Events from the decade 2010s in the United States.
Overview
During this time period the United States experienced a wave of unprecedented political polarization and ongoing political debates such as climate change, voting rights, gun control, police misconduct, and immigration. The ongoing 2008 financial crisis dominated the early Obama presidency (2009–2017). Democrats held the majority in both houses of Congress and control of the presidency which enabled Obama to pass numerous landmark legislative pieces such as the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Dodd-Frank, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2011. Economic inequality and lack of accountability stemming from the financial crisis led to the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement which quickly expanded into hundreds of American cities. The enactment of the Affordable Care Act generated both national support and backlash around the administration's effort to expand the federal government's role in healthcare. The United States Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. FEC that laws restricting campaign finance donations were unconstitutional leading to a nationwide argument and scholastic research on campaign finance reform and the impact corporations have in American democracy. Conservative opposition such as the Tea Party Movement coalesced and won the 2010 midterm elections in a landslide. Obama's approval ratings fluctuated prior to the 2012 presidential election due to factors such as the economy and opposition to Obamacare. The Obama administration recovered and won widespread public praise following the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and a strong, co-ordinated response to Hurricane Sandy. Congress stalled on the administration's immigration reform agenda, prompting Obama to sign an executive order establishing the DACA program. Prior to the election, the administration was scrutinized for its response to the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks in which sitting US ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was assassinated.
Barack Obama was re-elected in the 2012 presidential election becoming the first African American president to secure two terms. The second term of the Obama administration saw historic congressional gridlock and tension between the Democratic administration and the Republican controlled Congress. Following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, a nationwide debate about gun legislation reopened which saw the Obama administration aggressively lobby for gun control. These legislative proposals died in Congress leading to the expansion and emphasis on local community organizing instead. During Obama's second term issues such as climate change emerged in the public consciousness, leading the administration to adopt clean power directives and sign the Paris Climate Accord. Also during this time, the United States began to change its attitudes towards gay rights. Following the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the nationwide movement to legalize gay marriage began to see significant gains and public acceptance. In 2015 the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that restrictions to gay marriage were deemed unconstitutional and gay marriage became legal. A series of allegations of police misconduct and the shooting of Michael Brown prompted the Obama Administration to investigate the Ferguson Police Department. Michael Brown's death coupled with the shooting of Trayvon Martin kickstarted the Black Lives Matter Movement and a national conversation about the relationship police have with African Americans. Racism remained a central issue in 2015 which saw an armed gunman massacre nine African Americans in the historic Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. One of the victims was South Carolina state senator Clementa C. Pinckney, a senior pastor of the church. The racial motivations of the shooting pressured South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to remove the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina State House. The final year of the Obama presidency was marked by bitterness between the administration and Congress. Following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Obama appointed Merrick Garland to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. The political division coupled with the lame-duck president played a role in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision to forgo any action on behalf of the Senate to vet Garland. This decision ignited a political firestorm as both sides doubled down on their decision leading to a debate on potential unconstitutional misconduct by McConnell. Garland's nomination was ultimately ignored and the seat was filled by Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee. Islamic terrorism became a major issue in US political discourse following the 2015 Paris attacks leading to an increase in American military invention alongside European allies overseas. During the Obama administration, major technological advancements converged to create military drones, which are the subject of an ongoing debate about the ethical use of this technology.
On June 16, 2015 businessman and former reality TV star Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States. Trump made media headlines for his controversial conduct and behavior, garnering both support and criticism. Trump became renowned for this unorthodox approach with some analysts concluding that it was ultimately helpful to the Trump campaign as he received over $2 billion in free media coverage. Trump emerged as the Republican front-runner by June 2016, receiving the nomination in July. Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State, US Senator, and First Lady declared her candidacy in April 2015 and became the front-runner. Clinton clashed with Senator Bernie Sanders, opening a divide in the Democratic party between the centrists and progressive faction of which Sanders' held the bulk of his support. Clinton successfully outmaneuvered Sanders and won the Democratic nominee, becoming the first woman in US history to be a presidential nominee for either major US party. Social media played an unprecedented role in the outcome of the election as voter behavior was impacted by what they saw on social media. Voters on both sides were bombarded with social media misinformation and fake news. One such source of misinformation was the Russian government which flooded platforms, especially Facebook with fake news and content designed to invoke an emotional response. Both candidates were extremely disliked and were the most unpopular in modern American history. The Trump campaign heavily invested in Facebook and used the platform to contain the outrage following the release of the Access Hollywood tape. In summer 2016, the Democratic National Committee was hacked and internal emails were released on the website WikiLeaks. The leaked emails gave rise to a right-wing conspiracy theory, Pizzagate that dominated online political discourse. Political polarization accelerated dramatically in the months leading up to the election. Most pollsters concluded that Hillary Clinton would ultimately defeat Trump but differed by the margin of victory.
Despite losing the popular vote, Donald Trump won the election in one of the most stunning upsets in American history. Following Trump's inauguration, a series of protests commenced around the world. In his first 100 days, Trump signed a series of executive orders that reduced government's support the Affordable Care Act, expanded infrastructure projects, and instituted an entry ban on foreign nationals from seven Muslim majority countries. Trump authorized a missile strike in Syria in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. Trump's first 100 days received an unprecedented amount of media coverage, the majority of such coverage was negative leading to a nationwide debate on media bias. Following Trump's inauguration, the US intelligence community definitively concluded that the Russian government had interfered in the presidential election. In May 2017, Deputy United States Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel to investigate the extent of the Russian interference and whether or not the Trump campaign was involved. The special counsel investigation loomed over the majority of Trump's presidency. Some of Trump's close associates such as Paul Manafort were investigated and charged by the special counsel's office. On August 11, alt-right groups consisting of neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, white nationalists, Klansmen, & other far-right militias gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. The event called Unite the Right, descended into violence, and the following day saw a white supremacist drive a vehicle into a crowd of counter-protestors killing one and injuring thirty-five. President Trump's response to the attack garnered widespread controversy. His remarks such as, "very fine people on both sides," were met with condemnation. Trump was further criticized for his administration's response to Hurricane Maria. 2018 saw Trump pivot US foreign policy and began rapprochement with North Korea. His visit with North Korea was overshadowed by the unfolding sex scandal involving pornstar Stormy Daniels.
History by government period
Obama presidency
Trump presidency
2009–2011, 111th Congress
Democrats swept into 2009 with control over the White House and both Houses of Congress. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was Speaker of the House of Representatives and Harry Reid (D-NV) was Senate Majority Leader. The Democratic supermajority in the Senate was guaranteed with the election of Al Franken (D-MN) in January and when Republican Arlen Specter (D-PA) switched to the Democratic Party. Major legislative victories included the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (providing equal pay for women), American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (designed to preserve existing jobs and to create new ones), Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (extending health-care coverage to millions; popularly called "Obamacare"), Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the first major financial reform since the 1930s), Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (providing financing for small businesses), 2010 Tax Relief Act (temporary tax relief for the middle class), Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (allowing gay, lesbian, and transgender people to serve openly in the military), and the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (provides support for first responders who survived the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks).The legacy of the 111th Congress by Richard E. Cohen, Politico, October 1, 2010, retrieved March 10, 2020
The Senate confirmed the appointments of two women to the Supreme Court: Sonia Sotomayor (the first Latino to hold the post)"Sotomayor Confirmed as First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice in Victory for Obama" by Queenie Wong, U.S. News & World Report, August 6, 2009, retrieved March 22, 2020 and Elena Kagan."Senate confirms Kagan's nomination to Supreme Court" The Denver Post, August 5, 2010, retrieved March 22, 2020
President Barack Obama's September 9, 2009, Congressional address promoting health care reform was interrupted by Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) who shouted: "You lie!" when Obama said his health care plan would not cover undocumented immigrants."Rep. Wilson shouts, 'You lie' to Obama during speech" CNN Politics, retrieved March 10, 2020 The Democrats' supermajority in the Senate ended on February 4, 2010, with the election of Scott Brown (R-MA)."Brown: Mass. Win about Anger, not Obama" CBS News, January 20, 2010, retrieved March 22, 2020