Topic 13: America in the 21st Century

free trade

the movement of goods and services among nations without political or economic barriers

European Union

an association of European nations formed in 1993 for the purpose of achieving political and economic integration.

Euro

the basic monetary unit of most members of the European Union (introduced in 1999)

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement; allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada.

Why were people for NAFTA?

it would increase exports and promote economic growth

Why were some people against NAFTA?

it may force some manufactures to move to counties where wages were less.

World Trade Organization

an international organization based in Geneva that monitors and enforces rules governing global trade

Globalization

the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

multinational corporation

a company that is heavily engaged in international trade, beyond exporting and importing

service industry

Any kind of economic activity that produces a service rather than a product

What are service industries?

Example: Banking, restaurants, child care, lawyers, teachers, doctors

Telecommunications

transmitting information and communicating electronically

Industrial based economy

Economy based on business/ manufacturing/ factory jobs; type of economy America used to focus on

What has happened to union membership in the 1990s?

it has decreased

What allows America to have the world's largest economy?

political stability, abundant natural resources, high worker productivity, favorable immigration policies, culture that emphasizes hard work, free enterprise, education, innovation

What nation currently is the biggest competitor of the United States?

China

Who won the popular vote in 2000 election?

Al Gore

Who won the electoral vote in the 2000 election?

George W. Bush

Gore v. Bush (2000)

one of the most conflicting cases in the Supreme Court; Bush won the popular votes in Florida by a small margin & so Gore asked for a recount; Gore appeals to the Florida state supreme court (which has a more Democratic majority) to recount the votes, but Bush says they shouldn't do a recount & so takes the case to Supreme Court; Republicans should say that this is a state issue & assignment (strict construction) but instead the liberals said this & the Republican argument was very hard to understand; the vote was 5 to 4 (Kennedy voted on the Republican side) & so they canceled the recount; the majority opinion had 3 people sign & 2 concurring opinions; there were 4 dissenting opinions

3rd party candidate in 2000 election

Ralph Nader (Green Party)

What was one of the things George W. Bush did shortly after election?

cut taxes

No Child Left Behind Act

an act that requires states to test students in prescribed grades, with the results of those tests determining eligibility to receive federal funding

Medicare Act of 2003

passed under George W. Bush and extended prescription benefits to Medicare

9/11

A series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001.

Osama Bin Laden

(1957-) Founder of al Qaeda, the terrorist network responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001, and other attacks.

Anthrax Attacks

A few days after 9-11, letters with spores sent to mass media and Congress, 5 people died. bioterrorism

Effect of 9/11

Increased security and stricter border control, rebirth of patriotism

War on Terror

Initiated by President George W. Bush after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the broadly defined war on terror aimed to weed out terrorist operatives and their supporters throughout the world.

Taliban

A group of fundamentalist Muslims who took control of Afghanistan's government in 1996

Who hid Osama bin Laden

the Taliban in Afghanistan

Why did the US invade Afghanistan in 2001?

due to the Taliban not giving up Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden

USA Patriot Act

Act that gives federal officials greater authority to take measures to combat terrorism.

Department of Homeland Security

Cabinet department created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to coordinate domestic security efforts of 22 different agencies

Guantanamo Detention Camp

American military base in Cuba that housed hundreds of Taliban fighters captured in Afghanistan; the Bush administration called for trying suspected terrorists before military tribunals, where the usual rules of evidence and procedure did not apply.

Hamden v. Rumsfeld (2006)

The Supreme Court said that Congress had not authorized the secret military tribunals, and they very clearly violated the protections afforded to prisoners of war by the Geneva Conventions, which, the Court declared, was the law of the land. Refers to detaining prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Sadam Hussein

The dictator of Iraq who was put on trial for genocide, and crimes against human rights

Why did the US invade Iraq in 2003?

because supposedly Saddam had WMD, he supported terrorism (especially al-Qaeda) was hostile towards Israel, and had violated numerous UN resolutions. However, the subsequent invasion has failed to produce the quantities of WMD initially thought to have existed and the connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda has been shown to be much weaker than previously thought.

Operation Red Dawn

A military operation conducted on December 13, 2003 that lead to the capture of Saddam Hussein. He was found in a small town outside of Tikrit, Iraq.

Hurricane Katrina

This natural disaster hit New Orleans in 2005, making the Bush administration look inefficient to deal with the crisis. It destroyed 80% of New Orleans and more than 1300 people died, while the damages were $150 billion.

Kyoto Protocol

An international treaty designed to control global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

Financial Crisis of 2008

The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It began with the housing mortgage market and ultimately led to high unemployment. It resulted in the threat of total collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around the world.

Foreclosure

The seizure of property from borrowers who are unable to repay their loans

Troubled Asset Relief Program

A 2008 Federal government program that authorized the U.S. Treasury to loan up to $700 billion to critical financial institutions and other U.S. firms that were in extreme financial trouble and therefore at high risk of failure

Sarah Palin

governor of Alaska who was the first female to ever be nominated for VP as a running mate with Republican John McCain

Barack Obama

2008; Democrat; first African American president of the US, health care bill; Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster; economy: huge stimulus package to combat the great recession, is removing troops from Iraq, strengthened numbers in Afghanistan; repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell; New Start treaty with Russia

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

An economic stimulus bill passed in 2009, in response to the Great Recession, that provided $787 billion to state and local governments for schools, hospitals, and transportation projects. It was one of the largest single packages of government spending in American history.

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State

Sonia Sotomayor

Appointed by President Obama in 2009, first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice

Elena Kagan

appointed as Supreme Court justice by President Obama; had built a reputation as a passionate advocate of civil rights, including gay rights.

Affordable Care Act

law passed in 2010 to expand access to insurance, address cost reduction and affordability, improve the quality of healthcare, and introduce the Patient's Bill of Rights

Obamacare

Requires all US citizens to have healthcare and requires those who do not to pay a penalty.

Financial Reform Act of 2010

Also referred to as Wall Street Reform Act or Consumer Protection Act-mortgage lenders must verify the income, job status, and credit history of mortgage applicants before approving mortgage applications.

Tea Party Movement

created after Barack Obama's election, a political movement that advocates lower government spending, lower taxes, and limited government

Occupy Wall Street

A recent social movement that promotes protests and political activism against income inequality and corporate greed.

National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius

ruled Congress had the power to introduce most provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Unfavorable Balance of Trade

A situation in which a country imports more goods than it exports.

Bashir al Assad

president of Syria and the regional secretary of the Ba'ath party. was called on by President Obama and other leaders to step down. Has been using military to put down popular protests in Syria. The al-Assads are Alawites, which are considered by Sunnis to be a subset of the Shias. Given that Syria has a Sunni majority, having a Shia president causes unrest.

Boston Marathon Bombing

series of attacks in Boston for the marathon in 2013 that injured hundreds of runners and killed 3

Immigration Act of 1990

1. It increased total, overall immigration to allow 700,000 immigrants to come to the U.S. per year.
2. It expanded the number of family-based immigration visas allotted per year in order to reunite families but limited definition of family to immediate family.
3. Created the diversity immigrant category for immigrants from underrepresented countries (those with fewer than 50,000 immigrants admissions over the preceding five years)
4. Congress created the temporary protected status (TPS visa), for immigrants who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. It specifically benefited citizens of El Salvador.
5. and eliminated exclusion of homosexuals under the medically unsound classification of "sexual deviant" that was in the 1965 Act

How have families changed across the course of US history?

Divorce rate increase, more two income families, more families headed by single women, more children born out of wedlock

Grutter v. Bollinger

affirmative action case (lost) ; race could be used as a factor in admissions as long as there was no point system and race was not a major factor; upheld Bakke case

Violence Against Women Act (1994)

law passed in 1994 that increased federal resources to apprehend and prosecute men guilty of violent acts against women

Don't Ask Don't Tell

Clinton managed to gain support for a compromise measure under which homosexual servicemen and servicewomen could remain in the military if they did not openly declare their sexual orientation

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Struck down state bans on same sex marriage. The 14th Amendment requires States to license a marriage between two people of the same sex.
States must recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-State.

global warming

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

The pumping of water at high pressure to break apart rocks in order to release natural gas

reduce, reuse, recycle

three steps used to reduce the amount of waste produced and put in landfills

green agriculture

involves farming methods that do not harm the ecosystems

Rooftop Garden

A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational opportunities, and in large scale it may even have ecological benefits.

just-in-time inventory system

a system designed to ensure that materials or supplies arrive at a facility just when they are needed so that storage and holding costs are minimized

Ethos

beliefs or character of a group