Chapter 16 America in the New Millennium

The 2000 Election

• During the 2000 presidential campaign George W. Bush stated his opposition to “nation building”

• This election was the closest in 125 years

• It came down to Florida• Bush v. Gore (36days)

Bush’s Major Legislation

• Bush’s legislative victory in 2001 was the passage of a tax cut

• The No Child Left Behind legislation passed by Congress required schools and districts to meet certain learning standards

September 11, 2001• By the 1990s the most

dangerous enemies of the US became shadowy terrorist organizations

• The terrorist attacks of 9/11 turned the lower end of Manhattan into a hellish scene by destroying the World Trade Center and they also hit the Pentagon

• On 9/11 the terrorist kill about 3,000 people

Osama bin Laden

• Was a wealthy Saudi• He was leader of the

Muslim extremist terrorist group called al Qaeda (the base)

• He was allowed to live in Afghanistan by the Taliban

• His group hated the United States

The War on Terror: 2001 - Present• Within a few weeks of the

9/11 attacks, US forces led an attack on Afghanistan

• The Bush Doctrine emphasized preemptive military action against terrorist and their regimes

• Bush’s states rational for attacking Iraq in 2003 was that Iraq threatened the US

War in Iraq

• The fight with Saddam Hussein’s army lasted just a few weeks

• In the aftermath of Iraq’s defeat and occupation no weapons of mass destruction were found

• And in the end the US was nation building

Bush’s Second Term• Bush won his 2nd term by

defeating John Kerry• Bush was able to keep the

Supreme Court conservative by installing John Roberts and Samuel Alito on the court

• In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans and the government took much of the blame

The Economic Crisis of 2007 & 2008

• The housing bubble of the early 2000s was inspired by rising home prices, & subprime loans

• It was also brought on by speculative behavior and the recovery from the 2001 recession

George W. Bush’s Legacy• As the Bush presidency

drew to a close a growing number of Americas viewed it as one of the worst

• Two tax cuts• No Child Left Behind• An unnecessary war in

Iraq (w/ nation building)• Outstanding Federal

Debt (The Tea Party)• A major financial Crisis• Bank bail-out-700 bil.

A Historic Election• woman & biracial candidates• Obama was a former

community organizer then Went to Harvard Law School

• All three were US senators • He ran against Hillary Clinton

in the primary and John McCain in the presidential race

• McCain was Vietnam Vet & oldest candidate in history

Obama’s Record• American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act – almost 800 billion stimulus bill

• Pushed through Obama Care

• Supreme Court: Sonia Sotomayor &Elena Kagan

• Dodd-Frank Legislation – to end “To Big to Fail”?

• Unemployment over 8% most of his 1st term

• Ended the War in Iraq at the end of 2011

• Death of Osama Bin Laden – May 1, 2011

• Environment: Alaska, Keystone Pipeline?

• Fighting with House since 2011

• Growing Federal Debt • War in Afghanistan 2001-

2014?

Election of 2012 & Warring Parties• Obama supports Gay

Rights• The Dream Act and self-

deportation• The Tea Party• Supreme Court rules in

favor of the PPACA• Romney’s comment about

the 47%• High unemployment

Romney v. Obama