The Big Picture: Americans faced the twenty-first century with hope, determination, and - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

The Big Picture: Americans faced the twenty-first century with hope, determination, and a readiness to embrace all challenges.

Chapter 33: into the twenty-first centurySlide2

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.

Chapter 33 section 1: The Clinton yearsSlide3

Bill Clinton’s Political Rise

Clinton was very successful as a politician, rising

quickly in the Democratic Party

Politically he was known as a

New Democrat:

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 1992Platform included a national health-care system and middle class tax cuts; campaign included his wife, Hillary Rodham ClintonRan against George H.W. Bush as a defender of the middle classHis 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 voteSlide4

Domestic Policy Issues

Clinton was unable to fulfill his campaign promise to

cut taxes

, 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 unemployment and low interest ratesHealth-care costs were rising and millions of Americans had no health insurance

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

defeated

Deficit Reduction

Health-care ReformSlide5

Domestic Policy Issues

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

unpopular

In mid-term elections, Republicans capitalized on public discontent

Newt Gingrich and other Republicans campaigned with the Contract with America- a plan to balance the budget, fight crime, and cut taxesThe plan was popular and Republicans gained 62 seats in CongressThey controlled both houses of Congress for the 1st time in 40 years

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

two

years of collecting benefitsInternet emerges as a means of communication and

commerceCongress 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 168Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh convicted of the crime

1994 Elections

Welfare Reform and other challengesSlide6

Foreign Policy Issues

US struggled to know their place in a post-Cold War world

1993 Clinton helped Israel (Rabin) and Palestine (Arafat) sign the

Oslo Accords

(Palestine got self rule and Palestine recognized Israel's right to exist)

When Rabin was assassinated in 1995, the relationship between the two nations souredUS had UN troops in Somalia to distribute food to victims of a civil war1993- US troops began working to try to end the civil warOctober 1993 18 killed and 84 wounded in MogadishuClinton pulls out troops and decides not to get involved when genocide breaks out in Rwanda in 19941994 UN intervenes to remove a military dictator from HaitiUS helps achieve a peaceful change in government

Early Success in the Middle East

Somalia and HaitiSlide7

Foreign Policy Issues

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 other1995 Dayton Accords: attempted to end fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina1999- urged the UN to stop Serbia from expelling Albanians from the Serbian region of KosovoBombing campaigns forced Serbian troops outClinton worked to get Congressional approval of

NAFTA

(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 job losses in the US because wages were lower in MexicoOthers countered that it would increase trade and help the economy

Clinton also helped create the World Trade Organization(WTO) that replaced GATT and helped settle trade disputes and create rules for global trade

The Former Yugoslavia

Promoting International TradeSlide8

Scandal and Impeachment

Clinton wins re-election in 1996

During 1

st

term, Clinton and his wife were investigated in connection to a failed real estate project in the 1970s known as

WhitewaterThe Clintons were accused of improperly getting and using loans for the projectSpecial Prosecutor Kenneth Starr never charged the Clintons, but 3 of their business associates were found guilty of crimesClinton also faced a sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones from his time as governorInformation emerged that he may have also had an inappropriate relationship with an intern named Monica LewinskyNov 1998- House of Representatives impeaches 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 officeSlide9

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

Chapter 33 section 2: George W. Bush’s presidencySlide10

The Election of 2000

The American economy prospered under Clinton (gov’t had a budget surplus)

VP

Al Gore

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 George W. Bush, son of former President Bush and governor of TexasPolls indicated that the race would be close; both popular vote and electoral college votes were very close on election nightElection returns in Florida

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 Nominees

A troubled electionSlide11

The Election of 2000

Because returns were so close, Florida conducted a

recount

(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 incorrectlyLawsuits were filed by both Republicans and Democrats over the recountDecember- Florida Supreme Court declared there should be a manual (by hand) recount…this favored GoreBush appeals to Supreme CourtIn Bush v. Gore 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 4

th

president in US history to win even though he lost the popular vote

Recount and Legal Wrangling

Bush v. GoreSlide12

Bush’s Domestic Policy

Economic prosperity of the 90s was waning

Dot-com

stocks began to fall and several major business had financial problems, leading to a stock market drop and recession

Even though the economy was in recession, Bush still believed that tax cuts would help the nation

Tax cuts did not help the economy improveThe administration cut taxes again in 2003, but it did not help the economy then eitherEconomic ChangesTax CutsSlide13

Bush’s Domestic Policy

2001:

No Child Left Behind

- 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 coverage2004: Bush runs against John Kerry, who is critical of Bush’s handling of the economy and foreign policy…Bush winsBush focuses on Social Security reformBush proposes moving social security funds into private retirement accounts  rejected by Congress

Bush able to put two new conservative justices on the Supreme Court:

John Roberts and Samuel Alito

Education, health care, and more

Bush’s Second TermSlide14

Bush’s Foreign Policy

Bush asks Gulf War general

Colin Powell

to be his Secretary of State and

Condeleezza

Rice to be National Security AdvisorAfter 2004 Election, Powell resigned and Rice took his placeDonald Rumsfeld served as Secretary of DefenseBush refused to use troops for ‘nation building’ as Clinton had doneBush cancelled the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty but also reduced US nuclear armsThe cancellation of the ABM Treaty caused friction with Russia and ChinaHe also tried to work on peace in the Middle East but was unsuccessfulSlide15

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.

Chapter 33 section 3: how September 11, 2001, changed AmericaSlide16

September 11, 2001

2 commercial planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center; a 3

rd

plane crashed into the

Pentagon

, and a 4th crashed in a field in PennsylvaniaMillions of Americans watched live as the twin towers collapsedOver 3,000 people were killed in the attacksThe 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 attacksPatriotism soared and America began a new war: the War on TerrorSlide17

Background to the Attacks

Federal investigators focused their attention on

Osama bin Laden

, 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 al Qaeda to carry out attacks around the world– they were responsible for an attack on the WTC in 1993 and embassies around the worldThe US tried to attack a training base in Afghanistan under Clinton, but bin Laden escaped and later attacked the USS Cole, killing 17al Qaeda operative began moving into the US and enrolling in flight school to prepare to take over planes for the attacksSlide18

The United States Responds

The

Taliban

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 refusedOct, 2001- US and GB attacks AfghanistanThey were able to quickly overthrow the Taliban, but did not find bin LadenAfghanistan still faces instability as American troops prepare to withdraw completelyTo coordinate anti-terrorism efforts, Bush and Congress created the Department of Homeland SecurityThe US also faces the possibility of biological terrorism (anthrax is mailed to several government officials)

Congress passes the

USA Patriot Act

that made it easier for law enforcement to secretly collect information about suspected terrorists

Some critics believe that it violates individual freedoms

War in Afghanistan

Fighting Terrorism at HomeSlide19

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 foundSlide20

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

Chapter 33 section 4: Looking aheadSlide21

America’s Changing Face

Minorities currently make up

30%

of the US population

By 2050, minorities are expected to make up

50% with Hispanics as the largest minority groupSunbelt (South and West) growing faster than other regions of the USLower energy and labor costs attract business to this region as wellAmericans are also getting older; people over 64 is the fastest growing groupCaused mostly by the aging/retirement of baby boomersWill place a strain on Social Security and Medicare

Tomorrow’s population

Regional Changes/Graying PopulationSlide22

The Promise of Technology

Computers:

60%

of Americans own computers (only 1% in 1980)

 most connected to the Internet

Most appliances, cars, and electronics contain computer chipsInformation Technology is a major part of every industryAgriculture:Genetic engineering 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 projectsSlide23

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



Affordable Healthcare Act: attempt to slow the rate of cost increase by helping/requiring all Americans to have health insuranceEnergy and the EnvironmentAmerica faces challenges in providing inexpensive energy without harming the environmentRebuilding 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