TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. The Bush and Obama Presidencies

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Assess the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. Explain the goals and achievements of George W. Bush’s domestic policy. Analyze the impact of terrorist attacks on the United States. Summarize the policy goals and actions of the Obama administration. Objectives

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Terms and People George W. Bush – Republican winner of the 2000 presidential election; son of George H.W. Bush and former governor of Texas No Child Left Behind Act – 2002 law aimed at improving the performance of schools through mandated sanctions against schools not reaching federal performance standards Taliban – Islamic fundamentalist faction that controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 Patriot Act − law passed after September 11, 2001 that gave law enforcement broader powers in monitoring possible terrorist activities

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Terms and People (continued) Department of Homeland Security − department created by George W. Bush to coordinate domestic security efforts Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) − nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons intended to kill or harm on a large scale Barack Obama − Democratic winner of the 2008 presidential election; former senator from Illinois and the first African American president Tea Party Movement − informal movement made up of local groups who want to reduce the size and scope of the federal government

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. With the election of George W. Bush to the presidency in 2000, Republicans controlled the White House and Congress. When the United States was attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001, Bush moved the nation in a new direction. But a severe financial crisis paved the way for the election of Barack Obama. What was the impact of the terrorist attack against the United States and the 2008 financial crisis?

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. The election depended on Florida’s 25 electoral votes. As Clinton’s second term neared its end in 2000, his Vice President, Democrat Al Gore, ran for President against Republican George W. Bush. Although Gore won more popular votes than Bush, the electoral vote margin was too close to call.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Because the vote in Florida was so close, state law mandated an automatic recount. The Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore ended the recount. Bush was declared President.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. He passed a series of tax cuts. Bush promoted the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act to raise national academic standards. In 2003, despite criticism, Bush worked with Congress to extend Medicare to cover prescription drugs for seniors. Bush pursued an aggressive conservative agenda when he took office.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Then something happened that challenged the new President and led to a shift in U.S. foreign policy. On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and crashed four airplanes. Two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York City. More than 3,000 people died as the twin towers collapsed. September 11, 2001

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Bush first focused on the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11. In response, the United States began a “war on terror.”

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Osama bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda network, was thought to be hiding in Afghanistan, where the Taliban allowed him to operate. The United States and its allies sent forces to Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban. Bin Laden escaped capture.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. President Bush worked to prevent future terrorist attacks. Congress passed the Patriot Act. Critics claimed it violated civil liberties. The new Department of Homeland Security coordinated security matters among federal, state, and local agencies.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Saddam and many of his supporters were captured. Bush then turned his attention to Iraq, where many feared Saddam Hussein was stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). In 2003, American and British forces invaded Iraq.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Many Americans were troubled by the war, terrorism, and the budget as they cast their votes in the 2004 election. Bush won reelection, but the United States seemed to be returning to a country of deep political divisions.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Although Saddam was overthrown, fighting broke out among three rival groups in Iraq. The country was consumed by chaos. The Iraq war continued in Bush’s second term. Critics of Bush said he had misled Congress and the American people. In 2008, a Senate Intelligence Committee report determined that there was no credible evidence to support claims that Iraq was developing WMDs or had ties to terrorist groups.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Federal response to the disaster was slow. Discontent with the administration grew. The 2006 midterm elections gave control of the House and the Senate back to the Democrats. Meanwhile, President Bush faced domestic challenges. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. In 2008, Americans faced an economic crisis centered on the financial industry. The American economy entered a recession in Unemployed Americans who couldn’t pay their mortgages faced foreclosure. Housing prices fell, and mortgage- related investments lost value. Several investment firms collapsed or were sold. In September 2008, the stock market plunged. The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was implemented to bail out the banks and prevent financial meltdown.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. The 2008 presidential election broke new ground in American politics. Democratic senator Barack Obama of Illinois was a graduate of Harvard Law School. He had been a community organizer in Chicago and a state senator in Illinois. Republican senator John McCain of Arizona served as a pilot in Vietnam, and had been a prisoner of war. He was first elected to Congress in Barack Obama won the election, becoming the first African American President of the United States.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Upon entering office, President Obama addressed domestic issues. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was a stimulus package designed to pump money into the economy. In 2009, legislation was passed overhauling the nation’s healthcare system. It included coverage for the 46 million uninsured Americans, and prevented denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions. Some opposed the healthcare plan, saying it cost too much and gave the federal government too much power.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Obama also addressed the war in Iraq. In August 2010 the President announced that the American mission in Iraq had ended. More than 4,000 troops had been killed in the war and over 31,000 wounded. 50,000 American troops stayed behind in support roles. Thanks to a troop surge, Iraq was significantly more stable, although acts of terrorism continued.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. At the same time, Obama increased the American military presence in Afghanistan. American forces focused their efforts on the Taliban in Afghanistan and their allies in Pakistan. In May 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALS who raided his compound in Pakistan. The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was dead. However, Americans knew that bin Laden’s death did not end the threat of terrorism.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. As the 2010 elections approached, the nation seemed increasingly divided. Many Americans supported Obama, while others were angered by his actions. The Tea Party Movement wanted to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. They ran as Republicans but also criticized Republicans as big spenders. Republicans won control of the House and Senate in the 2010 congressional elections.