Throughout American history, there have been events that have altered the trajectory of American history. Since 1970, there are several events that have changed American history. In 1996, Hopwood v. Texas had pushed for equality between races. On September 11, 2001, the tragic events that took place had resulted in stricter security throughout the United States. The Great Recession had affected citizens nationwide through the increase of prices and the rise of unemployment. Finally, Obergefell v. Hodges had protected citizen’s Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause.
In 1996, the Federal Court had ruled that race could not be used as a way to determine admission to college. This case was known as Hopwood v. Texas. Hopwood claimed
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During 1997-2006, house prices rose 85 percent. This led to an irresponsible consumer spending spree. Millions of people bought a house that they could not afford. Government regulatory agencies and mortgage lenders became less strict with credit restrictions so that people could buy homes without making any down payment. In 2007, however, the home values and sales began to decline. Due to the loss of trillions of dollars in home value, a record number of borrowers defaulted on their mortgage payments. America was put into a recession in 2008 because of the contraction of corporate spending and consumer purchased. The prices of consumer goods spiked, while employment declined. On October 3, 2008, former President Bush signed the Troubled Asset Relief Program; however, the bill did not restore the economy as a whole. By June 2009, America's economic recovery was at its weakest since the end of the Second World War. I chose this event in history because it had a major effect on America’s economy and changed the course of history. Historians need to study the Great Recession because America should learn from their mistakes. The Great Recession was due to different factors; however, if the regulations on credit restrictions were not tampered with, then the severity of the recession could have been …show more content…
Hodges case. This banned states from denying same-sex marriage. Prior to this ruling, states were able to choose if same-sex marriage was legal or not. The Supreme Court deemed that the right to marry is protected by the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause. Obergefell and his spouse, Arthur, had their Fourteenth Amendment right violated. When Arthur died from ALS, Obergefell went into a legal battle with the state of Ohio in order to be the recognized as the surviving spouse of Arthur. Due to the rejection from Ohio, this problem was taken to the Supreme Court. I chose this event in history because it has changed the path of the United States. Since this ruling has happened, America is closer to equality than ever before. Historians need to study this event in history because it allowed for Americans to have a different view on same-sex marriage. Although same-sex marriage is still a controversial subject for some, the Supreme Court ruling has protected citizens’ Fourteenth Amendment
The mortgage crisis of 2007 marked catastrophe for millions of homeowners who suffered from foreclosure and short sales. Most of the problems involving the foreclosing of families’ homes could boil down to risky borrowing and lending. Lenders were pushed to ensure families would be eligible for a loan, when in previous years the same families would have been deemed too high-risk to obtain any kind of loan. With the increase in high-risk families obtaining loans, there was a huge increase in home buyers and subsequently a rapid increase in home prices. As a result, prices peaked and then began falling just as fast as they rose. Soon after families began to default on their mortgages forcing them either into foreclosure or short sales. Who was to blame for the risky lending and borrowing that caused the mortgage meltdown? Many might blame the company Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but in reality the entire system of buying and selling and free market failed home owners and the housing economy.
In The Gay Marriage Case, Obergefell v Hodges, the United States Supreme Court decided that a state may not prohibit same-sex marriage. Instead, it emphasized that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to the gay society through the Due Process Clause of the 14th amendment of the United States of America Constitution. The involved decision maker in the case was Justice Anthony Kennedy, who gave four primary reasons for his decision.
During the early 2000 's, the United States housing market experienced growth at an unprecedented rate, leading to historical highs in home ownership. This surge in home buying was the result of multiple illusory financial circumstances which reduced the apparent risk of both lending and receiving loans. However, in 2007, when the upward trend in home values could no longer continue and began to reverse itself, homeowners found themselves owing more than the value of their properties, a trend which lent itself to increased defaults and foreclosures, further reducing the value of homes in a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle. The 2008 crash of the near-$7-billion housing industry dragged down the entire U.S. economy, and by extension, the global economy, with it, therefore having a large part in triggering the global recession of 2008-2012.
Throughout history there has been many significant events that have had and everlasting effect on our nation today. These events have shaped our society in numerous ways and have created many benefits as well as problems for our nation. Despite the problematic events, a profusion of events have shaped America for the better. Major events in the 19th century have changed our society in countless methods. Substantial events such as the sinking of the Lusitania and the KKK marches in Washington in 1928 have changed our nation for the better in the social, political, and economic aspects.
Supreme Court cases like Loving v. Virginia (1967), Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (1971), and Bakke v. University of California (1978) made the government realize civil rights were a serious problem. The governments ignorance toward this issue caused people to be harassed, segregated, and even put in prison. After all, everybody is equal and should be treated with the same
In 1997, Texas legislature passed a law that all high school seniors were to be accepted to the University of Texas if they finish in the top ten percent of their class. The University of Texas followed this law but found that their student body was becoming less and diverse. Universities believe that having a diverse student is an important part of learning.
In 1994, a new case, Hopwood v. The University of Texas, was ruled on by the circuit court and interpreted in such a manner as to effectively end affirmative action in higher education for the states of Texas and Louisiana. The plaintiffs for the case were four applicants to the law school of The University of Texas, each of whom were denied admission while minority applicants with lower
Since the year of 1962 many events have taken place; President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965. One noteworthy event that changed the law system of America is the court case of Engel V. Vitale.
Hodges, because the US Supreme Court case brought equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in every state. Fourteen same sex couples, with two individuals whose same sex partners were deceased, filed suits in federal districts courts of their home state’s, arguing that respondents’ state officials violated the 14th Amendment denying the individuals the right to marry or lawfully marry in another state given full recognition. One of the petitioners, Obergefell, had established a lasting commitment together with John Arthur but unfortunately Arthur was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Due to that Obergefell and Arthur wanted to marry before Arthur died. The two married in Maryland but when Obergefell and Arthur came back to the state of Ohio where they encountered
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court successfully adopts the 14th amendment and applies both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause to establish banning of same-sex marriages unconstitutional.
Obergefell v Hodges is the case to know when it comes to gay rights in the United States of America. It started in Maryland were Jim Obergefell and his partner, John Arthur were legally married in 2013 (ABC news). Later the couple moved to Ohio where their marriage license was not recognized by the state (ABC news). This hurt the couple and made them feel like they had been denied their basic rights as U.S. citizens. A few months after the case went to trial in the Federal case, John Arthur passed away of ALS or Lou Gehrig disease (ABC news); This led to a whole new cluster of legal issues. When the state went to file Mr. Arthur’s death certificate, Jim realized that his name was not written on the spouse line and would not be due to same-sex marriage prohibition laws in the state (ABC news). Not only did this infuriated Mr. Obergefell, it meant that he wouldn’t be able to receive John Arthur’s social security or receive any of the benefits spouses receive after losing a partner (ABC news). After fighting with the offices for weeks, Obergefell decide to take this issue to court not only to gain the respect his marriage deserved but to fight for all same-sex couples affected
The recession of 2008 is also called the ‘Great Recession’, said to have begun in December 2007, and took a turn for the worse in September 2008, and it was a severe economic problem expanded globally. This recession affected the world economy, and is said to have been the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression. The decline in the Dow Jones this time was -53.8%. Since the official start of the recession in December 2007, and through June 2010 there have been about 2.3 million homes foreclosed in the United States. In 2012, the state with the most foreclosures in January alone was California, with 51,584 houses being repossessed. Unemployment during this collapse was 8.5%, and continued to increase to about 10% as of 2010. People’s reaction to this recession was a huge decrease in spending and borrowing from banks, but an increase in saving.
History helped to recognize the parallels between these eras and learn from them. The crisis of 2008 was not nearly as bad as the Great Depression, but like the Depression consumers lost trust in the market and were afraid to invest in the economy. The Housing Crash catastrophe, like the Great Depression contributed to the failure of banking institutions and led to high unemployment rates. Unlike the Great Depression, the crisis of 2008 was supported by more than a dozen economic stimulus packages provided by the federal government to jumpstart the economy. The federal government stepped in to bailout the banking institutions to avoid another Great Depression. It is important to look back on the history of these two national devastations and learn from their mistakes so we can be better prepared for future economic downfalls in the
Similarly, the Great Recession was due to consumer spending cutbacks and a drop in demand for the establishment of new housing. In the two decades previous to 2008, the American growth rate was very high. Their household needs also became very high, which made demand increase. Spending was at a high. However personal income was decreased. The consumers then had to borrow money from the banks. This gave the consumers debt. So, when the house prices rose, banks stopped loaning money to people and the people decreased their spending. This happened because the people were not able to pay the banks back. People also cut back on buying or making new houses, so household demand dropped. Many say that this decrease caused the Great Recession. Housing was one of the main subjects that many believe, caused the Great Recession. “Subprime” mortgage availability and low interest
In Hopwood v. Texas, Cheryl Hopwood along with three other caucasian law school applicants challenged the affirmative action program at the University of Texas Law School. She claimed that she was denied admission to the law school despite being better qualified than many admitted minority candidates. Hopwood along with Douglas Carvell, Kenneth Elliott, and David Rogers, all had better combined LSAT and grade scores than 36 of the 43 Latinos admitted, and 16 of the 18 blacks admitted (Hentoff 1). Judge Sparks ruled that the University could continue to use the racial preferences which had been the issue in the case. In the ruling, he wrote that it was "regrettable that affirmative action programs are still needed in our society", and that they were still "a necessity" until society overcomes its tradition of institutional racism (Hopwood V. Texas 1). After the four plaintiffs appealed the case, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote, "the University of Texas School of Law may not use race as a factor in deciding which applicants to admit in order to achieve a diverse student body, to combat the perceived effects of a hostile environment at the law school, to alleviate the law school's poor reputation in the minority community, or to eliminate any present effects of past discrimination by actors other than the law school"( Hopwood V. Texas 1). The University appealed the decision, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review, making the case the law of the land in Louisiana, Mississippi, and