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Oklahoma City Bombing
This bombing of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building was extremely planned and calculated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. These two men bonded over their anti-government opinions and decided to send a message by attacking a federal building. The bomb was detonated on the exact two year mark of the Waco incident and was strategically placed on the wall opposite of a daycare. This killed 168 people. McVeigh was given the death penalty and Nichols got life in prison (Kruse and Zelizer, 220). -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
DOMA was an act supported and created by social conservatives, with its lead sponsor Bob Barr being a congressman from Georgia. This act had two main purposes: it gave states the right to not recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, and it established a legal definition of marriage to be strictly heterosexual. DOMA easily passed through the House and Senate and President Clinton then signed it into law short after (Kruse and Zelizer, 218). -
President Bill Clinton's Impeachment
The Drudge Report, a gossip website, unexpectedly revealed President Bill Clinton's private life with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. This became a huge scandal for the president not because people were interested in his personal life, but because he committed perjury. This led the House of Representatives to vote to impeach President Clinton in late 1998, sending the decision off to the Senate where in early 1999 they held a trial and Clinton was found innocent (Kruse and Zelizer, 228). -
9/11
The terrorist attack of 9/11 is an event that completely changed the country. Two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers in NYC and a third plane crashed into the Pentagon just outside of DC. This instilled fear across the entire country once it became clear that this was a planned attack and not a tragic accident. President Bush worked hard to unify the country and come back from this attack, making him seem like a fit leader to handle this crisis (Kruse and Zelizer, 249). -
Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security became operational on March 1, 2003. The creation of this agency was a direct response to the September 11 attack. It is a cabinet-level federal agency with the purpose of protecting the US from many different types of threats. It was established in 2002 and signed by President Bush, but did not become operational until 2003. DHS combined 22 different federal agencies into one, making it a huge government organization with very high responsibility (dhs.gov). -
Hurricane Katrina
The natural disaster that Hurricane Katrina was caused immense damage to specifically New Orleans, Louisiana. The property damage came out to $108 billion and there were 1,833 deaths. This devastated the US in a literal sense, but also in a political sense. President Bush intended for local governments to handle their area's basic needs, but when the local officials of New Orleans failed to prepare for the hurricane, people felt that federal help was also necessary (Kruse and Zelizer, 280). -
2008 Presidential Election
The 2008 Presidential Election was significant because the US named Barack Obama as the 44th President and the first African American President. This was a huge step in the right direction in terms of equality amongst races. The primary election for the Democratic Party was also an interesting part of this election because the two main candidates were Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, both of which would be a 'first': either the first African American or first woman candidate (Britannica). -
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
This act was passed in 2010 by President Obama. Its main goal was to provide affordable healthcare insurance to all Americans. This act greatly increased the amount of Americans insured and it protected people with preexisting health conditions who previously got denied insurance. However, the Republican Party tended to disagree with this act because of how it resulted in a tax increase. In order to provide more affordable health care, taxes were increased on high income individuals(Healthline). -
Sandy Hook Shooting
This elementary school shooting was one of the deadliest and most impactful in US history. Adam Lanza killed 26 people and injured 2, most of which being students who were only 6-8 years old. This tragic event rose debate about the second amendment. The focus was about the AR-15 rifle, which was Lanza's main weapon. The Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, which banned over 150 specific firearms, came from the Sandy Hook shooting. This ban was from California Senator, Dianne Feinstein (Britannica). -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This Supreme Court case ruled in a 5-4 decision that same-sex marriage is legal under the 14th amendment of the Constitution. This ruling was controversial because originally marriage laws were up to the individual state. However, the Supreme Court upheld the Due Process Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th amendment and applied it to same-sex marriage. This led to states being required to recognize and issue same-sex marriage licenses and was a huge step for LGBTQ+ rights (Williams Institute).