvis Presley began attracting attention with his music in 1954 when he was 19, infusing black rhythm and blues songs with his distinctive style, which came to include dance moves that were considered quite sexually suggestive for the time (Elvis the Pelvis). In 1956, his song "Heartbreak Hotel" became his first number one hit, raising him to become a national sensation. He is now widely known as the King of Rock N' Roll. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
(October 18, 1939 - November 24, 1963) Lee Harvey Oswald was a former American U.S. Marine who was convicted of assassinating President John F. Kennedy in downtown Dallas on November 22, 1963. After Kennedy's assassination, Oswald was arrested. He was being transferred two days later to a county jail when he was fatally shot by Jack Ruby in full view of television cameras broadcasting live. Ruby was then arrested for first-degree murder of Oswald on November 24, 1963. -
G.I. Bill of Rights
FDR signs the G.I. Bill on June 22, 1944. The G.I. Bill of Rights, more commonly known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided an array of benefits for G.I.'s, or returning WWII veterans, such as college tuition and living expenses for those of whom were attending college or trade schools, as well as compensation for one-year of unemployment. It also established veterans' hospitals for vocational rehabilitation, and made low-interest mortgages available. -
Iron Curtain
On March 5, 1946, in a speech to an American audience, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared that an "iron curtain" had "descended across the continent." The Iron Curtain was Winston Churchill's term for the Cold War division between the Soviet-dominated East and the U.S.-dominated West; it was both a physical & an ideological division that represented the way Europe was viewed after World War II. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine arose from a speech delivered by President Truman in front of Congress on March 12, 1947. It was President Truman's policy to provide political, economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism. Through this, President Truman hoped to stop the spread of communism, limiting the system to countries in which it already existed. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was announced in a commencement speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, by Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The Plan was basically an economic extension of the Truman Doctrine; the U.S. would help rebuild Europe's economy by funding them, as long as the money was spent on goods made in America. This opened more markets for American goods and further boosted the economy of the United States. -
Berlin Airlift
(June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949) During the Cold War, the Soviet Union set up the Berlin Blockade (Berlin Wall), separating any access to West Berlin, believing that it would make it impossible for those who lived there to get food or supplies eventually driving rivaling countries out. However, the U.S. and its allies supplied West Berlin with food and fuel to citizens through dropping it from the air. This lasted for more than a year, carrying more than 2.3 million tons of cargo into West Berlin. -
TV Shows
TV shows came into prominence in the 1950's when people were bored in their homes. Channels such as ABC and NBC showed news about what was happening throughout the United States at the time. These channels grew big by becoming the United State's first news channels. -
Fair Deal
On January 5, 1949, President Harry S. Truman announces his new Fair Deal policy in reference to FDR's New Deal policies, in his State of the Union address. The New Deal was an economic extension of the New Deal, proposing higher minimum wage, national health insurance, public housing, federal assistance to farmers, an extension of Social Security, civil rights legislation and federal aid to education. It also urged the immediate implementation of anti-discrimination policies in employment. -
Beat Generation
(Not an actual date) The Beat Generation was a literary movement started by a group of American writers who came to prominence in the 1950's. The Beat Generation's culture included a rejection of mainstream American values, experimentation with drugs and alternate forms of sexuality, and an interest in Eastern spirituality. They were a reaction to WWII, McCarthyism and the Korean War, empowering feminism, environmental issues, rejecting materialism and mysticism. -
North Korea invades South Korea
The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, when about 75,000 soldiers from North Korea crossed the 38th parallel, invading South Korea. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops intervened and entered the war on South Korea's behalf. However, this prompted the massive intervention of communist Chinese forces. On July 27, 1953, the Korean War reaches a stalemate with the adversaries signing an armistice, resulting in the continuous division of Korea. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Sald, an American medical researcher, announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine against the polio virus. Clinical trials used Salk's vaccine, and a placebo began on nearly two million American schoolchildren in 1954. A year later in April 1955, it was announced the polio vaccination was effective and safe, resulting in a nationwide inoculation campaign beginning. -
Brown v. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court made a decision that overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, allowing state-sponsored segregation as it applied to the public education; the Court ruled that "separate but equal" schools for blacks were inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional. Under the ruling of Earl Warren, it paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the Civil Rights Movement. -
Albert Sabin
Dr. Jonas Salk was the first person to discover a vaccination for the Polio disease. However, Dr. Albert Sabin later discovered the oral vaccination for the Polio disease in the 1950's. On April 12, 1955, it was announced publically that the vaccination was safe to use thus being easier to use worldwide, compared to Dr. Salk's vaccination. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
On August 24, 1955, Emmett Till was caught flirting with a white woman in a corner store. Four days later, he was brutally murdered by this woman's husband, Roy Bryant, and her brother J.W. Milam. They made Till carry a 75-pound cotton gin fan to the bank of the Tallahatchie River and stripped him. Then the two men continued to beat him to death, gouged out his eye, shot him in the head, and then threw his body, tied to the fan with barbed wire, into the river. His body was found 3 days later. -
Vietnam War
(November 1, 1955 - April 30, 1975) The Vietnam War was very similar to the Korean War; the communist North battling against the capitalist South. The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict between the communist regime of North Vietnam (aka Viet Cong), against South Vietnam and the United States as its ally. The divisive war ended with the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973 and the unification of Vietnam under Communist control two years later. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
(December 5, 1955 - December 20, 1956) The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an American Civil Rights Movement, in which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama to protest segregated seating, occurring after the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system after 381 days of the boycott. -
Little Rock Nine
On September 4, 1957, in an American Civil Rights Movement, nine black students were enrolled at the formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock Nine, Arkansas. However, on their first day, Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas called in the state National Guard to bar the black students' entry into the school. After about a month, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the students, known as the "Little Rock Nine", into the school for their first day of classes. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed into law at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement on September 9, 1957. It prohibited attempts that intimidated or prevented others from voting and laid the foundation for federal enforcement of civil rights law including civil lawsuits. It also created the Civil Rights Commission, which increased the protection of voting rights and the power to investigate incidents involving the denial of voting rights. -
Sputnik
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union inaugurates the "Space Age" by launching Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. Due to the United States fear that the Soviets were ahead in both space exploration and military missiles, they forced the Eisenhower administration to increase defense spending and accelerate America's space program. -
New Frontier
(Not an actual date) The term New Frontier was used by President John F. Kennedy in his inauguration speech in the 1960 United States presidential election to the Democratic National Convention. It consisted of "new" liberal and civil rights ideas, in contrast to Eisenhower's conservative view. It included the proposal to provide medical care for the elderly, to rebuild urban areas, aid education, bolder the national defense, increase international aid, and extend the space program. -
Hippies
(not an actual date // began in the 60's) -
OPEC
(Not the actual date) The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed at the Baghdad Conference in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to serve as a platform for oil producers to achieve their economic objectives, later joined by Qatar, Indonesia, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Nigeria. OPEC's objective is to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among the member countries to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers. -
Anti-War Movement
(not an actual date // late 60's) The Anti-War Movement of the 1960's consisted of activists that felt their demands were ignored; these protestors were against the Vietnam War and its draft. At first, anti-war demonstrations were very few, but the ongoing events in Southeast Asia and at home caused these numbers to grow as the years went by. And as their demands were being ignored, peaceful demonstrations soon turned violent. -
Nixon-Kennedy Debate on TV
On September 26, 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon battled against one another in the 1st televised presidential debate in American history. Many who listened on the radio believed Nixon won, but those who watched the broadcast believed Kennedy won due to his composure. The debate not only had a major impact on the election's outcome, but it also showcased a new era in which crafting a public image and taking advantage of media exposure became essential to a successful political campaign. -
Peace Corps
President John F. Kennedy issues an executive order establishing the Peace Corps as a trial program on March 1, 1961. The Peace Corps was a program in which the assistance of U.S. volunteers is offered to the developing nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They had goals which included providing technical assistance and helping people outside the United States to understand the U.S. culture. -
Bay of Pigs
(April 17, 1961 - April 19, 1969) The CIA wanted to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba, so on the night of April 17, 1961, about 1400 Cuban exiles supported by the U.S. military landed on the islands and invaded the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. However, the invasion did not go as planned: the invaders were severely outnumbered by Fidel Castro's troops thus surrendering after less than 24 hours of fighting. -
Freedom Rides
(May 4, 1961 - December 10, 1961) On May 4, 1961, a group of African American & white civil rights activists launched the Freedom Rides, a series of bus trips traveled by protestors through the American South to desegregate interstate bus terminals. White violence against these Freedom Riders prompted the Kennedy administration to protect them and become more involved in civil rights. -
Birmingham Campaign
(April 3, 1963 - May 10, 1963) The Birmingham Campaign was a series of protests against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a movement organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham. The peaceful demonstrations were met with violent attacks, such as high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs on protestors. It is considered as a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. -
March on Washington
On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C. for a massive political rally organized by civil rights leaders known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was designed to shed light on the political and social challenged African Americans continued to face across the country. The high point of the rally came when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, a spirited call for racial justice and equality. -
Birmingham Bombing
On September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded before Sunday morning services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama by members of the KKK in which four black girls were killed with many others injured. Outrage over the incident and the violence between protesters and police that followed drew national attention to civil rights for African Americans. -
Assassination of JFK
On November 22, 1963, as President John F. Kennedy was riding in his car with the top down in a parade in Dallas, Texas, he was shot twice presumably by Lee Harvey Oswald and was later pronounced dead at Parkland hospital. Less than an hour after JFK was shot, Oswald killed a policeman who questioned him on the streets, and was arrested thirty minutes later in a movie theater by police responding to reports of a suspect. -
Jack Ruby
On November 24, 1963, Jack Ruby shoots and kills Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged murderer of President John F. Kennedy, who was shot in downtown Dallas on November 22. On the day of his death, Oswald was on his way to a more secure county jail with police and press crowding all over him when Jack Ruby appeared from the crowds and shot Oswald, killing him with one shot. Ruby claimed the motive behind this action was due to the murder of President Kennedy. Many saw this as an act of heroism. -
Warren Commission
The Warren Commission was a commission made by Lyndon B. Johnson after the assassination of JFK, with the commissioner being Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Commission's main point was to investigate if someone paid for the assassination, but Warren eventually concluded that alleged gunman Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in assassinating President JFK. However firm these conclusions were, the report still proved controversial and failed to silence conspiracies surrounding the event. -
Daisy Girl Ad
On September 7, 1964, a TV ad of a 3-year-old plucking daisy petals changed American politics forever. Her words were supplanted by a mission control countdown followed by a massive nuclear blast in a classic mushroom shape. The message was clear if only implicit: Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was a genocidal maniac who threatened the world's future. Two months later, President Lyndon Johnson won easily, convincing others that it was due to the help of this one-time aired commercial. -
Great Society
The Great Society was President Lyndon B. Johnson's version of the Democratic reform program to end poverty and discrimination to promote a better quality of life in the United States. In 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education. -
Selma March
Martin Luther King Jr.'s SCLC made Selma, Alabama the focus of its efforts to register black voters in the South. Tens of thousands of black protestors petition for the right to vote outside of the city hall and are ignored, so they marched to the governor's mansion in Montgomery. However, they were met with violent resistance by state and local authorities. With the whole world watching, the protesters achieved their goal and a Voting Rights Act was passed a year later. -
Warren E. Burger Supreme Justice
Warren E. Burger was the 15th Chief Justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986, appointed by Richard Nixon. Although he was a conservative and the U.S. Supreme Court delivered numerous conservative decisions under him, it also delivered some liberal decisions on abortion, capital punishment, religious establishment, and school desegregation during his tenure. When he retired in 1986, Burger became the longest serving Chief Justice of the 20th century. -
Apollo 11
(July 16, 1969 - July 24, 1969) On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 took off from the Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins aboard, on their way to the moon. Four days later on July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to ever land on the moon, with Armstrong being the first person to walk on the moon. -
Stagflation
(Not actual date) Stagflation is defined as slow economic growth occurring simultaneously with high rated of inflation. During the 70's, the United States was suffering from 5.3 % inflation and 6% unemployment; high levels of inflation were the result of an oil supply shock and the resulting increase in the price of gasoline, which drove the prices of everything else higher. -
Home Video Game Systems
On January 27, 1972, Magnavox launched Baer's "brown box" technology as the Odyssey video game console - the world's first home video game system. The game system did not last for long due to the Odyssey being very clunky and not very challenging. -
Watergate Scandal
On June 17, 1972, several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. These burglars were connected to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign, and they had been caught while attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents. Disclosure of the White House involvement in the break-in and subsequent cover-up forced President Nixon to resign in 1974 to avoid impeachment. -
Roe v. Wade
"Jane Roe" was a Texas Resident who sought to obtain an abortion, but Texas law prohibited abortions except to save the pregnant mother's life, thus resulting in the Roe v. Wade court case with Jane Roe suing Henry Wade. In the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Case, the right of privacy was extended to abortion; the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that women have a right to abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy under the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. -
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed on December 28, 1973, providing conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend; it provided means for listing native animals/plants that are endangered and provided them with very limited protection. -
Gerald Ford's Presidency
(Presidency = Aug 9, 1974 - Jan 20, 1977) Gerald Ford came into office on August 9, 1974, following President Nixon's resignation due to the Watergate scandal. Ford became the first unelected president in the nation's history because Nixon appointed him as his VP after Spiro T. Agnew resigned from office in 1973. He is credited for restoring public confidence in the government after the disillusionment of the Watergate Scandal. -
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords was signed on September 17, 1978, laying the groundwork for a permanent peace agreement between Egypt and Israel after three decades of hostilities; they were the peace accords signed by Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat to finally end the Israeli-Egyptian disputes. The first accord was a framework for peace in the Middle East, while the second accord was a framework for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. -
The Moral Majority
(Not actual date) The Moral Majority was a prominent American political organization associated with the Christian right and Republican Party. It was founded by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell and associates in 1979, and dissolved in the late 1980s; Falwell founded Moral Majority to combat "immoral liberals," drug abuse, "coddling" of criminals, homosexuality, communism, and abortion. It represented the rise of political activism on the part of organized religion's radical right. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages; Ayatollah R. Khoemeini threatens to hold the American hostages until Pahlavi is returned to Iran from the U.S. (who went to America for cancer treatment), so that he can be tried for treason. A war between Iran and Iraq breaks out in the last weeks of Carter's term in office, with the U.S. hostages finally freed. -
Election of 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan. During the Election of 1980, Ronald Reagan won over Jimmy Carter because of the Iranian hostage crisis and America's stagflation. -
Space Shuttle Program
The Space Shuttle Program, officially called the Space Transportation System (STS), was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011, administered by NASA. Its first launch was on April 12, 1981, later helping construct the International Space Station and inspiring generation. -
A.I.D.S. crisis
AIDS is a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy. It was first recognized in 1981, leading to the deaths of more than 25 million people, making it one of the most destructive diseases in history. However, the Reagan administration was slow to pay attention to it because it didn't receive much attention as perceived as gay mans disease. -
MTV
On August 1, 1981, MTV (Music Television) goes on the air for the first time ever. The first words spoken on this show was "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll." by one of MTV's creators, John Lack. "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles was the first music video to air on the new cable television channel. MTV went on to revolutionize the music industry and became an influential source of pop culture and entertainment in the United States and other parts of the world. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
On September 21, 1981, O'Connor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a vote of 99-0. Sandra Day O'Connor was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She was known for her dispassionate and meticulously researched opinions. -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
The Strategic Defense Initiative, aka Star Wars, was a program initiated on March 23, 1983, under President Ronald Reagan that proposed the construction of an elaborate computer-controlled, anti-missile defense system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer space; critics claimed the SDI could never be perfected. The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. -
Sam Walton's Just-in-Time Invention
Sam Walton is widely known as being the founder and creator of Wal-Mart on July 2, 1962. Ever the innovator and entrepreneur, Sam Walton opened the first Sam's Club on April 7, 1983, to serve small businesses and individuals. During this time, the first Wal-Mart Supercenter was also opened to provide one-stop shopping convenience. -
Reagan Doctrine
On February 6, 1985, President Ronald Reagan announces in his state of the Union address, defining his Reagan Doctrine, which served as the foundation for the Reagan administration's support of "freedom fighters" around the globe. The Reagan Doctrine was Reagan's policy which supported opponents of communism anywhere in the world, whether or not they had any direct connection to the Soviet Union; it meant a new American activism in the Third World. -
Iran-Contra Affair
(Aug 20, 1985 - Mar 4, 1987) The Iran-Contra Affair was a scandal that erupted during the Reagan administration when it was revealed that U.S. government agents had secretly sold arms to Iran in order to raise money to fund anti-communist "Contra" forces in Nicaragua. Those acts directly contravened an ongoing U.S. trade embargo with Iran as well as federal legislation limiting aid to the Contras. As a result, several Reagan administration officials were convicted of federal crimes. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
As soon as democratic elections were announced in Hungary, there was a mass movement of East German citizens through Hungary to West Germany. As a result, the East German government was forced to announce much greater freedom of travel for East German citizens. As part of this decision, the East German government announced that East Germans would be allowed to cross the border with West Berlin, thus leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. -
Persian Gulf War
On August 2, 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait. Alarmed by this, fellow Arab powers called on the U.S. and other Western nations to intervene. Hussein defied United Nations Security Council demands to withdraw from Kuwait by mid-January 1991, and the Persian Gulf War began with a massive U.S.-led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm. On February 28, 1991, President George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire. -
Rodney King Incident
On March 3, 1991, four police officers were filmed beating taxi driver, Rodney King, after a pursuit through the streets of Los Angeles. King was caught speeding while intoxicated, and tried evading the police but eventually pulled over. When he got out, the footage shows four officers beating him, with King later claiming that he never resisted. This was one of the first police brutality videos of its kind, and forever changed the conversation about police and race in America. -
Election of 1992
The Election of 1992 was between the Democratic Bill Clinton, Republic George H.W. Bush, and independent third-party candidate Ross Perot. Democrat Bill Clinton won over Republican George H.W. Bush because of the economy's problems after the Gulf War ended as Independent Ross Perot split Republicans votes allowing Clinton to win the presidency with less than 50% of the vote with a campaign focused on the economy. -
World Trade Center Attack - 1993
On February 26, 1993, a bomb explodes on the second subterranean level of Vista Hotel's public parking garage, below the second World Trade Center building; terrorists drove a truck bomb underneath it and detonated the World Trade Center building. The parking garage was gutted, but the buildings stood up until the two planes hit it in the 9/11 attacks in 2001. -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement signed by governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, removing tariff barriers between the three countries and creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America, coming into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Canada. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
The discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gay and lesbian service members was intended as a "compromise" - one that purports to restrict the United States military from "witch-hunting" secretly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members or applicants, while absolutely barring "openly" gay or bisexual people from joining the military, and expelling those already serving during Clinton's presidential term. -
Contract with America
In the 1994 congressional elections, Congressman Newt Gingrich had Republican candidates sign a document in which they pledged their support for such things as a balanced budget amendment, term limits for members of Congress, and a middle-class tax cut if they won control of Congress. -
Lewinsky Affair
In 1995, President Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky who denied it under oath, but there was physical evidence thus being impeached for perjury. His resulting political battles kept him from being productive in his final term, paving way for the seemingly moral George W. Bush in 2000. -
Welfare Reform
The Welfare Reform was a reform that ended federal entitlement status of welfare, in its place, the federal government gave block grants to states to administer welfare, "strings" attached to these grants: recipients must work within 2 years, recipients cannot receive benefits for more than 5 years. The welfare reform changed the federal government's social welfare policy by shifting some of the responsibility to the states and cutting benefits. -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
The Defense of Marriage Act was a United States federal law that, prior to being ruled unconstitutional, defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states; it stipulated that each state may choose either to recognize or not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. -
Bush v. Gore
In the 2000 Supreme Court Case Bush v. Gore, the Court ruled that the Florida Supreme Court's method for recounting ballots in the 2000 presidential election was a violation of the 14th Amendment and, therefore, unconstitutional. This led to George W. Bush's victory in the 2000 presidential election. -
9/11 Attacks
On September 11, 2001, the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism. -
War on Terror
Due to the 9/11 attacks, President Bush decided to respond to it by declaring war on terrorism on October 7, 2001. In its impact on international relations, the war on terrorism was comparable to the Cold War: it was intended to represent a new phase in global political relations and has had important consequences for security, human rights, international law, cooperation, and governance. -
Patriot Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. With its ten-letter abbreviation (USA PATRIOT) expanded, the full title is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" Act of 2001. Its sole purpose was to deter and punish terrorist acts. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. The No Child Left Behind Act is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). NCLB sets high standards and accountability for student achievement to make sure that all children are caught up to 21st century learning. -
2nd Iraq War
On March 19, 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. President Bush and his advisors built much of their case for war on the idea that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction. -
Hurricane Katrina Disaster
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. Despite being only the 3rd most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was the worst natural disaster in the history of the U.S. In addition to bringing devastation to the New Orleans area, the hurricane caused damage along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as other parts of Louisiana. -
Election of 2008
The Election of 2008 was between Democratic Party Barack Obama and Republican Party John McCain. In this election, President Barack Obama became the very first African-American to ever be elected president of the United States. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009; it intended to create jobs and promote investment and consumer spending during the Great Recession that followed the financial collapse in 2008, with almost $787 million spent to revive the economy. This was the government's first attempt to help economy recover from the financial crisis and recession of 2008. -
Sonya Sotomayor
On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Sonya Sotomayor for Supreme Court Justice. The nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2009, making Sotomayor the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history.
