TABLE OF CONTENTS America in the Young 21st Century 4 Barack Obama 2009-2016 8 The Race to the White House 2012 30 Electoral System of Electing the President 38 The 2012 Election Results 40 The White House 42 Presidential Pets 50 Presidential Vacation Destinations 52 Technological Firsts in the White House 54 Cabinet Members 55 Timeline 56 Presidents of the United States 60 Index 63 Further Reading 64
4 America in the Young 21st Century 4 America in the Young 21st Century Students can access their class materials using lightweight tablets Does this mean goodbye textbooks America in the Young 21st Century What a decade of change Can you remember life without cell phones and iPods Since the new century began in 2001 Americans saw rapid advancements in technology Corporations like Apple and Microsoft developed computer-related technologies that many Americans never thought would be possible Thanks to high speed Internet services that could send large files in a matter of seconds rather than hours Americans fully entered the words to Know corporations kor-puh-RAY-shunz A group of people who legally run a company as a single entity wireless WIRE-less Wireless technology uses electromagnetic waves rather than wires to transmit messages digital age Americans now had smart phones that could connect to wireless Internet connections allowing users to send emails and surf the Internet all from the convenience of a small hand held cell phone Tablets like Apple’s iPad revolutionized the way people around the world conducted business Now business people did not have to access a desktop or laptop computer to do their work They could carry a lightweight device which allowed them to send emails download applications read ebooks and even shop from virtually anywhere in the world American students also discovered their lives were changing because of computer technology Students no longer had to carry huge textbooks home They could read electronic textbooks online They could email assignments to their teachers take tests online and video chat with teachers students and experts from around the world using applications like Skype
America in the Young 21st Century 5 By 2010 to function productively in the American education and business worlds people had to be connected Technology however is not cheap and many Americans could not afford tablets smart phones or even personal computers with Internet connection According to a New York Times article in 2011 only well off urban and suburban residents have access to high speed Internet The working class and the poor cannot afford high speed Internet access This means millions of Americans do not have ready access to information and educational opportunities thereby creating a Digital Divide in America As technology rapidly expands America must find ways to ensure that everyone has access to information and opportunity Young educated Americans rely on smart phones to go about their daily lives Wireless Headend Transceiver Broadband Cell Site Internet Backbone Residential Customers Network Operations Center Business Customer Locations Wireless signals travel rapidly starting with your home or business computer Signals are sent back and forth to the headend and transceiver back to you
