NOTES-Chapter 33 Section 1: the Clinton Years

NOTES-Chapter 33 Section 1: The Clinton Years

Main Idea: Bill Clinton was a new type of Democrat, and his administration faced challenges for a new millennium– and scandals as old as politics.

Bill Clinton’s Political Rise

Clinton was very successful as a politician, rising
quickly in the Democratic Party
Politically he was known as a ______: not as conservative as most Republicans, not as liberal as many Democrats (also known as a centrist or moderate)
Ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1992
Platform included a national health-care system and middle class tax cuts; campaign included his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton
Ran against ______ as a defender of the middle class
His campaign, and the inclusion of 3rd party candidate Ross Perot (who took Republican votes from Bush) led to Clinton’s election even though he won less than 50% of the vote

Domestic Policy Issues

Deficit Reduction

Clinton was unable to fulfill his campaign promise to ______, citing budget deficits, instead, taxes went up
Republicans predicted that tax increases would harm the economy, but they were wrong
Through-out the 90s, the US experienced a time of prosperity with low ______ and low interest rates

Health-care Reform

Health-care costs were rising and millions of Americans had no ______
Hillary Clinton headed a task force to study the problem and offer possible solutions
The major recommendation of the task force was government-sponsored healthcare
After months of debate, the plan was ______

Domestic Policy Issues

1994 Elections

Defeat of the health-care plan reflected discontent with Clinton’s leadership
He failed to deliver on several campaign promises and the tax increases were ______
In mid-term elections, Republicans capitalized on public discontent
Newt Gingrich and other Republicans campaigned with the ______- a plan to balance the budget, fight crime, and cut taxes
The plan was popular and Republicans gained 62 seats in Congress
They controlled both houses of Congress for the 1st time in 40 years

Welfare Reform and other challenges

Clinton bounced back from this defeat by focusing on issues the Republicans raised
1996- Clinton reforms the welfare program by limiting the amount of time people could collect benefits and required recipients to find work within ______ years of collecting benefits
Internet emerges as a means of communication and ______
Congress tries to limit inappropriate material on the Internet, but were blocked by the Supreme Court in Reno v. ACLU
Federal building in Oklahoma City is bombed (domestic terrorism) in 1995 killing 168
Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh convicted of the crime

Foreign Policy Issues

Early Success in the Middle East

US struggled to know their place in a post-Cold War world
1993 Clinton helped Israel (Rabin) and Palestine (Arafat) sign the ______ (Palestine got self-rule and Palestine recognized Israel's right to exist)
When Rabin was assassinated in 1995, the relationship between the two nations soured

Somalia and Haiti

US had UN troops in Somalia to distribute food to victims of a civil war
1993- US troops began working to try to end the civil war
October 1993 18 killed and 84 wounded in Mogadishu
Clinton pulls out troops and decides not to get involved when genocide breaks out in Rwanda in 1994
1994 UN intervenes to remove a military dictator from Haiti
US helps achieve a peaceful change in government

Foreign Policy Issues

The Former Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia was formed after World War I and had several ethic groups that were enemies in the same country
Each of these groups wanted their independence but the nation was held together by Josip Tito until his death in 1980
After his death, the country fell apart and by the 1990s the small nations were fighting each other
1995 ______: attempted to end fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
1999- urged the UN to stop Serbia from expelling Albanians from the Serbian region of Kosovo
Bombing campaigns forced Serbian troops out

Promoting International Trade

Clinton worked to get Congressional approval of ______(North American Free Trade Agreement)
This treaty would eliminate tariffs from all goods going to and from Canada, the US, and Mexico
Many worried it would lead to ______ in the US because wages were lower in Mexico
Others countered that it would increase trade and help the economy
Clinton also helped create the ______(WTO) that replaced GATT and helped settle trade disputes and create rules for global trade

Scandal and Impeachment

Clinton wins re-election in 1996
During 1st term, Clinton and his wife were investigated in connection to a failed real estate project in the 1970s known as ______
The Clintons were accused of improperly getting and using loans for the project
Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr never charged the Clintons, but 3 of their business associates were found guilty of crimes
Clinton also faced a sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones from his time as governor
Information emerged that he may have also had an inappropriate relationship with an intern named Monica Lewinsky
Nov 1998- House of Representatives ______ Clinton for perjury (lying under oath) and obstruction of justice (trying to cover up wrong doing)
Early 1999, Senate votes to acquit Clinton, he is not removed from office

NOTES-Chapter 33 Section 2: George W. Bush’s Presidency

Main Idea: Following a troubled election, Republican George W. Bush won the White House and strongly promoted his agenda.

The Election of 2000

The Nominees

The American economy prospered under Clinton (gov’t had a budget surplus)
VP ______ wanted to be associate with that part of the Clinton administration, but not his scandalous image
He picks Joe Liberman as his running mate (first Jewish man to run for the office)
Republicans choose ______, son of former President Bush and governor of Texas

A troubled election

Polls indicated that the race would be close; both popular vote and electoral college votes were very close on election night
Election returns in ______ were so close that that the entire race hinged on the outcome there
News organizations declared Gore the winner, then retracted and declared Bush the winner
Finally they admitted it was too close to call over a month before a winner was announced

The Election of 2000

Recount and Legal Wrangling

Because returns were so close, Florida conducted a ______ (Bush had a lead of only 300 out of 6 million ballots)
Democrats were concerned about ballots that were not counted because they were not punched correctly…they wanted those ballots counted by hand
One type of ballot, the butterfly ballot, was confusing for voters, causing concern that some voters voted incorrectly
Lawsuits were filed by both Republicans and Democrats over the recount

Bush v. Gore

December- Florida Supreme Court declared there should be a manual (by hand) recount…this favored ______
Bush appeals to Supreme Court
In ______ the Supreme Court stops the manual recount (can’t change counting methods in the middle of an election); therefore Bush won Florida and the 2000 Election
Bush was the 4th president in US history to win even though he lost the popular vote

Bush’s Domestic Policy

Economic Changes

Economic prosperity of the 90s was waning
______ stocks began to fall and several major business had financial problems, leading to a stock market drop and recession

Tax Cuts

Even though the economy was in recession, Bush still believed that tax cuts would help the nation
Tax cuts did not help the economy improve
The administration cut taxes again in 2003, but it did not help the economy then either

Bush’s Domestic Policy

Education, health care, and more

2001: ______- used annual testing to ensure students met academic standards
Bush also encouraged federal funding to faith-based organizations
2003- Medicare updated to include prescription drug coverage

Bush’s Second Term

2004: Bush runs against John Kerry, who is critical of Bush’s handling of the economy and foreign policy…______ wins
Bush focuses on ______ reform
Bush proposes moving social security funds into private retirement accounts  rejected by Congress
Bush able to put two new conservative justices on the Supreme Court: ______

Bush’s Foreign Policy

Bush asks Gulf War general ______ to be his Secretary of State and Condeleezza Rice to be National Security Advisor
After 2004 Election, Powell resigned and Rice took his place
Donald Rumsfeld served as ______
Bush refused to use troops for ‘nation building’ as Clinton had done
Bush cancelled the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty but also reduced US nuclear arms
The cancellation of the ABM Treaty caused friction with Russia and China
He also tried to work on peace in the Middle East but was unsuccessful

NOTES-Chapter 33 Section 3: How September 11, 2001, Changed America

MAIN IDEA: A horrific attack on September 11, 2001, awakened the nation to the threat of terrorism and changed America’s view of the world.

September 11, 2001

2 commercial planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center; a 3rd plane crashed into the ______, and a 4th crashed in a field in Pennsylvania
Millions of Americans watched live as the twin towers collapsed
Over ______ people were killed in the attacks
The nation was overwhelmed with grief and anger and admired first responders like the NY Fire Department
Millions donated blood and money to help the victims of the attacks
Patriotism soared and America began a new war: the ______

Background to the Attacks

Federal investigators focused their attention on ______, a wealthy Saudi Arabian who had gone to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight Soviet invaders
He embraced radical Islam and wanted to destroy the US; he was also angry about US presence in the Middle East
Bin Laden created a terrorist network called ______ to carry out attacks around the world– they were responsible for an attack on the WTC in 1993 and embassies around the world
The US tried to attack a training base in Afghanistan under Clinton, but bin Laden escaped and later attacked the USS Cole, killing 17
al Qaeda operative began moving into the US and enrolling in flight school to prepare to take over planes for the attacks

The United States Responds

War in Afghanistan

The ______ controlled Afghanistan and implements strict Islamic law
bin Laden support the Taliban and the Taliban aided bin Laden
Bush put pressure on the Taliban to turn over bin Laden, but they refused
Oct, 2001- US and GB attacks Afghanistan
They were able to quickly overthrow the Taliban, but did not find bin Laden
Afghanistan still faces instability as American troops prepare to withdraw completely

Fighting Terrorism at Home

To coordinate anti-terrorism efforts, Bush and Congress created the ______
The US also faces the possibility of biological terrorism (anthrax is mailed to several government officials)
Congress passes the ______that made it easier for law enforcement to secretly collect information about suspected terrorists
Some critics believe that it violates individual freedoms

War in Iraq

After a successful war in Afghanistan, Bush vowed to fight terrorism in Iraq, claiming that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction
UN weapons inspectors in 2003 found no evidence of weapons, but Bush believed they had been hidden
US invades Iraq March 2003
By April Saddam Hussein’s government fell and the country descended into civil war
No evidence of weapons of mass destruction were ever found

NOTES-Chapter 33 Section 4: Looking Ahead

MAIN IDEA: The dawn of a new century found the United States facing a new era of opportunity and challenge.

America’s Changing Face

Tomorrow’s population

Minorities currently make up 30% of the US population
By 2050, minorities are expected to make up 50% with Hispanics as the largest minority group

Regional Changes/Graying Population

______ (South and West) growing faster than other regions of the US
Lower energy and labor costs attract ______to this region as well
Americans are also getting older; people over 64 is the fastest growing group
Caused mostly by the aging/retirement of ______
Will place a strain on Social Security and Medicare

The Promise of Technology

Computers:

_____of Americans own computers (only 1% in 1980) most connected to the Internet
Most appliances, cars, and electronics contain computer chips
______is a major part of every industry

Agriculture:

______ is used to grow higher yield crops in less than ideal conditions but is controversial (is it safe?)

Exploration:

Bush advocated building bases on the moon and Mars, but economic problems stalled these projects

Challenges for the Future

Health and health care

life expectancy continues to grow and the US faces challenges with expensive chronic health problems (heart disease, diabetes, obesity)
Cost of healthcare is a serious problem______: attempt to slow the rate of cost increase by helping/requiring all Americans to have health insurance

Energy and the Environment

America faces challenges in providing inexpensive energy without harming the environment

Rebuilding After Hurricane Katrina and Sandy

Storm devastated Gulf states in August 2005;
over 1,000 die
Hurricane Sandy hits New Jersey October 2012
Causing billions of dollars of damage