From the Anita Hill Scandal to the Technology Revolution:
The Reagan/Bush Years
Sonya Frazier HIST101-1403B-04: Modern American History: 1950 to the 21st Century
Colorado Technical University

From the Anita Hill Scandal to the Technology Revolution:
The Reagan/Bush Years
“The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.” B. F. Skinner. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com.
Since the beginning of recorded history, humankind has been on a quest to think smarter, and faster. It is no surprise that humankind’s quest to become smarter has not been easy to obtain. McLeod, S. A. (2007). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. B. F. Skinner, a renowned Psychologist, is famous for his research on “Operant Conditioning.” He believed that the greatest way to understand man’s behavior is to look at the causes of the actions and consequences that follow.
The Regan/Bush era were ten years of an unprecedented rise and fall in American history. There were rumors of wars, and wars. The United States military expansion was the largest in peacetime history. Health care continued to be an issue throughout the Reagan/Bush Years. A few White House scandals made America laugh, and cry. Technology became a key player in how America and the world saw themselves. The events of September 11, 2001was etched in so many minds from the moment of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Technology made sure that every American; every nation saw and heard the horrible minute-by-minute moments from either a computer or some form of advance technology. Throughout those ten years, America was still the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” The Star-Spangled Banner. (2014). Some would say that times change man, but if man could have change the times, the events of that period, what effect would it have had on today’s world?
From the Anita Hill Scandal to the Technology Revolution:
The Reagan/Bush Years
("Biographies of Current Justices of the Supreme Court," n.d.). United States Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge Clarence Thomas was born June 23, 1948. He spent his early childhood in Pin Point, Georgia that is a small community outside of Savannah, Georgia. He has one son from a previous marriage. Judge Thomas excelled in education, having received his A.B., cum laude, from Holy Cross College and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1974. Having furthered his education, Judge Thomas begin practicing Law in Missouri in 1974 and served as an Assistant Attorney General of Missouri from 1974–1977. He has served as an attorney, and as an assistant attorney. Moreover, Judge Thomas served in other judicial capacities as well. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush nominated Judge Thomas to replace the seat of Judge Thorgood Marshall. Judge Thomas and Judge Marshall had very different views on the important issues of the day. Judge Thomas leaned more to the conservative side, and Judge Marshall was a very outspoken liberal. Judge Thomas was against desegregation, and Judge Marshall was for it.
Judge Thomas faced many hurdles throughout the nomination process. Many Civil Rights organizations such as the National Bar Association and the Urban League voiced their concerns over his nomination. These groups along with many others were concerned about his stance on abortion, and the gains many have made in the Civil Rights movement. Nevertheless, his nomination processed continued without little fanfare until one day all that changed…

From the Anita Hill Scandal to the Technology Revolution:
The Reagan/Bush Years
HILL, ANITA F. (1956- ). (n.d.) .Anita F. Hill was born on July 30, 1956. Her birthplace is Morris, Oklahoma. Anita comes from a family of 13 brothers and sisters. Anita’s parents Albert and Irma Hill set high moral standards for Anita. Anita excelled academically from high school throughout her college years. She began teaching civil law and commercial law. In 1981, Anita accepted the position of the personal assistant to Clarence Thomas, who was then head of the Office of Civil Rights at the Education Department in Washington. During her tenure, there was when Anita stated that then Clarence Thomas made several sexual advances to her.
Just as Judge Thomas nomination had finally moved to the floor of the Senate Anita Hill stepped forward with accusations, that Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her. Anita stated that after not taking his invitations to date him, Thomas began to make sexual advances toward her. He would discuss different porn movies, and talk about different sexual positions.
The media immediately turned this latest scandal into a circus with minute-by-minute accounts of the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. When asked by Judge Thomas of the reports surrounding those allegations he had this to say "a high-tech lynching for uppity Blacks." (n.d.). In the end, the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Clarence Thomas to the seat of associate justice of the Supreme Court.

From the Anita Hill Scandal to the Technology Revolution:
The Reagan/Bush Years
It is a well-known fact that after the Hill/Thomas scandal, the bigger winner went to Anita Hill. Because of Anita stepping forward with those allegations, sexual harassment cases across the country soared. There was also an unprecedented number of awards to victims under federal laws.
These key players were African American, well educated, worked at prestigious universities and firms, and both came to work for the White House, Both of them made history in his or own way. Can one say that America would have been different if this scandal did not happen? What if it was different people, would one have acted the same? America was built on a stanza from the Stars Spangle Banner (2014) “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” Somewhere down the line, sexual harassment charges would have escalated. There are more women entering the workforce than ever before. Women were seeking office for some time. To say that America as a society would have change; one would have to start another scandal.

From the Anita Hill Scandal to the Technology Revolution:
The Reagan/Bush Years
“Who knew 20 years ago that there would be "an app" for everything and you could carry dozens of them all with you on your phone?” Nazarian, A. (2014, April 20).
Right as America, Anita Hill and Judge Clarence Thomas were trying to move on with their lives, there is another scandal of sorts. This scandal would really change the course of everyday America. America was introduced to the Cellular Phone, or Cell Phone. Computers upgraded almost as fast as one would leave off the shelves. They were big, heavy, and for some, hard to understand. Nevertheless, everyone at least wanted one. Computer Technologist has spent a great amount of time redesigning, and redefining computers.
During the Reagan/Bush era, Cable Television was on the rise. America started enjoying an array of television networks. “Cable also resulted in specialized channels meant to appeal to specific groups of consumers, such as CSPAN and ESPN, which both debuted in 1979.” Technology and Globalization. (n.d.). The first computer was built after World War 2, and this massive machine would fill up an entire room. Years later with the advent of the microchip, and thanks to Steven P. Jobs for designing the Apple and Mac machine, computers got lighter. Other notable items were the videocassette recorder, the hand held calculator, and the microwave oven once the technique of cooking through radio waves were found safe.
America did not see computer networking until the mid-1990, but there was private communication between the Department of Defense and various universities. Before long, the Internet was born, and shortly thereafter, the World Wide Web opened a completely new door for many to enjoy. Technology has evolved over those few years, and since that time America and other countries around the world have soared to new heights. If one did not have, what is necessitates today how would one operate? just as the fore fathers did. The simple life was just that, simple. One can only imagine living without all of those gadgets, or could you?
Throughout the course of humankind, we have been trying to obtain greater, more knowledge, more understanding. Nevertheless, if we had that one chance to change an event, could it have really made a difference?

References
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Retrieved fromhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/563541/The-Star-Spangled-Banner
Retrieved from http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/hill/hillframe.html
Retrieved September 10, 2014, from http://digital.library.okstate.edu/ENCYCLOPEDIA/entries/H/HI005.html
Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html
Retrieved from http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx