How The United States Have Changed During the 2000s

The 2000s decade was a tumultuous and eventful decade which drastically altered the United States. 9/11 shook the United States to its core, and brought along many changes in culture and politics. The government’s power expanded to even greater heights then before, and the internet gained widespread popularity.

9/11 caused a large change in the United States. The United States increased airport security, and government surveillance because of 9/11. Before 9/11, airport security was far laxer then it is today. The government greatly strengthened security to make sure another tragedy like 9/11 didn’t happen again. In response to the threat of further terrorist acts, the government created the Patriot Acts. These acts increased the government's power, allowing them to spy on the American public. When the extent of the Patriot Acts was exposed, it ignited debate about liberty vs safety.

The war on terror was another response to 9/11. President George Bush declared a war on terror on september 12, 2001. On october 7, 2001, the United States starts air strikes on Afghanistan. On October 19, a land invasion of Afghanistan begins. The War on Terror would last far longer then expected initially, and would be expensive to wage. It was successful in breaking apart the Taliban, but radical islamic terrorists would spread into other terrorist groups, like ISIS.

The United States economy was not doing the greatest in the 2000s. It had been decreasing throughout the decade, and the financial crisis of 2007-2008 was devastating. Before the economic crash, many investors had been pouring money into mortgages. It looked to be a very sound investment, because house prices were rising. However, the housing prices bubble soon popped, and ruined many companies who had been investing large sums into mortgages. Many businesses failed and went into bankruptcy.

To combat this, the government gave billions of dollars to banks to keep them from failing with the TARP program. The government also poured billions of dollars into the united states economy with stimulus packages. The DODD-Frank law attempted to increase transparency and restricted predatory practices. It also made banks able to fail in a controlled manner that would not ruin everybody’s day and the economy.

During the 2000s Harry Potter exploded in popularity, having a massive impact on a generation of Americans. Millions of children read those books, which sparked a larger interest in literacy in the United States. The book’s themes about individuality and outcasts also influenced many young reader’s beliefs and influenced the LGBT movement. The book also sparked debate about whether to ban it in schools in religious states and towns.

An innovation that had a large impact on American society is the smartphone. Many americans began to use smartphones and the internet throughout the 2000s, having a great impact on society. Smartphone technology and the internet increases the efficiency of businesses and industry, and that began to be fully exploited in the 2000s. The internet could increase the speed business information was transported, and increased the speed at information gathering. Smartphones had a large impact on the population, especially the youth. Many young people were given a smartphone at a young age, and soon their attention began to be contested for their profitable ad revenue. Young people began to spend a lot of time on their devices and less in the real world.

The 2000s was a decade that brought many changes in the United States. 9/11 struck fear into American’s hearts, shocking them to the core, and allowed the government to expand its power. The 2007-2008 financial crisis brought many reforms to the United States economy, like the DODD-Frank law. Pop culture was greatly affected by the Harry Potter series, which influenced many young people.