The beginning of 2010 started promising, with its first African American president and ambitions

to make progress in the economy. The United States began by quickly putting the new President to
work. Soon after Barack Obama’s inauguration, the problems trickled in. During his career, he
experienced the end of a terrorist leader, a surge in US gun violence, and a change in Supreme Court
rulings. Following his presidency, Donald J. Trump emphasized his disassociation from his predecessor.
Trump’s presidency was riddled with scandals, numerous natural disasters, continuous gun violence, and
the promise to build a wall. In the years to follow, a worldwide pandemic puts the world on pause,
tragedy strikes with several unexpected deaths, and riots ensue. It has been until recently there has
been a light at the end of the tunnel.

President Barack Obama served as the 44th president and was the first African American in the
United States. The economy was suffering and one of the first tasks to address was the $800 billion
stimulus package. Employment rates were down and one of the largest oil spills had occurred. From
April 20, 2010 – Sep 19, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was one of the largest to take place and
seemed to be untamable. In 2012, Obama is reelected as president and continued his mission. However,
in 2012, the nation turns its focus on the increase in gun violence. Of the many that happen, the U.S
watches as children at the Sandy Hook elementary succumb to a mass school shooting. The following
year also experienced another tragedy, the Boston Marathon as part of a terroristic attack carried out by
two brothers part of a terrorist group. In all the tragedies, the Supreme addresses the long-standing
issue of Same-Sex marriage and leads to the monumental decision to legalize Same-Sex marriage legal in
all 50 states.

As President Obama’s presidency ends, in 2017 Donald Trump ascends as the new president of
the United States. The country shifted; it was a difficult transition, and the country was struggling to
unite. In the same year, coastal states were suffering as Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria all
happened, with death tolls rising and the loss of homes and not enough aid. Trump also faced several
mass shootings including one of the deadliest, the Las Vegas concert, and again the country wanted to
enforce gun violence laws. In 2018, Trump becomes the first president to enter North Korea and meet
with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un on nuclear negotiations. In 2019, Supreme Court votes 5-4 to grant
2.5 billion dollars for Trump to build the wall to separate Mexico from the United States. Trump’s
presidency was flooded with controversies and continued to headline with allegations. In September of
2019, the House of Representatives led by Nancy Pelosi announces her inquiry to impeach Trump. By
December formally impeach Trump.

As the new year begins to follow the impeachment of President Trump, January begins to take a
drastic change. On January 21, 2020, the first case of Coronavirus is confirmed, and so this begins the
deadly worldwide pandemic. Following the news of the virus, the unexpected death of the former
Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant is announced. His death and the death of his daughter along with
all the passengers on the helicopter that crashed and left no survivors came as a shock. And by February
Trump is acquitted. Trump also approves the killing of General Qasem Soleimani by US drone strikes.
The nation is placed under lockdown as WHO announces COVID as a pandemic, requiring a mask
mandate and Stay-At-Home order. Businesses and schools stop operating and begin the transition to
work from home movement.

A few short months into the year another tragic event occurs, the killing of George Floyd. Floyd
was an African American in Minneapolis who had an encounter with police that untimely led to his
death when former Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck killing him while bystanders watched and
recorded Floyd’s last moments. Protests ensued and the Balck Lives Matters movement continued to
speak out against racism and police violence. By the end of the year, very little progress had occurred to
relieve the death tolls of the COVID-19 virus until the first announcement of the Pfizer vaccine. Enraged
by the mandates and stay-at-home orders, Trump supporters storm the United States Capitol. President
Trump’s tweets lead the nation into a frenzy and get him banned from social media platforms.

As January begins, Joe Biden becomes elected as the 47th president and Kamala Harris is the
first African American, Asian American female vice president creating history. President Trump claims
voter fraud was the cause of his loss. By April, President Biden delivers news of his decision to remove
U.S troops from Afghanistan. And in June, he also names June 19th as Juneteenth National
Independence Day making it a federal holiday.

All these events serve as a timeline for what I believed was most impactful. It has been a journey
to see the shift in the country, it is also like watching a movie play out that you don’t get to see all
together until it’s done. For the majority of 2020 until 2022 it has been on rebuilding and adjusting back
to life before the pandemic. The transition the country has made demonstrates the resilience of the
citizens and continues to evolve.