Modern America 1990 - Today

1. Unit 1 - The Eighties through Today RUSH Mrs. Baker Modern America1990 - Today

2. Election of 1992 Major issue = recession

3. 1993 - 2001 The Presidency of Bill Clinton

4. Clinton promised to move away from traditional Democratic policies. Emphasized the need to move people off welfare and called for growth in private business as a means of economic progress. Embraced both liberal and conservative programs. A “new” Democrat

5. Health Care Reform (1993) • Plan would ensure health insurance for all Americans. • Critics argued that the plan was too expensive, complex, and would limit choice in health care. • Congress rejected the plan in 1994. • Balanced Budget & Economic Boom • New legislation (1997) was created which declared Clinton’s goal of balancing the budget by 2002. • Bill cut spending by billions of dollars, lowered taxes to win Republican support. • Included programs aimed at helping children and improving health care. • By 1998, the federal government was experiencing a surplus. • Generated by the new booming economy of the late 1990s and early 2000s. • Reforming Welfare • In 1996, bill was proposed to place limits on how long people could receive benefits. • Federal government also sent limits on how much money each state could spend on welfare. Domestic Issues

6. World Trade Center Bombings (1993) The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

7. The Waco, Texas Incident The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel. On February 28, shortly after the attempt to serve the warrant, an intense gun battle erupted, lasting nearly 2 hours. In the aftermath of this armed exchange, four agents and six Branch Davidians had been killed. Upon the ATF's failure to execute the search warrant, a siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The siege ended 50 days later when a second assault on the compound was made and a fire destroyed the compound. Seventy-six people died in the fire, including more than 20 children, two pregnant women, and the sect leader David Koresh.

8. Oklahoma City Bombing1995 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, responsible for blowing up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City bombing was a bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19 children under the age of 6, and injured more than 680 people.

9. Oklahoma City memorial

10. The Columbine Incident4.20.1999 The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12 students and one teacher. They also injured 21 other students directly, and three people were injured while attempting to escape. The pair then committed suicide. It is the fourth-deadliest school massacre in United States history and the deadliest for an American high school.

11. Clinton was subjected to investigation surrounding the Whitewater Affair. • Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, were accused of involvement with an illegal real estate scheme in Arkansas. • In 1998, a special prosecutor accused Clinton of several offenses, including: • Lying under oath about his relationship with a White House intern. • Monica Lewinsky • December 19, 1998 • House impeached Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. • Senate acquitted Clinton two months later. • Even through the trial, Clinton remained an extremely popular political figure. Scandal & Impeachment

12. Haiti (1994) • President Clinton dispatched U.S. troops to Haiti to force the removal of the harsh military leaders who took office in 1991. • Ethnic tension in Eastern Europe • Tensions between ethnic groups in the former Yugoslavia led to war in Bosnia in the early 1990s. • The U.S. helped win an agreement between the two sides in 1995. • In 1998, violence erupted in Kosovo, where Serbian forces massacred ethnic Albanian civilians. • A brief bombing campaign in 1999 by NATO forced the Serbs to withdraw. • Many Serbian leaders then were arrested for war crimes and tired. Troops Abroad

13. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • In 1992, the United States, Canada, and Mexico signed the NAFTA agreement in an effort to break down trade barriers among the three nations. • American trade in Europe continued to be strong, despite the formation of the European Union • Trade organization designed to break down trade barriers with Europe. The Global Economy

14. In late 1996 • President Clinton nominated Madeleine K. Albright to be Secretary of State. • 1st female secretary of state. • Since then two women have held the office: • Condoleezza Rice for the Bush administration • Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Obama administration Historic Appointment

15. Election of 2000 • The closest presidential race in history. • Florida emerged as the key state because its electoral votes could decide the winner. • Florida was so close that a recount of ballots was ordered by law. • Election ended when the Supreme Court ruled to discontinue the recounts. • Although Al Gore won the popular vote, Bush won the electoral vote. • Election marked the first time the Supreme Court intervened in a presidential election. vs. Bush Gore

16. Bush won 277 to 261 Election of 2000

17. 2001 - 2009 The Presidency of George W. Bush

18. September 11, 2001

19. After 9/11, the Bush administration had the support of Congress and the American people to shift its energy and attention to combating terrorism. • October 2001 • Bush signed an antiterrorism bill into law. • Allowed the government to detain foreigners suspected of terrorism for seven days without charging them with a crime. • Created Department of Homeland Security • Government body set up to coordinate national efforts to combat terrorism. • Bush began to wage a war against terrorism. • Coalition forces led by the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan • Afghan was accused of harboring Osama bin Laden and his terrorist group al-Qaeda. Antiterrorist Measures

20. War Against Iraq Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 20, 2003. Throughout the war, which raged on for 8 years, the U.S. has been able to capture Saddam Hussein and implement a democratic government. But also during this time, a debate has waged over the U.S. continual involvement in the Middle Eastern country. By the spring of 2010 over 4,400 American servicemen and women have been killed and thousands more seriously wounded. As a call to remove all troops from Iraq has been made, the U.S. intends to heighten the battle in neighboring Afghanistan.

21. January 8, 2002 • No Child Left Behind • Plan called for increased student and teacher accountability through the use of mandatory achievement testing. • Targeted funds for improving schools. Educational Reform

22. Mass Acts of Violence Virginia Tech Massacre Between 2007 and 2008, 3 major shooting events took place within the United States. These massacres brought into question the long debate of gun control in the U.S.

23. Economic Crisis The late-2000s recession, more often called the Great Recession,is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world economy, with higher detriment in some countries than others. It is a global recession characterized by various systemic imbalances and was sparked by the outbreak of the late-2000s financial crisis.

24. Election of 2008

25. 2009 - The Presidency of Barack Obama

26. The United States in Today’s World