| Line 183: |
Line 183: |
| | President George W. Bush described himself as a "compassionate conservative," which meant expanding government to give more "entitlements" (handouts). He did slightly cut taxes, but let government spending increase beyond control. | | President George W. Bush described himself as a "compassionate conservative," which meant expanding government to give more "entitlements" (handouts). He did slightly cut taxes, but let government spending increase beyond control. |
| | | | |
| − | 9/11 terrorist attacks "Sept. 11, 2001: Saudi Arabians hijack 4 planes, fly 2 into World Trade Ctr, it catches fire and collapses, killing 3000" | + | Less than eight months in the presidency of George W. Bush, on September 11, 2001 ("9/11"), 19 Saudi Arabians hijacked four planes (about five hijackers per plane), and flew them in suicide missions into targets. Two flew into the World Trade Centers, one for each tower, causing a massive fire at about 9am in the upper floors of the towers. Unbeknown to the terrorists, many New Yorkers do not fully arrive to work until about 9:30am; the building was only partially full and many below the impact were able to evacuate. But many could not evacuate; some were trapped above the point of impact and fled to the roof that soon became too hot to stand upon; and hundreds of firefighters courageously entered the building to try to save who they could. Within an hour both towers collapsed from the fires, killing nearly 3,000 people (including those who died on the airplanes). A third hijacked plane went to D.C., probably seeking the White House as its target. But the White House is not easy to see from the air, and the plane crashed into the much easier-to-find large Pentagon military building, killing 66. By then the passengers on the fourth hijacked plane learned of what happened to others by making calls to loved ones on their cell phones. They fought back against the hijackers, preventing it from ever reaching its target of D.C., but died when the plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field during the struggle. Ironically and tragically, the few pilots who carried guns on flights for self-defense had been disarmed by the government just a few months earlier, leaving all the pilots defenseless. A program to rearm pilots after this attack proceeded slowly and amid opposition by proponents of gun control. |
| − | " 3rd jet crashed into Pentagon, killing 66; passengers fight hijackers on 4th jet, it crashes in Pennsylvania field."
| |
| | | | |
| − | Patriot Act of 2001 "Permits extensive phone and email surveillance, and authorizes deportation or detention of suspected terrorists" | + | 9/11 was the deadliest attack ever on American soil, and was even deadlier than the attack on Pearl Harbor. President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress and the entire nation, vowing to holding the perpetrators responsible. Quickly blame was assigned to Osama bin Laden, who was in Afghanistan leading the terrorist group "Al Qaeda." Bush demanded that the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan at the time, expel him from its country. The Taliban refused, and Bush ordered American troops to invade Afghanistan to defeat Al Qaeda and look for bin Laden, who was never found. Terrorists were captured in the process, and included an American later charged with treason and sentenced to 30 years in jail; some terrorists were (and still are) held in Guantanamo Bay. |
| | + | |
| | + | Congress quickly passed the Patriot Act of 2001, which authorized extensive phone and email surveillance of Americans possibly connected with terrorism, and authorizes deportation or detention of suspected terrorists. |
| | | | |
| | No Child Left Behind Act "2001: Aims to improve public schools by increasing testing, and mandating alternatives when test scores are failing" | | No Child Left Behind Act "2001: Aims to improve public schools by increasing testing, and mandating alternatives when test scores are failing" |
| Line 197: |
Line 198: |
| | | | |
| | homeschooling now mainstream 2006: homeschooling class swells to 42 | | homeschooling now mainstream 2006: homeschooling class swells to 42 |
| | + | [[Category:American History lectures]] |
| | + | {{DEFAULTSORT:American History Lecture 13}} |