chapters 39-41 Flashcards
Ronald Reagan
Won the election of 1980. Reagan had been an actor, head of the Screen Writer’s Guild, and Gov. of CA
“New Right”
The conservative “New Right” movement was a response to the liberalism of the 1960s. Evangelical Christian groups such as the Moral Majority (Jerry Falwell), and the Christian Coalition (Pat Robertson) led the charge. Interest lay in countering social issues such as abortion, pornography, homosexuality, feminism, and affirmative action. Reagan was well suited to lead the crusade b/c he sided with the New Right on social issues, disliked big govt. and condemned favoritism for minorities
“Reagan Revolution”
The Election of 1980 “The Reagan Revolution”
John Hinckley, Jr.
John Hinckley, Jr. (who was in love w/ Jodie Foster), shot the president, press secretary Jim Brady, and two others as they were leaving a Washington hotel
supply-side economics (“Reaganomics”)
Budgetary discipline and tax reduction will stimulate new investment, boost productivity, foster dramatic economic growth, & reduce the federal deficit
the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”)
The Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed “Star Wars”) called for orbiting battle stations in space that could fire laser beams of other forms of energy to vaporize ICBMs on liftoff
Walter Mondale
Reagan ran against Walter Mondale (D) in the election of 1984
Mikhail Gorbachev
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (U.S.S.R.)
Glasnost
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the policy of Glasnost (“openness”)
Perestroika
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the policy of Perestroika (“restructuring”)
INF Treaty
The INF Treaty (1987) banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe
Iran-Contra Affair
Congress refused to send direct aid to the Contras in Nicaragua. American diplomats secretly sold arms to Iranians in return for Iranian help in freeing hostages in Beirut, Lebanon. Money from the arms deal was diverted to the Contras in Nicaragua.
Immigration
Reform & Control Act (1986)
- Required employers to attest to their employees’ immigration status
- Made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants knowingly
- Legalized certain seasonal agricultural workers
- Legalized illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982, and had resided there continuously (with the penalty of a fine, back taxes due, and admission of guilt)
In practice, the IRCA had very little effect on decreasing the numbers of illegal immigrants
Sandra Day O’Connor
The first woman judge on the Supreme Court
Reagan Doctrine
Combat the influence of the U.S.S.R.
George H.W. Bush
George H. W. Bush called Reagan’s plan “voodoo economics” while running against Reagan for the Republican nomination (he then had to defend him after becoming Reagan’s V.P.)
START
Bush and Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) accord in 1991, removing about 80% of all strategic nuclear weapons in existence
START II
Bush and Yeltsin signed START II in 1993, committing both powers to reducing their long-range nuclear arsenals (MIRVs banned on ICBMs)
“Operation Desert Storm”
37 days of bombing in Iraq, followed by 4 days of fighting. General Norman Schwarzkopf led the Allied forces (U.S., France, G.B.)
Americans w/Disabilities Act (1990)
Prohibits discrimination against people with physical or mental disabilities
Bill Clinton
Won the elections of 1992 & 1996. He promised to stimulate the economy, reform welfare, and overhaul the nation’s health-care system
Ross Perot
The billionaire Reform Party candidate, harped on the problem of the federal deficit in the elections of 1992 & 1996
“It’s the economy, stupid”
Clinton’s campaign motto where he promised to stimulate the economy, reform welfare, and overhaul the nation’s health-care system
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Clinton’s quest to fix the economy was derailed by the issue of homosexuals in the military. He addressed this with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” compromise (began in 1993; ended in 2011)
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Funded the bombing of the NY World Trade Center (1993)
Ruby Ridge standoff
White supremacist Randy Weaver and his family fought the FBI in a siege in northern Idaho over Weaver’s weapons violations (secret cache suspected) and connections to the Aryan Nation. Weaver’s wife and young son were killed in the standoff. He surrendered and spent 18 months in jail. The family was awarded over $3 million in damages
Waco standoff
Radical offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventists. The ATF tried to raid the ranch b/c the group was suspected of weapon violations. Four agents were killed, and the FBI held the compound under siege for 51 days
An incendiary device (set off by the church members) started a fire that killed Koresh, 54 adults, and 21 children
Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bombing)
149 workers & 19 children killed. McV. sought revenge for the Waco incident and Ruby Ridge
Clinton traveled to the scene, giving a sympathetic speech and visiting with families for hours. McV. was executed by lethal injection in June 2001
“Contract w/America”
Republicans gained a majority in the 1994 congressional elections. Conservatives demanded an all-out assault on the budget deficit with radical reductions in welfare programs. The govt. had to shut down twice (Nov. & Dec.) in 1995 due to lack of money and political infighting
Bob Dole
Republican candidate in the election of 1996
Brady Bill
Gun background checks
Columbine H.S. school shooting
2 students killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves. This spurred a national movement to do more about gun violence
NAFTA
Clinton supported the North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
WTO
Clinton promoted the World Trade Organization, and lowered trade barriers against China (1999)
Somalia
Troops were dispatched to Somalia (1993) due to its civil war
Rwanda
Relief aid was sent to Rwanda (1995) when Hutus started killing Tutsis. Clinton was reluctant to get further involved
Bosnia
Americans joined the NATO peacekeeping force in attacking Bosnia (former Yugoslavia) in 1995 after 2+ years of genocide of Albanian Muslims by the Bosnian Serbs
Good Friday Agreement
Brought peace to Northern Ireland
“Wet foot/dry foot” policy
Instituted for Cuban refugees; humanitarian flights allowed to resume
Whitewater scandal
Whitewater Land Corp. (a failed real estate investment in Arkansas). No evidence was found that conclusively linked the Clintons to the crime, and they were never prosecuted
Lewinsky scandal
Clinton had a 2 year affair with Monica Lewinsky. He denied it, and the house passed 2 articles of impeachment against Clinton (related to the cover-up about the Lewinsky affair), but he was not convicted in the Senate. In addition, the public stuck by him
the election of 2000
George W. Bush (R) vs. Al Gore (D). Florida was the pivotal state; Democrats called for hand counts of the ballots (due to hanging chads). The Supreme Court stepped in and ruled in Bush’s favor
postmodernism
- Rejection of rational descriptions of the self or the world (late 20th century)
- Celebration of diverse and overlapping outlooks
George W. Bush
Won the election of 2000. Texan; degrees from Yale and Harvard; famous for his speaking gaffes; “regular guy” image. He supported religious traditionalism and angered environmentalists
9-11-01
Two planes (Twin Towers); 3rd plane (Pentagon); 4th plane (crashed in rural PA)
Osama bin Laden
Enemy in 9-11-01
Al-Qaeda
Enemy in 9-11-01
“Operation Enduring Freedom”
Bush ordered an attack on Afghanistan, “Operation Enduring Freedom,” which overthrew the Taliban (temporarily) but failed to locate Bin Laden (Pres. Obama finally accomplished this)
USA Patriot Act
This permitted extensive telephone and e-mail surveillance
Dept. of Homeland Security
Created to protect the nation’s borders and ferret out possible attackers
GITMO
Terrorists held at Guantanamo Detention Camp (GITMO) in Cuba were subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques”
“axis of evil”
Bush announced that Iraq, along with Iran and North Korea, constituted an “axis of evil.” Iraq became Bush’s primary target
the Bush Doctrine
We must defend America’s national security
“Operation Iraqi Freedom”
The U.S. (aided by G.B.), launched an invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003, called “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” In less than a month, Baghdad fell, and Saddam went into hiding
John Kerry
Democratic candidate in the election of 2004. He pushed a progressive/liberal vision of govt.
Barack Obama
Won the elections of 2008 & 2012. He had a cosmopolitan background and promised voters a new era of “postpartisan” politics. He ran with Joe Biden on the slogan “Yes, we can!”
John McCain
Republican candidate in the election of 2008. He was a Vietnam War hero who had survived 5.5 years of torture, campaigned on his record of bipartisanship
the Great Recession
Obama faced the Great Recession, noted for the collapse of housing prices and subsequent mortgage defaults, esp. In the “subprime” (loans w/ high interest) market
the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act
(“stimulus bill”), contained a trillion dollars in tax cuts, new spending for jobs, infrastructure projects, and relief to state and local governments
Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act
Aimed to curb risky practices that had led to the 2008 recession
the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act
All Americans had to purchase health insurance starting in 2014 through state “exchanges” or face paying a penalty
the Tea Party movement
The hyper conservative Tea Party movement (backed by billionaire donors and corporate PACs) pushed the Republican party sharply to the right
“Occupy Wall St.”
Began with a small group of radicals in NYC’s financial district (Fall 2011). Similar encampments sprang up in other cities
Mitt Romney
Republican candidate in the election of 2012. He promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the Wall Street Reform Act, cut spending, and slash taxes
“graying of America”
The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) failed due to a Republican filibuster in the Senate
DREAM Act
The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) failed due to a Republican filibuster in the Senate
DOMA
Part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was declared unconstitutional in 2013. This act had denied federal benefits to same-sex couples in states where gay marriage was legal
Obergefell v. Hodges
The Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)
