America Since 1975

5th Grade Georgia Performance Standards on America since 1975

SS5H9 The student will trace important developments in America since 1975. 
a. Describe U. S. involvement in world events; include efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, the collapse of the Soviet Union, Persian Gulf War, and the War on Terrorism in response to September 11, 2001. 
b. Explain the impact the development of the personal computer and Internet has had on American life. 

Why don't the U.S. and the Middle East get along?

This is a very complicated question with many possible answers, so answering it in a few paragraphs is very difficult. Here is my best shot. The Middle East is mostly Muslim (which can be a very strict religion) and the United States is seen as showing a lack of respect to strict Muslim belief's because they allow people for worship God however they want or not at all. Many muslims find this unthinkable because they follow such strict rules in their attempt to please God. This by itself is not the only reason so many people dislike America, because there are many countries that allow people freedom to worship God however they choose.

A second major factor is that the U.S. allows great freedoms, but is also very involved in the Middle East. So many people in the Middle East think that the U.S. is trying to control their countries. Here are a few examples of how the U.S. has been involved in the Middle East over the years:

1. After WWII and the horrible Holocaust, the country of Israel was formed for Jews. The problem was that many people feel like the land was taken away from the Palestinians unfairly. The Palestinians were mostly Muslim. The U.S. was the first country to back up Israel and the U.S. has supported Israel ever since. Even though Israel is a tiny country, they are feared because of their strong alliance with the U.S. Many Muslim countries around Israel dislike the United States for supporting  them.
2. The U.S. has been very involved in Iraq. In 1983, they  helped Saddam Hussein gain power of Iraq. The U.S. helped put him in charge, because they were against Iran. Then in 1990-91, when Hussein tried to invade Kuwait, the U.S. brought their military over to stop him. Finally in 2003, the U.S. feared Hussein was making nuclear weapons and they were also afraid that there might be future terrorists who would use the weapons in an attack. They invaded Iraq and Hussein was removed from power. Hussein had done horrible things including killing many of his own people, but many people in the Middle East didn't like that the U.S. was trying to control everything that was going on in the Middle East.
3. After the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, the U.S. declared a War on Terrorism which has meant using drones to attack terrorist groups in many different countries in the Middle East. The U.S. hasn't declared war against these countries, but they have used drones to kill terrorist leaders who are headquartered in these countries. Many times a drone attack will kill the terrorists, but may also kill other people nearby. 
4. The reason the U.S. has been very involved in the Middle East is because of the large amounts of oil in the region. Many people in the Middle East, say that the only reason the U.S. is involved so much is because they are trying to gain control of their resources (oil products).

What and Where is the Middle East?

The Middle East is a part of the world seen in yellow on the map below. It is in the middle of Europe, Asia and Africa and has been the center of a lot of conflict (fighting) for centuries. It is a very difficult region because it is where three different major religions got started. Christianity, Islam and Judaism all started in the Middle East.

Click Here for an Overview of the Persian Gulf War in 1990-91

Click Here for a War in Iraq Video Overview from 2003-2011

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE ALTHOUGH MANY PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST DO NOT LIKE THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT DO SUPPORT THE U.S. As in any situation, people should be judged by their own actions and not the actions of others. It is also important to remember that there are a lot of other much more detailed factors which are involved. Entire books could be written about the United States involvement in the Middle East.