The Presidency of William

Jefferson Clinton1993-2000

The Clinton Administration

Essential Question:

How should historians judge the impact, effectiveness, and legacy of the Clinton administration?

Clinton’s Early Years

Bill Clinton meets President John F. Kennedy as a 16 year-old delegate of Boy’s Nation on June 6, 1963

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham at Yale Law School, January 1972

Bill Clinton runs for Student Council

President at Georgetown University

Education

Georgetown University, Oxford University, Yale Law School

Early interest in politics

Attorney general of Arkansas at 30 years of age

Nation’s youngest governor at 32 years of age (Arkansas)

Bill Clinton taking the Oath of Office as the Governor of Arkansas on January 9, 1979

1992 Presidential Election

Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1992

Pushed for middle-class tax cuts and a national health-care system

Relied on his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, a top lawyer

Clinton presented himself as the protector of the middle class

Clinton won 370 electoral votes to Bush’s 168, although Clinton won less than 50 percent of the popular vote.Clinton 1992 Campaign Ad

1992 Election Results

Road to the Whitehouse

During the campaign, Clinton was accused of sexual harassment by Paula Jones

Clinton was also accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Gennifer Flowers

Despite the scandals involving these women, Clinton was elected.

Ask Yourself…

The personal lives of many famous people are prone to public scrutiny. Do you think it is fair that Bill Clinton was forced to address questions about his personal relationships when running for office?

Would these scandals have impacted your decision to vote for Bill Clinton? Why?

Clinton’s Domestic Issues

1) Budget Deficit Campaigned on promise to

reduce taxes for the middle class

However, Clinton raised taxes. Critics complained that the tax

increase would hurt the economy but this did not happen.

2) Health Care Health care costs were rising

and tens of millions of Americans had little or no health insurance.

Hillary Clinton headed a special task force which proposed a government-sponsored program of health care.

The plan was defeated after months of debate.

Clinton’s Domestic Issues Cont.

3) Developed NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) Eliminated tariffs

between the US, Canada & Mexico

Meant to stimulate the economy by encouraging increased free trade

NAFTA

Positives: Increased trade Increased agricultural

production Jobs created

Negatives Poor working

conditions Loss of jobs in the US

Other Domestic Challenges

4) Internet emerged as a major means

of communication and commerce People “telecommute” (do

their jobs from home) People were concerned

about inappropriate material on the Internet

The White House tried to pass a law to limit sexually explicit material, but the Supreme Court ruled that it violated the right to freedom of speech

Other Domestic Challenges

5) Terrorism Terrorists used a

truck filled with explosives to blow up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people in 1995.

Timothy McVeigh, an army veteran, was convicted for planning the bombing

The bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 killed168 and injured approximately 700.

Timothy McVeigh

American Terrorism

• In response to the bombing, Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism Act in 1996

• The Act was in many way similar to the Patriot Act that was signed following the 9/11 attacks

• Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death and was executed in 2001

Foreign Policy Challenges

1) Haiti – 1991 Clinton pledged the

use of American troops to lead a UN mission to remove a military dictator.

The presence of UN forces helped bring about a generally peaceful change in government.

Foreign Policy Challenges

2) Oslo Accords – 1993 2nd U.S. attempt for peace

in the Middle East Clinton hosted the signing

of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Agreed to self-rule for Palestinians in return for the Palestinians recognizing Israel’s right to exist Violence broke out and final

peace settlement not reached Jordan became the 2nd Arab

state to recognize Israel

Foreign Policy Challenges

3) Somalia – 1993 Bush had sent troops

to help the UN distribute food to victims of the civil war.

UN forces also worked to end the fighting.

After 19 Americans died, the mission lost public support and Clinton withdrew the remaining soldiers in March 1994 Stopped U.S. from

sending help to Rwanda.

Foreign Policy Challenges

4) Rwanda – 1994 In April 1994 genocide

erupted due to a conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups

Between 500,000 to 1 million people, mainly Tutsi, were killed over 100 days

Almost 2 million Hutus fled Rwanda for refugee camps in neighboring countries Clinton ordered airdrops of

food & supplies for refugees UN & US faced criticism for not

responding Clinton admitted, “I blew it.”

Foreign Policy Challenges

5) Bosnian War – 1992-1995 Result of the breakup of

Yugoslavia split into Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina made up of: Bosnian Orthodox Serbs

(wanted Bosnia to remain part of Yugoslavia & are supported by Serbian gov’t)

Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats (wanted independence for Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Foreign Policy Challenges

Bosnian Serbs & the Serbian gov’t started ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population in Bosnia & the Albanian population in Kosovo

Ethnic cleansing = removal of an ethnic group from a geographic area Force them to move by murdering members of the group

to scare them away or by deporting them Intent is to create a territory inhabited by people that are

all the same in ethnicity, religion, culture, and history

Genocide = murder to completely kill off the group

Ethnic cleansing = murder only to the point of making the group leave the territory

Foreign Policy Challenges

US convinced NATO allies to take military actionClinton arranged peace talks in Dayton, Ohio

signed a peace plan called the Dayton AccordsIn 1996 = 60,000 NATO troops (with 20,000

Americans) entered Bosnia to enforce the peace planIn 1998 = war in Kosovo broke out

2 major ethnic groups: Serbs & Albanians Albanians wanted to keep Kosovo separate from Serbia

Slobodan Milosevic, leader of Serbia, used violence against Albanian civilians to keep Kosovo in Serbia

In March 1999, NATO began bombing Serbia Convinced Serbia to pull troops out of Kosovo

Re-election

In 1996 Clinton defeated Bob Dole of Kansas.

The only Democrat to win reelection to a 2nd term of office as president since FDR

What events led to scandal and impeachment proceedings during the Clinton presidency?

1) Whitewater real estate deal Kenneth Starr led an

investigation into a failed real estate investment the Clintons were involved in during the 1970s.

Clintons accused of improper campaign contributions, political and financial favors, hiding files which they claim to have lost

Other participants were found guilty of fraud

2) Paula Jones sexual harassment case In 1997, Jones sued Clinton for

sexual harassment Lawsuit occurred around the

same time as the Lewinsky investigation

Clinton settled out of court for $850,000

What events led to scandal and impeachment proceedings during the Clinton presidency?

3) Monica Lewinsky case During the grand jury

investigation, Clinton was accused of lying under oath about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky

Clinton continued to deny the relationship until evidence of the relationship was brought to light

Many demanded he be punished for committing perjury

Impeachment

On December 18, 1998, the U.S. Congress voted to impeach the President.

The House approved two articles of impeachment but the Senate did not have the 2/3 majority needed to convict Clinton

Ask Yourself….

Was President Clinton wrong for lying about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky?

How did Clinton’s actions impact the image of the Presidency? Do you think the U.S.

Senate should have voted to impeach the President?

P6 HW: Evaluate the Clinton Administration

Considering all you have learned about Clinton, his domestic policies, and his foreign policies, do you think he was a good President or a bad one? Why?

Also consider this – Did Clinton make the right decision when he:• Allowed the US to take part in NAFTA?• Passed the Anti-Terrorism act in 1996?• Sent troops to be part of the UN forces

as humanitarian aid to Rwanda & Bosnia?

• Lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky?

Successes of the Clinton Presidency

1) The Family Medical Leave Act was passed up to 12 weeks per year of unpaid

family leave for births or family illness)

2) Interest rates reduced on loans more people could affordably borrow

money to buy homes and cars

3) Welfare programs reformed recipients would not receive assistance

for more than 2 years required people to work to receive

benefits

Successes of the Clinton Presidency

4) AmeriCorps created Similar to Peace Corps but in

the US Work in low-income housing,

teaching children to read, cleaning up environment

5) Brady Bill Required a waiting period to

buy handguns Required background checks

Successes of the Clinton Presidency

• 6) By raising income taxes and taxes on fuel, Clinton was able to overcome the national debt and create a budget surplus

Foreign Policy Challenges

5) Bosnian War – 1992 Civil War within Bosnia

and Herzegovina between different groups

Violence raged between the new countries formed from the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Clinton helped broker the Dayton Accords to end the fighting in Bosnia in 1995

He urged NATO to act against Serbia.

The Serb army was forcing ethnic Albanians from the Serbian region of Kosovo.