[intro music]
After a relative prosperous period America was hit with some of it's
greatest challenges, only to respond with long awaited changes that
reshaped the course of the nation during this decade.
>> Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
>> Welcome to watchMojo.com and today we are counting down
our picks for the top ten defining moments in 2000's America.
>> It does not appear that there is any kind of effort up there yet,
now remember, Oh my god.
>> For this list, we've chosen moments that we've felt best represent this
essential decade in American history.
>> Yes, I saw Lance Armstrong using drugs.
>> Number 10: The Stigma of Steroids in Sports.
>> What other supplements did you use?
>> I'm not here to talk about the past.
>> Long hidden under the bright lights of sports,
steroid abuse was exposed this decade.
Former players like Jose Canseco, opened up about their use.
>> As early as his MVP season in 1988, there were whispers that
Jose Conseco was using steroids.
>> Leading to rigorous and refined anti-doping programs
across the major sports organizations.
>> Around 300 separate tests that he has undergone.
>> From Marion Jones to Mark McGwire the resulting investigations shattered
many reputations and achievements.
Tests to detect performance enhancing drugs continued to evolve
but recent scandals show that athletes still use to seek that
ever desirable competitive edge.
Number 9: Corporate Scandals
>> Scott D. Sullivan, and David F. Meyers were charged with seven counts of
securities fraud.
>> The early 2000's were host to an abnormally large amount of
corporate corruption and bankruptcies.
Facing debt and a recessing economy, major companies
like Enron and WorldCom used fraudulent schemes
to disguise their massive loses.
>> Plant operators were coached on how to lie to officials.
>> However in every case, the sham came to an end
and several corporations toppled to the tune of billions of dollars.
Enron's fall was especially bloody with trials and lawsuits
dragging on throughout the decade.
>> Number 8: Same-sex Marriage Legalized in Some States.
>> It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think that
same - sex couples should be able to get married.
>> At the decade's start, same sex marriage wasn't permitted
anywhere in the United States.
This all changed in 2003 when the Massachusetts Supreme Court
legalized it.
>> Everyone deserves an equal chance for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
And this law is just so monumental, it just makes me so proud to
be from Massachusetts
>> Marriages were authorized for many states at a torrid pace.
Four total by the decade's end.
This started a major movement for gay rights, as antiquated laws
and policies were slowly phased out.
Marriage legalization has strongly continued since
with its seeds first planted in the 2000's.
>> But that alone doesn't make people equal, so it is time for equality
in marriage in Washington State.
>> Number 7: The USA Patriot Act.
>> President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act which
gave law enforcement broader authority to investigate and
prosecute suspected terrorists.
The actions of 9/11 stunned the American people and it
was to be expected that the government attempt to
increase security measures.
The Patriot Act was the resulting act of Congress, including initiatives
meant to empower investigations into terrorist activity.
>>Never in my worst nightmare would I ever think that it
would be my own government that I would have to protect
my children from.
>> Many criticized the act for violating civil liberties with expanded
surveillance and stringent immigration policies.
The debate continues as the Patriot Act has survived through the years
with minor changes.
>> Today is the 10th anniversary of President George W. Bush signing into law
the Patriot Act. So happy birthday to extended wiretaps.
>> Number 6: Social. Local. Mobile.
>> You know someone is going to build this, someone is going to build something
that makes it so that people can stay connected with their friends
and their family, but no way would we be the ones who were contributing to
leading the whole Internet in this direction.
>> The 2000s saw Americans again change the way they communicate.
Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace attracted
millions of users to chat and share their pictures, interests, and daily lives.
This was aided by the prominent advancement of the cellphone
to the smartphone.
>> The colors in your photos will look truer and your skin tones more natural.
>> No longer mere communication devices, they allow people to experience
a full electronic world from anywhere at anytime.
The social grid was inescapable.
Number 5: Hurricane Katrina.
>> In the world of weather, this is the weapon of mass destruction.
The United States' costliest natural disaster shook the country's core
in the summer of 2005.
Hurricane Katrina terrorized the Gulf coast, killing nearly 2,000 people
and leading some to question a connection to climate change.
>> Reporting from the Hurricane, in New Orleans, [inaudible}.
>> The disaster was worsened by the failure of levies in New Orleans
and left much of the city flooded.
Afterwards, criticism was directed at the federal and state governments
for unorganized rescue efforts and insufficient preparation.
>> And in a country accustomed to watching its troops swoop into
foreign terrain and deliver aid, seemingly at a moment's notice,
people are beginning to wonder what's going wrong?
>> Number 4: Econopocalypse.
>> A lot of Americans may feel that we've been in a recession
for some time, and now, according to the National Bureau for Economic Research,
they would be right.
>> With the economic success under President Clinton a distant memory,
the U.S. suffered a serious recession starting at the end of 2007.
The economic collapse was fueled by the burst of the housing bubble
earlier in the year.
>> It was really the granddaddy of all bubbles, and it affected
an asset class of 22 trillion.
>> To make matters worse, the federal budget was in a deep deficit,
limited by ongoing warfare.
Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy and unemployment hit a peak
of 10%.
Plans were introduced to curtail the damage, but the nation is still
recovering today.
Number 3: the election of Barack Obama.
>> Welcome to the White House.
Wheels of change kicked into motion when Senator Barack Obama
announced his decision to run for the presidency in 2007.
Defeating Senator Hillary Clinton to become the primary Democratic candidate,
the once-impossible dream of an African American president
no longer seemed a fantasy.
>> And CNN can now project that Barack Obama, 47 years old, will become
the president elect of the United States.
>> Obama's economic plan and opposition to the Iraq war rocketed him
into the White House on election day and brought new hope to America.
>> And with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us,
we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely
to future generations.
>> Number 2: A decade of war.
>> We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed
these acts and those who harbor them.
Caught off-guard by an attack on its own soil, America pushed against
foreign threats for much of the 2000s.
Operation Enduring Freedom was launched to eliminate Al Qaeda leadership
in Afghanistan, while the Iraq war served to overthrow Saddam Hussein
and rebuild a new government.
>> This supercarrier arrives for battle in mid December in
the northern Arabian Sea.
It relieves another carrier to join Operation Enduring Freedom.
>> Though Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were eventually eliminated,
the wars dragged on with continuous insurgency.
>> Afghans will have full responsibility for their security and this war
will come to a responsible end.
>> Numerous U.S. troops were lost, but the battle in Afghanistan
raged on.
Before we look at our final pick, here are some honorable mentions.
>> I'm going to cut you off because we do have now word,
according to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that
Michael Jackson has died.
>> Hello everyone, and welcome to American Idol, the show that's
on a mission to discover the next superstar.
>> Number 1: the September 11 attacks.
>> Into-- oh my goodness, there's another one.
Oh my goodness, there's another one.
>> This seems to be on purpose.
>> A date that will forever live in infamy, the events of 9/11
completely altered the country's course.
In protest of U.S. foreign policy, terrorist group Al Qaeda
hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center,
the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field, leaving nearly 3,000 casualties.
>> 9:59 A.M., the outer columns of the south tower finally give way.
>> The deadliest attack on America in six decades, the losses were unfathomable
and the grieving process long and challenging.
The attacks defined the era for America, as it spent much of the decade
in combat, seeking to prevent future tragedies.
Do you agree with our list? Which events do you think define 2000s America
and beyond?
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