Section 1

 

Reagan’s Conservative Goals

        -Reagan easily defeated Carter in 1980

        -4 goals as president:

                -Lower taxes

                        -Supply-side economics (Trickle down economics)

                -Deregulation

                        -Ease restrictions on industries

                -Fewer government programs

                -Appoint conservative judges

                        -Sandra Day O’Connor

        -By 1983, inflation and unemployment down

                -Economy going up

        -Problem: Increased national debt

 

Reagan and Communism

        -Reagan increased the size of military

                -$2,000,000,000,000

        -Took a tough stance against communism

                -“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

                -Missile defense system (Star Wars program)

                -Reagan aided El Salvador and Nicaraguan anti-communist rebels         

                        -Contras

        -Iran-Contra Affair

                -We sold weapons to Iran in exchange for some American hostages in

                    the Middle East (not in Iran)

                        -Money from sales went to Contras

                                -Illegal

                                        -Reagan claimed he did not know

 

George HW Bush

        -Bush was Reagan’s VP for 8 years

                -Was Ambassador to UN

                -Was Director of CIA

                -During WWII, youngest Navy pilot

                        -Shot down, survived

        -1989àMany eastern European countries ended their Communist govts

        -1991àBoris Yelstin becomes leader of Russia

                -End of Cold War

        -Persian Gulf War

                -In 1990, Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait

                -US and UN demand Iraq leave

                        -Saddam refuses

                                -January 1991, US begins air war

                                -February 1991àGround troops invade Iraq

                                        -Lasted about 6 weeks

                -First use of Stealth fighter

                -First major use of Patriot missiles

                -HUGE SUCCESS for US (and Bush)

        -Bush loses reelection in 1992 to Bill Clinton

                -Ross Perot leads 3rd party run

 

Events of the 1980s

        -1981

                -Regan fires all air traffic controllers who went on strike

                -MTV first appears

                -Reagan shot by John Hinckley, Jr. after giving a speech in DC (3/30)

                -Pope shot but survives

                -First woman appointed to Supreme Court

        -1982

                -Vietnam War Memorial is built (opens in 1984)

                -First artificial heart transplant

                -Ozzy Osborne bites off head of live bat at concert

                -Cardinals win World Series

                -E.T. phones home

                -Tylenol tamper scare/murders

        -1983

                -USSR shoots down Korean Airliner

                -US invades Grenada

                -US embassy in Beirut is bombed, killing 40

                -CDs first introduced

        -1984

                -Reagan trounces Mondale and Ferraro in reelection

                -Olympics held in Los Angeles

        -1985

                -Wreckage of Titanic found

                -Nintendo introduced

                -I-70 World Series

                -New Coke introduced, fails

        -1986

                -Challenger explodes

                -Chernobyl accident

                -Iran Contra scandal

                -US bombs Libya

        -1987

                -Huge drop in stock market (Black Monday—Oct. 19)

                -Robert Bork was “borked”

        -1988

                -Seoul Summer Olympics (Ben Johnson—steroids)

                -Pan Am Flight 103 crash

                -US shoots down Iranian airliner on accident

                -Bush defeats Dukakis for president; announces he doesn't like broccoli

        -1989

                -Exxon Valdez

                -Tiananmen Square

                -San Francisco Earthquake

                -Fall of Berlin Wall

 

William Jefferson Clinton

        -Born in Hope, Arkansas

        -Tried to reform health care system

                -Named his wife Chair of committee

                -Developed plan

                        -Opponents said it cost too much

                                -Congress never voted on it

        -NAFTA passed in 1993

        -Waco/Branch Dividians and Janet Reno

        -1994àContract With America leads to Republican takeover of Congress

                -Did not work well together

                        -Government shut down twice in 1995

        -Welfare Reform

                -Major changes in 1996

        -Clinton reelected in 1996, defeating Bob Dole

        -Vince Foster scandal

        -Travelgate

        -Whitewater scandal

        -Monica Lewinsky scandal

                -Lied under oath

                -Impeached but not convicted

                        -First impeachment of elected president

        -War in Kosovo

                -Ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia

                -1999àNATO begins bombing Serbia

                -US troops (under UN/NATO command) still there

 

Election of 2000

        -Al Gore selected by Democrats

        -George W Bush selected by Republicans

        -Very close race

                -Gore wins popular vote

                -Bush barely wins electoral vote (needed 270, gets 271)

                        -Florida and “hanging chads”

                                -Bush won the popular vote in Florida by about 300 votes

                                        -Gets all electoral votes of Florida

September 11, 2001

        -US attacked by Al-Qaeda

                -Osama bin Laden responsible for attacks

                -3,000 died

                        -WTC

                        -Pentagon

                        -Shanksville, PA

        -All flights grounded, cancelled for 3 days

        -US calls on NATO for assistance

                -British fighter jets patrolled NYC

-War on Terror

        -Afghanistan

        -Iraq


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