1. Ch. 16 America in the New Millennium

2. Election of 2000: Bush vs. Gore
Al Gore (Democrat) vs. George W. Bush (Republican)
Gore won the popular vote by ½ million votes
Came down to Florida
Bush’s brother was Governor
At first, Bush was in the lead
Recount found Bush was 1,000 votes short
Questions surrounding accuracy
Gore took the issue to the Supreme Court
George Bush declared president

3. George W. Bush Presidency

4. September 11th, 2001 Islamic Terrorist hijacked 4 US airliners
Crashed the planes:
World Trade Center in New York City, NY
Pentagon Building in Washington, D.C.
A field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Passengers resisted the terrorists and crashed the plane on purpose
3,000 people were killed
Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda
Took credit for the attacks

6. War on Terror Bush launched a “war” on countries harboring terrorists
Oct air and ground assaults destroyed many al-Qaeda bases
Osama bin Laden eluded capture/death
USA PATRIOT Act
Greatly expanded the government’s law enforcement powers
Government could now search, use surveillance, detain immigrants, monitor bank accounts
NSA (National Security Agency) could wiretap calls

7. War in Iraq
Fear that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein might provide weapons to bin Laden
Bush believed Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
Began war against Iraq
Hussein was captured and executed by Iraqis in 2006
New government established
First Arab democracy
Many Iraqis became angry that foreigners were intervening in their country
Many disliked America
Bush sent more troops to secure and protect Iraq

8. Hurricane Katrina
Led to the evacuation and flooding of almost 80% of New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast
Hurricane’s power exceeded the engineering of the New Orleans levees
1,800+ people died
Rescue efforts were so delayed that people were stranded on rooftops and in attics
20,000+ people were trapped in the Superdome

9. Hurricane Katrina

10. Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 Worst crisis since the Great Depression.
After stock market drop in 2000, Federal Reserve lowered interest rates to stimulate the economy
Many took advantage of this and bought new houses
Some banks lent money to people who really couldn't afford the houses they were buying
Eventually home prices rose
As homeowners couldn’t afford their homes, they were forced to sell them to banks or investors (foreclosure)
Several investment firms began to fail and banks stopped lending

11. Barack Obama Presidency
2009-Today

12. Obama in Iowa City, IA (2013)

13. 2008 Elections One of the hardest fought elections in US History
Hillary Clinton ran for Democratic Party
Barack Obama was a young senator from Illinois
Received a tremendous boost when Oprah Winfrey endorsed him
Senator John McCain ran on the Republican ticket
Sarah Palin Vice-Presidential candidate
Obama is elected
Appealed to young people, minorities, opponents of the Iraqi War

14. Obama’s Response to the Crisis
Wanted to stimulate the economy by producing jobs, rebuilding roads, bridges, schools, etc.
Proposed changes to healthcare and education
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
$700 billion spent to help the economy
Creating new jobs, saving existing jobs, invest in long term infrastructure development
Passed legislation to regulate credit cards, lending, and banks
Passed universal healthcare despite controversy

15. Supreme Court Appointments
Sonia Sotomayor
First Hispanic Justice and third female justice to serve on Supreme Court
Elena Kagan
Another female Justice appointed to the Supreme Court

16. Define the following terms
You may write these on the bottom of your notes or a separate sheet of paper.
Technology P.378
Innovation P.378
Free enterprise system P.379
E-Commerce P.380
Multinational corporation P.381
Green house effect P.382
Demography P.384