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Bill Clinton takes Office
The expectation of Bill Clinton’s Administration was economic reform. His promises consisted of changing the system to help ordinary Americans who go with the rules and work hard. He held 43% of the popular vote whilst 62% of the nation who sided with vocal critics of Reaganomics and a majority of Congress being Democratic ready to work with him. He was open to the tasks and felt comfortable with it. (Kruse, Zelizer 204-206) -
Truck Bombing in Oklahoma City
The Alfred Murrah Federal Building was ruined by a truck bombing that left 168 people dead and 600 injured. Much of the media coverage assumed that the attacks were done by Islamic terrorists. However, it was proven by enforcement that it was done by members of white supremacy groups named Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nicolas. This tragic event sparked the idea that the mid-1990s was where there was an influx of white hate groups and radical antigovernment militias. (Kruse, Zelizer 222) -
9/11
During George Bush’s Presidency, the Islamic extremist group “Al Qaeda” had terrorists hijack 4 commercial airplanes and execute suicide attacks. There were two planes that were flown into North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City which quickly collapsed after the impact. The 3rd and 4th plane were aimed for the Pentagon and taken down to Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Osama Bin Laden organized these attacks that left 3,000 people dead. (History.com) -
War on Terror Begins
Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States came out with Operations Enduring Freedom which consisted of a combination of massive airstrikes and special operations on the ground. New technologies became vital for the attack. The war against terrorism was held at a home base with an an increase on counterrorism programs. (Kruse, Zelizer 255) -
No Child Left Behind Act
One of the policies passed after 9/11 was the No Child Left Behind Act. It was an act that consisted of Republican and Democratic efforts to extend opportunities for all American Children regardless of backgrounds and ensure quality education. Bush set high expectations for every student by increasing funding in Federal Education to reach those expectations. This act increases accountability by mandating schools to help students meet standards set by each state. (George Bush Archives) -
Colin Powell and “evidence” from Iraq
The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, went on television to the United States Security Council with data that “proved” Iraq to have a serious, operational weapons program. The evidence presented was rather weak and more of a ploy to gain support for the war. (Kruse, Zelizer 282) -
President Bush’s Photo Op
With the war on terror still going on, President Bush who was a former Air National Guard Pilot was carefully pictured in a scripted photo landing a plane on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The carrier was positioned on the California coast, which is across the way from the combat zone. This was to confuse the opposing forces. (Kruse, Zelizer 284) -
Prism Program
The Bush Administration launched the PRISM program. The National Security Agency began to take internet communications in a way to capture interactions to monitor potential terrorist threats. The government tried to work with companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, and AOL, etc. The government continued to work closely with big companies and trying to pry into Americans’ daily lives with their social interaction. (Kruse, Zelizer 287) -
Stock Market Crash 2008
The 2008 stock market crash was a result of too many people taking loans out that they couldn’t afford. This crash rained the price of housing that was unaffordable for many people. This led to the Federal National Mortgage Association on its path to making loans more accessible to buyers with lower credit scores (Wealthsimple.com) -
Deepwater Horizon
The oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon which is location in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank that caused the death of 11 workers and was the greatest oil spill in history of these types of operations. (EPA.gov)