Modern History

Desert Storm

- Happened January 6th, 1991

- Started by George H. W. Bush

- Operation's mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, from collecting oil from Kuwait

- Part of the Gulf war, which led the United Nations & United States Millitary to be involved.

- Resulted in the liberation of Kuwait

- This was the first time the U.S. got involved in the Middle East

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

- Also known as START 1, put in place on July 31st, 1991

- Goal was to reduce strategic offensive arms between Soviet Union and US

- Managed to reduce strategic arms by 80%

Rodney King Riots

Rodney King RIots

- Happened from April 19th through May 4th of 1992 in LA County, CA

- Rodney King was caught driving under the influence. Once stopped, King was beat and arrested by police.

- Police were acquitted from charges of excessive force, which caused the riots.

- Impacts of the riots led to a change in how the LAPD works, instating the concept of "de-escalation."

WACO Siege

WACO Seige

- Febuary 28th through April 19th of 1993

- 51 day siege on the Branch Davidian Compound by the FBI and the ATF

- Siege was due to allegations of illegal arms being stored within the BD Compound

- Siege ended in a fire within BD Compound, killing 76 BDs & BD Leader

- THOUGHT TO HAVE INSPIRED THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING

NAFTA

- Happened through January 1st, 1994 to July 1st, 2020

- Stood for North American Free Trade Agreement.

- Goal was to remove tax on imports/exports between U.S, Canada, Mexico

- Caused more productivity at cost of unemployments and factory shutdowns

Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act

- September 13th, 1994

- About decreasing violent crime by providing funds to police forces and prisons

- Signed by Bill Clinton, part of Democratic Party

- Did not work, crime worsened. Also created "3 strikes" law

- Caused mass incarceration

Oklahoma City Bombing

- April 19th, 1995

- Federal building bombed by truck in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

- People in truck were McVeigh & Nichols

- Roughly 170 people died

- THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED FROM WACO SIEGE

Bill Clinton Impeachment

- Impeached December 19th, 1998

- Charged with lying under oath & obstruction of justice

- Was NOT removed from office

Columbine Shooting

- April 20th, 1999 at Columbine Highschool in Littleton, CO

- School shooting & attempted bombing by students of the school

- Harris & Klebold killed 12 students & 1 teacher, suiciding in the process.

- Caused increase in school security & Policing

2000 Election

- November 7th, 2000

- George Bush vs. Al Gore

- Election tied, led to 4 counties in Florida, who used unreliable "butterfly ballots"

- Resulted in Bush winning despite not having the popular vote

- Reformed voting systems to electronic, creating conspiracies of people hacking into the systems

Patriot Act

- Put in place October 26th, 2001

- Allowed government to collect data to prevent acts of Terrorism

- Passed by President Bush in response to 9/11 attacks

Creation of Homeland Security

- Created November 25th, 2002 and lasted until March 1st, 2003

- Made to improve security across the borders and prevent terrorism in the United States

- MADE IN RESPONSE TO 9/11 ATTACKS

Great Recession

- Started December of 2007, lasted until June of 2009

- Started because of the "subprime mortgage crisis"

- CAUSED 4 MILLION HOMES AND 2.5 MILLION BUSINESS CLOSINGS. MASS JOB SWAPPING / UNEMPLOYMENT.

- GOVERNMENT SPENT BILLIONS ON BANKS TO PREVENT BANKRUPTCY

- Laws put in place to prevent this but there is still a chance it can happen

Obama Election

- Elected November 4th, 2008

- FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT ELECTED

- WON IN A LANDSLIDE

"Tea Party" Movement

- Happened September 12th, 2009

- People crowded United States Capitol Building

- Protested government spending & taxes

Passage of Healthcare Reform Bill

- Also known as "The Affordable Care Act"

- Passed on March 23rd, 2010 by the Democratic political party

- Increase health insurance coverage for certain groups

- Controversial to conservatives as it caused more taxes

Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Deepwater Horizon Disaster

- Happened on April 20th, 2010

- Caused by oil spill in Gulf of Mexico and US Coasts

- Injured and killed few workers, heavily harmed marine and wildlife

Washington & Colorado Legalize Marijuana

Washington & Colorado Legalize Marijuana

- Legalized in this states November 2012

- Legalized by ballot casting

- Caused controversy regarding health and addiction

Shelby Counter v Holder

Shelby County v Holder

- Happened June 23rd, 2013

- Removed preclearance of VRA

- Made it harder for some people, especially people of color, to vote in some states

- Affecting elections because some people aren't able to contribute a vote.

Legalization of Gay Marriage

Legalization of Gay Marriage

- Legalized June 26th, 2015

- Legalized with Orbergefell v. Hodges

- SPLIT EVEN WITH ONE VOTE FOR IT

- Many people happy from the changes

Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

- Happened from April 2004 to June 2006

- Lead pipes aged, polluting the water

- Caused lead poisoning, lesser IQ, and increase in Alzheimer's disease

- President called for federal state of emergency to aid Flint, Michigan

- Flint, Michigan is still affected by this today

Paris Climate Agreement

- Signed April 22nd, 2016 between U.S, Paris, and other countries

- Goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in the U.S by 2025

- U.S IS BARELY OVER HALFWAY ON REDUCTION

Paris Climate Agreement

Russian Interference in 2016 Election

Russian Interference in 2016 Elections

- Russian Spy Agency's goal was to destabilize American Democratic System to make democracy look bad

- Targeted Hilary Clinton, & supported Donald Trump

- Russian spies created misleading news & rallies supporting Trump

- Ended being slightly successful

Trump Impeachments

- 2 impeachments

• December 18th, 2019 - Febuary 5th, 2020
• January 13th, 2021 - Febuary 13th, 2022

- Charged with Abuse of Power, Obstruction of Congres, and Incitement of Insurrection

- After votes, wasn't impeached on both accusations

Murder of George Floyd

Murder of George Floyd

- May 25th, 2020

- Minneapolis respondes with protests and charges of second-degree murder towards an officer involved

- Caused less funding for police and more funding for mental health support & social services

Withdrawal of Troops from Afghanistan

Withdrawal of Troops from Afghanistan

- Febuary 29th, 2020 - August 30th, 2021

- U.S made agreement with Taliban to withdraw U.S Troops from Afghanistan

- Evacuation was successful, but resulted in easy Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

January 6th Comittee Hearings

January 6th Comittee Hearings

- First Comittee Hearing happened June 9th, 2022. Newest hearing was October 13th, 2022.

- First Comittee Hearing took place where the January 6th attacks occurred

- Investigation on January 6th attacks

- Attempt to recieve witness testimony and recall the attacks.

Overturning of Roe v. Wade

Overturning of Roe V Wade

- Overturned June 24th, 2022

- Supreme Court decided to overturn rights to abortion and access to it, leaving it up to states with laws regarding abortion

- Caused big impact on some states as it caused trauma to victims of rape as they could not get an abortion. There was also more likelihood of household poverty

Trump FBI Raid

- August 8th, 2022

- FBI Raided Former President Trump's House in Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida

- FBI searching for highly classified stolen documents as Trump returned only some of the documents

- Found over 11,000 documents, SOME ARE STILL MISSING!

Inflation Reduction Act

Inflation Reduction Act

- Created August 16th, 2022, supported by Democrats

- Inflation rates are highest since 1981

- Impact unknown. Paid IRS to collect taxes, in return the IRS contributes tax money to pay for the bill.

- Also spent to combat climate change