Chapter 41 - America Confronts the Post-Cold War, 1992-2004 Flashcards
William Jefferson Clinton
first democratic president since Jimmy Carter and a self-proclaimed activist. He had a very domestic agenda. When in office he had a lot of controversial appointments. Was impeached by Congress for lying under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
H. Ross Perot
The third party candidate in the 1992 election; he got 19% of the vote; the most for any independent since Teddy Roosevelt in 1912
Carol Moseley-Braun
first African-American U.S. Senator for the Democratic Party, the first woman to defeat an incumbent U.S. Senator in an election, and the first female Senator from Illinois
Janet Reno
Attorney General of the United States from 1993 until 2001. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11, 1993.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
the policy in the US military for homosexuals who served. No one would ask your sexuality but if you were outwardly homosexual and engaging in homosexual activities you would be discharged.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
First Lady, prominent child care advocate and health care reformer in Clinton administration; won U.S. senate seat in 2000.
Brady Bill
gun-control law named for presidential aide James Brady who had been wounded and disabled by gunfire in the assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981.
Oklahoma City bombing
truck bombing that destroyed the Oklahoma city federal building led to the arrest and conviction of Timothy, an anti-government extremist.
Branch Davidians
Cult in Waco Texas that was suspected of weapons violations. Was attacked by the ATF/FBI which led to a 51 day seige. Ended with an assault on the compound that killed 76.
Columbine High School shooting
a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine that caused many debates about gun regulations in the United States
NRA
The National Rifle Association of America is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun rights
WTO
International trade organization that prompted strong protests from anti-global trade forces in Seattle, Washington in 1999.
“Globalization”
A process by which regional societies, economies, and cultures have become joined together through an international system of trade, transportation, and communication.
Campaign Finance Reform
Legislation aimed at placing limits on political candidates accepting money and gifts from individuals and special interest groups.
Somalia
Clinton inherited this venture from Bush who sent 25K Americans on a humanitarian mission here. Clinton sent troops aimed at nation building, but Congress demanded US withdrawal when 18 American soldiers died in a failed attempt to capture a local warlord and an naked American corpse was dragged through the streets of the capital.
Haiti
In order to stop Haitians from entering Florida Clinton worked to persuade the military rulers to abdicate in favor of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a man they overthrew in ‘91. Clinton prepared to use military force after a year of trade sanctions and diplomatic pressure, but a 3 member peace mission compromise at the last minute to allow American troops to land unopposed. Aristide returned but unable to restore prosperity.
Kyoto Treaty
a treaty signed in 1997. It requires countries who sign it to reduce thieir gas emissions to levels below what they were producing in 1990
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States.
9/11
a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings.
Osama bin Laden
Arab terrorist who established al-Qaeda (born in 1957)
Al Qaeda
Islamist terrorist organization that launched a series of attacks against U.S.
East Africa & Yemen
Regions of Eastern Africa and The Middle East that were victims of bin Laden’s attacks on American embassies and Navy vessels
Afghanistan
- a mountainous landlocked country in central Asia that harbored Al Qaeda training camps.
The Taliban
Former government of Afghanistan that was overthrown by the United States
Saddam Hussein
Iraqi leader who waged war against Iran
USA Patriot Act
law passed due to 9/11 attacks; sought to prevent further terrorist attacks by allowing greater government access to electronic communications and other information; criticized by some as violating civil liberties
Dept. of Homeland Security
protects the nation against terrorist attacks
Habeas Corpus
person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person’s release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.
Guantanamo
Site of a U.S. naval station in Cuba, used to hold suspected terrorists
“Axis of Evil”
Created in 2002 by George W. Bush to show the “bad guys” which include: Iran, Iraq, and N. Korea
WMDs
a weapon that kills or injures civilian as well as military personnel (nuclear and chemical and biological weapons)
Colin Powell
United States general who was the first Black to serve as Chief of Staff
U.N. Weapons Inspectors
Located and destroyed large quantities of Iraqi WMD and related equipment and materials throughout the early 1990s, with varying degrees of Iraqi cooperation and obstruction
“Mission Accomplished”
the banner behind bush as he made a speech on the conclusion of the military operations of Iraq.
Abu Ghraib
prison where prisoners were tortured by Americans
Enron and WorldCom
Two notable accounting scandals that both resulted in company breakdown and bankruptcy
Gay Marriage
25% favor gay marriage/ 50% favor gay UNIONS/ less than 50% wants to ban gay marriage
Recall
the act of removing an official by petition
Gratz/Grutter v. Bollinger
it filed because two well-qualified white undergrads applied for the University of Michigan Law School, and were turned down - because they did not ‘increase diversity.’ Ruled that there could be no ‘points’ for being a certain race, but reviewing each student individually and over different diversity factors was okay.
No Child Left Behind
Holds states, schools, and school districts more accountable for their standardized tests scores. The wanted outcome was better tests scores all around and overall a smarter and better population of young people that would positively contribute to a growing America.
John F. Kerry
Was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost by 34 electoral votes to incumbent President George W. Bush
“Flip-flopper”
when a candidate moves toward the middle and back to a certain side of the political spectrum
“Bible Belt”
southern United States
