Modern American president

Endangered Species Act

(1973) identifies threatened and endangered species in the U.S., and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations

Camp David Accords

(1978) were negotiated at the presidential retreat of Camp David by Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel Menachem Begin; they were brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. They led to a peace treaty the next year that returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, guaranteed Israeli access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, and more-or-less normalized diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. This isolated Egypt from the other Arab countries and led to Sadat's assassination in 1981.

Watergate

1972; Nixon feared loss so he approved the Commission to Re-Elect the President to spy on and espionage the Democrats. A security gaurd foiled an attempt to bug the Democratic National Committe Headquarters, exposing the scandal. Seemingly contained, after the election Nixon was impeached and stepped down

Community Reinvestment Act

A law requiring lenders to meet the needs of the community in which they are chartered to do business

Affordable Care Act

An expansion of medicaid, most of employers must provide health insurance, have insurance or face surtax, prevents rejection based on pre-existing condition. Also referred to as "Obamacare", signed into law in 2010.

Hurricane Katrina

August 29, 2005 *A large hurricane that caused major destruction and loss of life along the Gulf Coast of the US *The levee system in New Orleans, Louisiana, flooded due to catastrophic failure; water covered the city and nearby areas for weeks, and more than 1500 people died *The federal government was widely blamed for its slow response to the crisis, and the federal, state, and local governments were criticized for their lack of communication *Issues of race, poverty, and political power were debated nationwide as news of the tragedy spread *The levee failures led to investigation of the US Army Corps of Engineers, which had designed and built them, and into local levee boards that managed the system

Impeachment

Charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives

Iran Hostage Crisis

In November 1979, revolutionaries stormed the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage. The Carter administration tried unsuccessfully to negotiate for the hostages release. On January 20, 1981, the day Carter left office, Iran released the Americans, ending their 444 days in captivity.

Pardon of Nixon

In his first month in office President Gerald Ford granted Richard Nixon a full and unconditional pardon for any crime he might have committed in office. (p. 632)

NAFTA

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

Reaganomics

Reagan's economic policy; tax cuts, arms build up, budget cuts

Bush persian gulf war

Supported the Hossain because he feared that would gain control of the oil in Kuwait

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

This 2009 Act increased the role of the federal government by increasing government spending to jump start the economy.

Iran-Contra Affair

This involved high officials in the Reagan administration secretly selling arms to Iran (in return for the release of Western hostages in the Middle East) and illegally using the proceeds to finance the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Patriot Act

This law passed after 9/11 expanded the tools used to fight terrorism and improved communication between law enforcement and intelligence agencies

Star Wars Program

a program first initiated under President Ronald Reagan. The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union

Environment Protection Agency (EPA)

government agency committed to cleaning up and protecting the environment