FIRST WEEK OF PRESIDENT OBAMA

President Barack Obama has made history and immediately brought energy and hope to a country devastated by an economic crisis.  In his inaugural address, he told Americans we needed to begin remaking America.  He mentioned that we enter a new age of responsibility and that America will stand up to tyrants but also offer an open hand to the Muslim world.  He signed executive orders banning lobbying in government, created new environmental standards, began the process of closing the terror prison in Guantanamo, assigned top diplomatic envoys to the Middle East and Afghanistan, signed the Equal Pay Act, introduced a middle class task force,  and met many times with Republicans to gain support for the economic stimulus bill.  Expectations for President Obama are high, but he has demonstrated that difficult times demand strong leadership.  Millions of Americans support his efforts.  America begins a new turning point in its history.

ISRAELI/HAMAS WAR IN GAZA

The roots of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict go back a long way in history.  It is a conflict land, religion and war.  For Jews and Arabs around the world, there are many perspectives to this conflict.  Following World War I and World War II, the nations of the world declared that British-controlled Palestine would be partitioned into an Arab and Jewish nation.  Israel declared independence and war broke out in 1948 and 1967 between Israel and the Palestinians.  Since then, there have been many peace proposals and terrorist attacks.  Recently, Israel has been giving back land to Palestinians in exchange for peace, but in 2006 Hamas, a terrorist group, won a democratic election to lead the Palestinian government.  They were given control of Gaza,  Because of Palestinian rocket attacks over the Gaza border into Israel, the Israeli government retaliated with force.  Currently, the fighting continues.

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA

America made history on November 4th, 2008 as Senator Barack Obama won the presidential election by 364 to 163 electoral votes and 66 to 57 million votes.  He became the first African American to become president, the first senator to win the presidency since 1960 and the single largest vote receiver in the history of the country.   President-Elect Obama spoke to supporters in Grant Park in Chicago after midnight in the early hours of November 5th.  His speech brought tears to about 250,000 people and inspired tens of millions more who watched on television and online.  Towards the end of his speech, Obama mentioned how Ann Nixon Cooper (106 years old) voted in Georgia.  He cited her perspective on history and then rhetorically challenged Americans to wonder how they will shape the next 100 years.  Obama and his wife, Michelle, met with President Bush and his wife, Laura, on Monday, November 10th to visit the White House, discuss changes in policy and facilitate the transition of power before the inauguration on January 20th, 2009.

DEVASTATING FINANCIAL CRISIS

This week was unlike any other since the Great Depression.  It truly changed the world.  Financially, the US reached the brink of a devastating collapse.  Some of the world's largest banks and insurers vanished into bankruptcy, making the crisis global.  Billions of dollars were pulled from mutual funds and other investments.  The stock market crashed and then recovered.  The federal government bailed out some failing companies but let others die or be taken over.  Because of this, the Bush administration and Congress work this weekend to create a $700 billion rescue plan, hoping to restore confidence in a very broken system.  Both McCain and Obama offered different criticisms and plans to address the mess and fears created by it.  Hopefully, we will all learn from the lessons of the past concerning financial crises.  Tougher times, though, are ahead.

HURRICANE HITS NEW ORLEANS

Hurricanes have devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States for centuries, but no one can forget the devastation of Katrina.  Still, some of the worst natural disasters in the country's history are the Great Chicago Fire (1871), the Galveston Hurricane (1900), and the San Francisco Earthquake (1906) and others that won't soon be forgotten.

McCAIN SELECTS PALIN AS VP

Governor Sarah Palin was named as a surprise pick by Senator John McCain as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee on August 29th, 2008.  As the current governor of Alaska, Palin stands on the issues have been studied as she gains national recognition.  Historically, women have outvoted men in every election since 1964 and Senator Hillary Clinton convention 'unity' speech seems to have rallied female Democratic support for Obama.  Either way, this is definitely an historical election.

OBAMA ACCEPTS NOMINATION

Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States at the end of the Democratic National Convention on August 28th, 2008.  It was the 45th anniversary of the famous March on Washington by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

OBAMA SELECTS BIDEN AS VP

Learn more about all of the previous vice presidents or Time's Worst Vice Presidents (topped with Aaron Burr).  Read information concerning the vice president's role as President of the Senate.   You can also see Senator Joe Biden's official webpage to learn more about his history or his voting record.  For teachers, you can also look at a CSPAN online lesson examining the vice president selection process in history.

RUSSIA INVADES GEORGIA

Russia's history with the nation of Georgia is a long and complex one.  On August 8th, the President of Georgia issued an attack on the semi-autonomous province of South Ossetia, but conflict in the region has been tense throughout the 20th century.  Georgia declared independence following World War I.  The Russians annexed it in 1921.  Josef Stalin was born there.  When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Georgia again declared independence.  The government of Eduard Shevardnadze ruled there informally and formally through most of the 1990's until it was toppled in 2003.  One of the most important reasons Georgia is a strategic ally of the United States (after Bush's visit in 2005) is because of its control of Caspian Sea oil.