Ch. 23Ch. 23The The 2000s 2000s

2000 Election2000 ElectionAl Gore (D) vs. George W. Bush (R)- very close

Gore won the popular vote but Bush won the electoral vote

Florida ballots were very controversial because of the hanging Chad's

Supreme Court stepped in and ruled Bush the winner

George W. Bush (R) 2001-2009

Hillary Clinton- 1st First Lady elected to Senate (D)NY

People called for election reform b/c of the 2000 election

Sept. 11th attacks have changed our country forever

Dept. of Homeland Security was created after 9/11 and goal is to stop terrorism

U.S. Goes To WarU.S. Goes To WarSoon after the 9/11 attacks the U.S.

attacks al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan

War in Afghanistan is the longest military conflict in U.S. history

War in Iraq 2003- U.S. invades Iraq b/c they supposedly had weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

U.S. never found any weapons

Changes After 9/11Changes After 9/11

Security on airlines gets tighter

USA Patriot Act- federal law that gives the govt. the right to spy on anyone

Many people felt the Patriot Act violated our 1st Amendment Rights

U.S. quickly defeats the Iraqi Army but spends years trying to stop the guerrilla violence

Saddam Hussein was captured, tried and then executed.

War led to lots of protest in the U.S. and hurt Bush’s presidency

Iraq War is viewed as another Vietnam

2004 Election2004 Election

Pres. George W. Bush (R) vs. Sen. John Kerry (D)

Very close election that went back and forth

More money was spent on the 2004 election than any prior election

The term “Swing States” refers to states that decided the election becomes popular.

People have become more critical of the Electoral College

Bush cuts taxes to stimulate the economy

Hurricane Katrina- devastated the city of New Orleans and the govt. was criticized for such a slow response

2006- Democrats won the House and Senate

Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House

2008 Presidential Election2008 Presidential ElectionBarack Obama defeats John McCain for

the presidency and becomes the first African American president

Sarah Palin was the 2nd female in history to run for VP

Billions of dollars was spent on the campaign

Barack Obama (D) 2009-

Economic CollapseSub prime mortgages helps lead to

the greatest economic collapse since the Depression

Stock market loses almost half its value and dips into the 6,000s

Unemployment reaches 10%Trillions of dollars of wealth and

retirement are lost

Govt. offers huge bailouts to banks and automakers to prevent another depression

People criticized the govt. and Wall Street

Deflation- prices for goods drop significantly and people are able to buy more for their dollar.

Tea Party- 3rd political party rises in 2010 and calls for a reduction in taxes

Republicans gain control of the House of Representatives in 2010

Current IssuesCurrent Issues

Many states are suffering economicallyU.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are

winding down but concerns remainU.S. oil prices are hurting the economySocial media is have a significant

impact on our society. Obama has been heavily criticized for

the economy