Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton

The 1990s and the New Millenium

Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse of Morning”

“Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need

For this bright morning dawning for you.

History, despite its wrenching pain,

Cannot be unlived, but if faced

With courage, need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes

Upon this day breaking for you.

Give birth again

To the dream.”

A New Democrat

-Move away from traditional Democratic policies.

-- Emphasized the need to move people off welfare

-- Called for growth in private business as a means to economic progress

-- Embraced both liberal and conservative programs.

-- Pursued his liberal/conservative policies on health care, the budget deficit, crime, and welfare.

Balanced Budget and an Economic Boom

• Cut spending by billions of dollars, lowered taxes• For the first time in nearly 30 years, the federal

budget had a surplus – government took in more than it spent

• Used it to pay down the nation’s debt• Economy was on an upswing – unemployment

levels down, stock market up, less people needing public aid

Reforming Welfare

• Placed limits on how long people could receive welfare

• Gave states “block grants” – set amounts of federal money they could spend on welfare or for other social concerns

• Transition from welfare to jobs was made more successful by the booming economy

Crime and Terrorism

Columbine High School shooting in April 1999 – two students killed 12 students and 1 teacher then shot themselves

Some wanted tougher gun control, others argued exposure to violent imagery on television was the problem

Crime and Terrorism Continued

• 1993 – World Trade Center was bombed

• 1995 – Bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building by Timothy McVeigh• Killed 168 children,

women, and men• Mr. McVeigh was executed

in 2001

U.S. Intervention in Ex-Yugoslavia

• In 1991, Yugoslavia broke apart into five nations• In one of them, Bosnia, Serbs began “ethnic

cleansing” or killing/expelling people from their homes of certain ethnic groups.

• Negotiated a deal but in 1995, Serb forces attacked ethnic Albanians in the Serb province of Kosovo – U.S. and NATO air strikes forced the Serbs back

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

• President Clinton saw trade as essential to U.S. prosperity

• This legislation would bring Mexico into the free-trade zone with the U.S. and Canada

• Gave way to the Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) in 2006 – enlarged version of NAFTA covering the 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere, except Cuba

For/Against NAFTA and Free Trade

Opponents• Would transfer American

jobs to Mexico, where wages were lower, and harm the environment because of Mexico’s weaker antipollution laws

• Protested that the WTO makes decision w/out public input and this harms poorer countries, the environment, and American manufacturing

Proponents• Would create more

American jobs• Strengthen all three

economies

Republicans take control of Congress

• Mid-term elections of 1994• Newt Gingrich put forth the Contract with

America – ten items Republicans promised to enact if they won control of Congress.

• Included congressional term limits, welfare reform, balanced budget amendment, tougher crime laws

• Voters gave Republicans control in both houses – not done sine 1954. Reps voted Gingrich as S.O.H

Clinton Impeached

• After re-election in 1996, Clinton was accused of improperly using money from a land deal with the Whitewater development Company to fund his 1984 gubernatorial reelection campaign

• Also, Clinton allegedly had lied under oath about having an improper relationship with a young White House intern.

• Denied the relationship at first but finally admitted it in 1998 but said he did not lie under oath or attempt to obstruct the investigation

Clinton Impeached ContinuedThe House of Reps approved two articles of impeachment, charging the president with perjury and obstruction of justice

Clinton became only the second president to be impeached and face a trial in the Senate

Senate fell short of the 2/3rd majority votes required to convict him