Ronald Reagan begins arms buildup

United States arms Contras in Nicaragua

Berlin Wall comes down (1989)

New Right helps elect Ronald Reagan president

Iran-Contra scandal (1985–1987)

George H. W. Bush elected president (1988)

HIV/AIDS crisis prompts national conversation about homosexuality

Renewed emphasis on material success and the “rich and famous”

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)

Rise in Latino and Asian immigration

Californians vote to establish English as official language (1986)

Recession (1981–1982) followed by strong growth (1982–1987)

Reagan tax cut (1981)

Apple personal computer introduced (1983)

National debt triples (1981–1989)

Persian Gulf War (1990–1991)

USSR breaks apart; end of Cold War

Al Qaeda bombs World Trade Center (1993)

UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia (1992–1995)

Bill Clinton elected president (1992)

Republican resurgence (1994)

Welfare reform (1996)

Clinton impeached and acquitted (1998–1999)

Pat Buchanan declares “culture war” (1992)

Proposition 209 ends affirmative action in California universities

Defense of Marriage Act (1998)

WTO protests in Seattle (1999)

Backlash against “multiculturalism”

California bans bilingual education in public schools (1998)

Internet gains in popularity

Recession (1990–1991)

NAFTA ratified (1993)

Debt reduction under Bill Clinton

Al Qaeda attacks World Trade Center and Pentagon (2001)

United States and allies invade Afghanistan (2002)

United States invades Iraq (2004)

George W. Bush wins presidency in contested election (2000)

USA PATRIOT Act (2002)

Barack Obama elected first African American president (2008)

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Massachusetts becomes first state to legalize same-sex marriage (2004); nine states follow by 2012

“War on terror” becomes fixture in American discourse

New scrutiny of airport passengers after 9/11

California, Texas, Hawaii, and New Mexico become “majority-minority” states (where the majority of the population is composed of minorities)

Crisis in newspaper industry

Great Recession (2007–2010)

President Bush asks for and receives bank bailout from Congress (2008)

Unemployment hits 10 percent

Arab Spring (2010–2012)

Osama bin Laden killed (2011)

Last combat troops withdrawn from Iraq (2011)

Health-care reform (2010)

Tea Party helps Republicans regain control of House of Representatives

Barack Obama reelected president (2012)

Congress and President Obama end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in U.S. military (2011)

Obama’s 2012 electoral coalition heavily African American, Hispanic, Asian American, female, and young

Financial industry accounts for largest share of GDP among all industry sectors