Chapter 30: Threat of Terrorism, Increase of Presidential Power, and Economic Crisis (2001–2016)

2001

Terrorist attack on World Trade Center and the Pentagon

2001

American and British troops invade Afghanistan

2001

Planning for military operations against Iraq begins

2002

President George W. Bush terms Iran, Iraq, and North Korea the "Axis of Evil"

2002

Creation of Department of Homeland Security

2002

2002

2003

President George W. Bush warns of possible war with Iraq in State of the Union address

2004

President George W. Bush proposes budget with $521 billion deficit

2005

Violence between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq increases dramatically

2006

Controversy develops over secret wiretapping program by the federal government

2007

Nancy Pelosi of California becomes first female Speaker of the House

2008

Barack Obama becomes first African American elected to the U.S. presidency

2009

Unemployment in the United States remains near 10 percent

2010

BP oil spill clogs Gulf of Mexico

2012

President Obama elected to a second term

2013

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaks information about NSA surveillance practices

2014

U.S.-Russia relations deteriorate because of Russian takeover of Crimea

2015

The Obama administration negotiates a controversial nuclear deal with Iran

2016

Islamic terrorist attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida

2003

Operation Iraqi Freedom: U.S. and British invasion of Iraq

2003

“Outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame

2003

Violence in Iraq between Kurdish, Shiite, and Sunni factions

2003

Controversy develops as weapons of mass destruction are not found in Iraq

2004

Photographs show American soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison

2004

Provisional government with limited authority comes into power in Iraq

2004

George W. Bush defeats John Kerry in presidential elections; Republicans increase their control of the House and the Senate

2005

John Roberts becomes Supreme Court chief justice

2005

Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans

2005

Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, indicted on obstruction of justice concerning the Valerie Plame case

2005

Samuel Alito becomes Supreme Court justice

2006

Under investigation regarding his connections with a lobbyist, Tom DeLay, Republican majority leader of the House of Representatives, resigns

2007

President George W. Bush orders a surge of 20,000 more troops to Iraq

2008

Severe economic downturn affects U.S. financial institutions

2009

President Obama announces “troop surge” in Afghanistan

2010

Tea Party candidates win some seats in midterm elections

2010

Healthcare legislation passes

2012

Gunman murders 20 children and 6 staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut

2012

Supreme Court upholds the legality of most provisions of the Affordable Care Act

2013

Supreme Court strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited federal benefits to marriages between a man and a woman

2013

Two Islamic terrorist brothers bomb the Boston Marathon

2013

Budget dispute between Congressional Republicans and President Obama leads to a partial shutdown of government for 16 days

2013

Healthcare.gov website for purchasing Affordable Care Act health plans starts up but suffers many glitches

2014

Supreme Court strikes down limits on biennial donations to politicians by individuals

2014

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) makes great gains in the Middle East

2014

Riots take place in Ferguson, Missouri, after a white police officer shoots and kills an African American teen during a confrontation on a street

2014

Republicans take control of the Senate in the 2014 elections

2015

The United States resumes diplomatic relations with Cuba

2015

The Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of gay marriage

2015

Islamic terror attacks take place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and San Bernardino, California

2015

Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act subsidies

2016

Hillary Clinton becomes the first female presidential nominee of a major political party

2016

Donald Trump wins the presidential election

No Child Left Behind Act

In 2001, Bush worked on the __________, which mandated states to define and review public education standards.

Al Qaeda

On September 11, four American airliners were hijacked by ________ terrorists. They smashed one airplane into the Pentagon and two into the World Trade Center.

**Operation Enduring Freedom**

The Bush administration reacted quickly to 9/11. On October 7, the US and its allies launched "______________" in Afghanistan.

CIA and FBI

After the 9/11 attacks, investigators found that the _______________ had information on the hijackers' activities, but legal barriers and bureaucratic inertia prevented them from sharing the information that could have prevented this terrorist plot.

Office of Homeland Security

The ____________ was established by President Bush in October 2001 to coordinate anti-terrorist activities.

USA Patriot Act

In October 2001, Congress approved the _________, which provided US intelligence agencies new authority to investigate terrorist suspects.

Axis of Evil

President Bush called Iraq, Iran, and North Korea an "______" in his January 2002 State of the Union Address.

weapons of mass destruction

President Bush was told by the CIA and allies that Iraq had ________.

**Iraq Resolution**

The "**____________”** authorized action against Iraq in October 2002. In early 2003, President Bush and his advisers concluded that Saddam Hussein was not working with the UN.

Medicare Act of 2003

Bush supported the _________, which helped seniors buy prescription medicines, because of this. Bush also got tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

**flip-flopper**

Kerry opposed the Iraq War as a distinguished Vietnam soldier.

Republicans called him a "**________**" for supporting the war.

**religious right**

Bush attracted people who desired success in Iraq and the "**________**," which concerned about moral norms in the US

Social Security

President Bush sought to restructure __________, which faced long-term budgetary instability, after his win.

Obamacare

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 also known as "_______" passed Congress with solely Democratic votes.

**Tea Party**

Obama's policies boosted the "**____________**" Movement. This Party activists want less government and reduced taxes.

**Muammar Gaddafi**

In 2011, President Obama and NATO allies used airpower to assist Libyan rebels to remove **___________**. Libya became a terrorist refuge when a new government failed.

**Affordable Care Act**

The poor deployment of the Healthcare.gov website, which was designed to enroll Americans in new **_________** insurance plans, humiliated the Obama administration. Many flaws created customer issues.

Michael Brown

A young African American youth, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

**Edward Snowden**

**__________**, a former NSA worker, released crucial surveillance program details in 2013. American intelligence activities suffered from his disclosures.

Boston Marathon

The __________ was attacked by two radical Islamist Chechen brothers in 2013.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

As the __________, they established a territory in Syria. ISIL was first ignored by President Obama.

Crimea

President Putin grabbed _________from Ukraine in 2014 and supported a deadly revolt in the east.