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Roe v Wade

The 1973 Supreme Court decision holding that a state ban on all abortions was unconstitutional.

Stonewall Rebellion

Police raid of a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village NY led to rioting - Kicked off modern gay rights movement in the US

Equal Rights Amendment

DID NOT PASS

A constitutional amendment originally introduced in Congress in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."

Phyllis Schlafly actively worked against its passage.

Failed to get the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Affirmative Action

A policy in educational admissions or job hiring that gives special attention or compensatory treatment to traditionally disadvantaged groups.

Allan Bakke: white student who was denied admission to University of California medical school because slots were reserved for minority students-brought his case to the Supreme Court which affirmed affirmative action

Iran Contra

Very illegal, but President Reagan authorized it anyway.

Secretly sold weapons to Iran and used the money to fund the Contras in Nicaragua who were fighting to overthrow a communist government.

Moral Majority

Political organization established by Reverend Jerry Falwell - made up the conservative Christian fraction of the Reagan Coalition.

Reganomics

Also called supply-side economics. Reagan hoped to promote growth and investment by deregulating business & reducing the tax rates for upper and middle income Americans. Wall Street boomed and we see the growth of YUPPIES (Young Urban Professionals) - but benefits didn't trickle down to the average American

Tax Reform Act of 1986

Part of Reaganomics - The biggest tax cut in American history. Lowed tax rate the most for the wealthy.

Clarence Thomas

2nd African American Supreme Court Justice. (1st Thurgood Marshall - the Brown vs Board of Education attorney) Super Conservative - Critic of affirmative action - NAACP hated him. He was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill, but was appointed despite it.

Contract with America

1994 congressional elections, Congressman Newt Gingrich had Republican candidates sign a document in which they pledged their support for such things as a balanced budget amendment, term limits for members of Congress, and a middle-class tax cut.

Welfare Reform Bill

Signed by Clinton (to the outrage of many Democrats) placed stricter regulations on welfare: you had to prove that you were looking for a job / limited the months in which you could collect the welfare etc…

Tea Party Movement

Conservative Republican movement that largely began in 2009 after Obama's election. Favoring decreased taxes & decreased spending by the government. The focus is on fiscal conservatism. Taxed Enough Already.

Star Wars

Strategic Defense Initiative pursued by Reagan in the 1980s; involved satellite defense against missiles

Reagan Gorbachev Summits

Four meetings that drastically lessened Cold War tensions. Included Washington and Moscow - by the end Reagan was praising Gorbachev for:
*glasnot - openness - allowing more freedom of speech
*perestoika - restructuring - less gov planning more capitialism

Tiananmen Square Massacre

1989—month-long demonstrations by pro-democracy students - China imposed martial law and violently ended the protest

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Wall that separated East and West Berlin since it was built in 1961 - Symbolized the end of the cold war- November 9th, 1989

The Soviet Union Dissolves

Christmas Day 1991- Gorbachev officially resigns and dissolves his office

Persian Gulf War

Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq, broke after an 8 year war with Iran invades Kuwait in hopes of controlling their oil supply. A US led UN coalition kicks Iraq out, but allows Saddam to stay in power. Invasion of ground troops called- Operation Desert Storm.

September 11th Attacks

Coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda (Osama bin Laden - Afghanistan) on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Flight 93 also heading towards DC crashed into an empty field in PA. Sparked what Bush called the "War on Terrorism."

PATRIOT Act

A controversial law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in October 2001, after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Greatly expanded the power of federal gov to move against suspected terrorists through, among other things, telephone and email surveillance.

Department of Homeland Security

US federal agency created in 2002 to coordinate national efforts against terrorism

War in Afghanistan

US and other NATO members invade in order to dismantle the Taliban government which supported al-Qaeda and refused to give up Osama bin Laden.

Invasion of Iraq

2003 invasion, part of Bush's War on Terror. Wanted to get rid of supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction and Saddam. Once Saddam deposed, democratic elections were held, however, the Shia majority started to oppress the Sunni minority sparking a Civil War.

ISIS

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Group of brutal Sunni extremest (including former Iraqi soldiers and al-Queda members) who want to create a Sunni Caliphate.