APUSH 40: The American Pageant, 17th Edition Chapter 40: The American People Face a New Century

Kyoto Treaty

1997 treaty forcing signatories to limit greenhouse gas emissions, signed by US but never ratified

Embryonic Stem Cells

Unspecialized cells taken from aborted fetuses, useful to scientific research, highly controversial

The President’s Council on Bioethics

Advisory board created in 2001 to advise Bush on bioethics & the morality of certain research

USA PATRIOT Act

2001 law granting massive surveillance & detention permissions to the federal government

Department of Homeland Security

Cabinet department created in 2003 which coordinated public safety & antiterrorism efforts

Asymmetrical Warfare

Term for counterterrorism efforts that use intelligence gathering, local support, training of local police, infiltration of terrorist groups, & assassinations

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

2006 Supreme Court case ruling that trying suspected terrorists in military tribunals violated the UCMJ & Geneva Convention

Authorization for Use of Military Force

2001 law allowing the president to unilaterally order the military to attack those responsible for 9/11, used for other military operations in Asia & Africa

Guantanamo Detention Camp

Prison built in 2001 in a US-controlled harbor in Cuba to extralegally hold suspected terrorists, often used music to elicit confessions and decrease morale

Abu Ghraib

Prison in Baghdad, Iraq where suspected terrorists were “tortured” by US troops in 2004

No Child Left Behind Act

2001 law allocating federal education funding based on standardized test results & pass rates, increasing school choice for parents

2004 Election

Bush beats Kerry 286-252, wins popular votes 60.6 million-57.3 million, 1st popular majority in a decade

Hurricane Katrina

2005 natural disaster affecting Louisiana which killed 1300 people, local & FEMA responses were slow, ineffective, and widely criticized

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Nuclear & chemical weapons falsely claimed by Bush to be owned by Iraq, used as justification for Iraq War

Deleveraging

Businesses improving debt to equity ratios by selling assets that they bought with borrowed money, used by firms in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis

Federal National Mortgage Association

Mortgage agency nationalized in September 2008 commonly known as Fannie Mae

Federal Home Mortgage Corporation

Mortgage broker nationalized in September 2008, commonly known as Freddie Mac

American International Group

World’s largest insurance provider which was taken over by the federal government

Troubles Assets Relief Program

Federal program which gave $700 billion to corporations and banks to prevent them from failing, netted a $15 billion profit for the Treasury in its 6 years of operation

2008 Election

Obama defeats McCain 365-173 and wins 53% of popular vote, Obama becomes the first black president, Democrats expand congressional majorities

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

2009 law cutting taxes by $1 trillion and allocating $787 billion for relief for state governments, jobs, and infrastructure

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

2010 law extending health insurance for 30 million Americans, requiring states to establish insurance exchanges to keep rates down, & banning insurers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions

Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

2010 law known as the Dodd-Frank Act which update regulations for financial institutions and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

2010 Midterms

GOP gains 6 Senate seats and 63 in the House to give them a majority, support gained due to Tea Party movement and economic struggles

Operation Neptune Spear

May 2011 military operation in which Navy SEALs killed Osama Bin Laden in his compound in Pakistan

Occupy Wall Street

2010-2011 movement opposing wealth inequality, occupied Zuccotti Park in New York’s financial district

2012 Election

Obama defeats Romney 332-206 and wins popular vote by 5 million, Democrats retained Senate control and GOP retained House majority

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

2010 Supreme Court case ruling that the 1st Amendment banned the government from imposing restrictions on campaign donations by organizations, also allowed nonprofits to make campaign donations without publicizing the funds’ source

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Program established by Obama in 2012 giving illegal immigrants work permits if they immigrated before age 16, rescinded by Trump in 2017

Shelby County v. Holder

2013 Supreme Court case declaring Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act violated states’ rights, empowered states to change election laws without federal approval

Obergefell v. Hodges

2015 Supreme Court case ruling that laws restricting gay marriage violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment

USA Freedom Act

2015 law replacing USA PATRIOT Act and restricting government collection of US citizens’ data

2014 Midterms

GOP expands House majority and regains control of Senate for the first time since 2006

Confirmation Bias

Tendency for humans to uncritically agree with information that confirms their existing viewpoints and being overly critical of information that challenges their positions

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

2015 agreement between Iran & US in which Iran would reduce stockpiles of uranium and nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting economic restrictions

2016 Election

Trump defeats Clinton 304-227 but loses popular vote by 3 million votes

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

2017 law cutting the corporate tax rate, removing health insurance requirement, and decreasing personal income taxes for 10 years, removed state tax deductions from federal filing, allowed overseas corporate profits to be taxed

Dick Cheney

Secretary of Defense under HW Bush and VP under W Bush who was active in foreign policy

Edward Snowden

NSA contractor who leaked classified documents which exposed government surveillance of citizens and foreigners via the internet