Mrs. Finley's APUSH classroom



Chapter 31 Notes- Challenges of the 21st Century, 2000-PresentPolitical PolarizationConservative- South, Great Plains, Mountain statesTraditional, religious, limited or anti-governmentLiberal- Northeast, Midwest, west coastDiverse, urban, internationally mindedDisputed Election of 2000…Closest election since 1876Dems- Al Gore, Clinton’s VPReps- George W. Bush- son of George H.W. BushProblems in Florida- needed a recount- winner of Florida would win electionFlorida Supreme Court ordered recounts of all votes- US Supreme Court overruled themGore conceded Florida- George W. Bush won, even though he lost the popular vote Domestic Policies of the George W. Bush Administration…Conservative agenda- tax cuts, deregulation, federal aid to faith-based organizations, pro-life legislation, school choice, privatization of Medicare and Social Security, drilling for oil in wildlife refuges, voluntary environmental standards for industryRepublican Tax CutsHad budget surplus, so gave tax cutsEspecially benefited wealthyContributed to doubling of national debtEducational and Health ReformNo Child Left Behind Act- gal to improve student performance through testingStudents could transfer to better schools, funded reading, trained highly-qualified teachersMedicare- seniors got option to enroll in private insurance; got prescription drug coverageEconomic Bubbles and CorruptionTechnology boom over, stock market crashed, unemployment climbed, more people living in povertyFraud in big companies like Enron and World ComEnd of technology boom led more people to invest in real estate (spoiler alert: that won’t go too well for them)- creates another “bubble” that will burstThe War on Terror…Roots of Terrorism- Arab world mad at US for siding with Israel in Palestinian conflictBUT bigger cause- stationing of US troops near Muslim holy sites in the Middle East after the first Gulf War (under George H.W. Bush against Saddam Hussein in Iraq)-Seen as a violation of their landsIslamist extremists preached “jihad” (holy war) to restore their landsAl Qaeda- led by Osama bin Laden- extremist terrorist organizationGained support from bad economy, political conditions in Middle EastEarly Terrorist Attacks…1993- Truck bombing at World Trade Center in NYC- killed 61998- 2 US embassies bombed in Africa by Al-QaedaOsama bin Laden fled to Afghanistan and allied with Taliban who ran the government 2000- attack on US warship USS ColeSeptember 11, 2001…Terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda- hijacked 4 commercial airplanesFlew them into the twin towers World Trade Center in NYC, Pentagon in DC, and the 4th plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after citizens on the plane fought back against hijackersNearly 3,000 people killedWar in AfghanistanSince Taliban refused to turn on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda leaders, Bush declared “War on Terrorism” and invaded AfghanistanBin Laden finally killed in 2011Taliban government quickly overthrown, but area remains unstable and divided by conflictsHomeland SecurityStricter airport security after 9/11Created the Department of Homeland Security to detect and prevent future terrorist attacksPatriot Acts- gave powers to the government to monitor communication, financial records, health records to detect terrorist activityWiretaps, cell phones, emails, military tribunals, indefinite imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay —> troubling to many AmericansViolation of civil liberties?George W. Bush Foreign PolicySome positiveWorked with Europe to expand EU (European Union) and NATOSupported China’s admission to WTO (World Trade Organization)Brokered conflicts between India and PakistanSome negativeRefused to join Kyoto Accord- agreement from leading nations on curbing global warmingAbandoned 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with RussiaWouldn’t negotiate with North Korea or IranBush Doctrine- US must use pre-emptive attacks to stop use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by terroristsIraq WarBush identified Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as the “axis of evil” for possible terrorism against the USPursued a pre-emptive attack against Iraq/Saddam Hussein before he could build and use WMDs to terroristsAlthough- US intel didn’t find any link between Hussein and the 9/11 attacksUN inspection plan created to find WMDs- No WMDs ever found in IraqOperation Iraqi FreedomBush claimed Iraq did not comply with UN resolutions, so launched attackQuickly overthrew Hussein, took Baghdad, overran Iraqi forcesViolence continued from insurgents from different factionsWar criticized because no WMDs found, US didn’t have sufficient troops, terrible treatment of Iraqi prisonersElections of 2004 and a Bush Second TermBush won reelection over John Kerry (Dem); Republicans majority increased in CongressFour More Years at WarStill in Iraq for reconstruction, still in Afghanistan fighting the TalibanWashington PoliticsWanted privatization of Social Security, immigration reform (blocked)Hurricane Katrina- levies in New Orleans failed, massive natural disasterFEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)- not well prepared for crisis, did not respond wellRepublican scandals- bribes from lobbyists, perjury, improper relationships, gerrymanderingLed to Democrats taking control of both houses on Congress in 20062 conservative judges appointed to Supreme Court- John Roberts (Chief Justice) and Samuel AlitoThe Great RecessionHousing/real estate boom fueled by risky mortgages, speculators (flipping houses)Housing bubble burst- prices fell, foreclosures increased, trillions of dollars of value lostBanks stopped loaning, lacked fundsGas prices increased (over $4/gallon), stock market declined, unemployment roseGovernment tried stimulus package, had to help banks- “bailouts”Economic Stabilization Act and Trouble Assets Relief Program (TARP)- 2008- both controversialSeen as either socialism (by conservatives) or Wall Street bailout (by liberals)Election of 2008Barack Obama (Democrat) elected over John McCain (Republican)Hillary Clinton early Democratic favorite, but lost in primary; would become Obama’s Secretary of StateDemocrats increase majorities in House and SenateObama first African American presidentThe First Obama Administration, 2009-2013During transition, Obama requested that Bush use $10 billion from TARP to support failing car companies; Congress approved use of the rest of TARP funding to help economyPresidential InitiativesUsed executive order to ban torture, expanded stem-cell research, passed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for equal pay for womenCouldn’t get Guantanamo Bay closed b/c CongressEconomic StimulusUnemployment peaked at 10% in 2009Stock market and financial areas recovered by 2013Obama used Keynesian economy idea to help recoverAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act- stimulus package to create or save jobs, tax cuts to stimulate spending, and help to states and local governmentsHelp for domestic auto industryRecession revealed flaws in federal oversight of financial institutions- so more oversight createdHealth CareUS medical system most expensive in the worldObamacare- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act- extended health care to over 20 million more peopleSubsidies, mandates, and insurance “exchanges” or marketplacesProtection for preexisting conditionsBudget DeficitsRecession mean less taxes collected and more money spent, so led to huge deficit ($1.75 trillion a yearObama proposed a compromise to eliminate deficit by 2035- but rejected by Reps (b/c increased taxes) and Dems (b/c cuts to social programs)Congress in GridlockRepublicans took back House in 2010, so harder to get stuff doneLeast productive Congress since 1947 because of inability to compromiseObama’s Foreign PolicyOpposed to Iraq War, wanted to end aggressive overseas actionsIraqObama developed plan to withdraw troops from Iraq by 2011Region remains unstableAfghanistan and the death of Osama Bin LadenObama focused on Afghanistan- fighting Al-Qaeda and Taliban- so more troopsBin Laden killed in 2011Obama signed agreement with Pres of Afghanistan to transfer more to Afghan military Longest military conflict in US history (surpassing Vietnam)Arab SpringWave of protests through the Middle East and North Africa against oppressive governmentsObama supported pro-democracy protestors, upset some alliesCivil wars in Libya and Syria- Obama didn’t interveneElection of 2012 - Second Obama AdministrationObama won over Mitt Romney (Rep)Reps kept control of House- so continued divisionBudget BrinkmanshipInability to compromise on budget led to government shutdown for 16 days in 2013Gun ViolenceSeries of mass shootings sparked debate on gun control- but no compromiseTerrorism in Boston3 killed, 250 injured in bombing at Boston MarathonForeign PolicyMiddle East still unstable- Syrian Civil WarIran- new leader, chance to negotiation over nuclear programRulings of the Roberts Court…Court had 5-4 conservative majorityObama appointed 2 justices- Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan- but didn’t change balanceAffirmative Action and Voting RightsSchools could not use race to assign students to achieve diversityGave states control of voting rights- like voter ID lawsStruck down provision of Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required states with a history of voter discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing voting lawsCourt though that enough had changed and minority voters no longer needed protectionsElections and MoneyCitizens United v. Federal Election Commission- ruled that corporations were “legal persons” and had the same rights as individuals to buy ads and influence political electionEnvironmentObama worked to reduce reliance on oil; supported alternative energyConservatives in Congress disagreed with society of global warming and opposed environmental regulationGay Rights and Same-Sex MarriageRepealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to end discrimination of gays in the militarySupreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriageGun RightsCourt ruled that 2nd Amendment protects rights to possess a firearm unconnected with militia serviceImmigrationStates could require immigration status check for employmentBUT federal immigration law pre-empts statesHealth CareChallenges to Obamacare- Court ruled that it was legal ................
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