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Inauguration of George Bush
On January 20th, 2001, George W. Bush was sworn-in as the 43rd president of the United States. Both the presidential and vice presidential oaths of office were given by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. George Bush's inauguration was the first of the 21st century. In his first term, Bush saw the aftermath of 9/11, as well as the start of the Iraq War. He signed several bills in this time, including the No Child Left Behind Act. -
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
On 9/11, terrorists from the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda attacked the World Trade center and the Pentagon. The suicide attacks killed thousands and injured more, and resulted in the destruction of the Twin Towers and damaging of the Pentagon. After 9/11, government policies aimed to strengthen domestic security. Additionally, the terrorist attacks kickstarted the Global War on Terrorism, a US-led military effort to combat terrorism. New York Daily News -
Iraq War Starts
After receiving word that the nation of Iraq possessed large stores of weapons of mass destruction and were under the control of an al Qaeda-supporting leader (Saddam Hussein), the U.S. invaded Iraq. The Iraq War also served a purpose in the Global War Against Terror campaign. The Iraq War resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and troops and furthered distrust of the government from civilians. The Iraq War ended on December 15, 2011. Council on Foreign Relations -
Inauguration of Barack Obama
Barack Obama's first inauguration took place at the Untied States Capitol on January 20th, 2009, where he became the 44th president of the United States. His inauguration was the most viewed inauguration since Ronald Reagan. During his terms, Obama passed many reform bills including the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act. Additionally, Obama focused many financial efforts on promoting renewable energy. The New York Times -
The Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed by the Obama administration with the intention to provide accessible healthcare to more American citizens. The act is primarily focused on issues of insurance. Though the ACA provided a means for many people to find coverage for healthcare, numerous Americans opposed the active role of the government in healthcare. Additionally, the ACA had the unintended effect of increasing healthcare costs for some individuals. Center for American Progress