The Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton 1993-2001

Road to the Whitehouse Bill Clinton defeated George H. Bush and third-party candidate, Ross Perot

New Democrat Welfare Reform Cut Military Spending Free trade Lower taxes on middle class Tough on Crime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_WuGDYawFQ

Clinton’s Domestic Policy Limited federal spending Increased taxes on rich by 40% Lowered taxes for low income Americans Federal gasoline tax Balanced Budget (surplus)

Domestic Policy cont. Passed the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Interest rates were drastically reduced , allowing people to affordably borrow money for the purchase of homes and cars. Welfare programs were reformed welfare recipients would not receive assistance for more than two years and required people to work to receive benefits.

Contract with America Lead by Newt Gingrich and Conservatives: Pledged to scale back the role of the federal government, eliminate some regulations, cut taxes, and balance the budget.

Contract with America Contract included: Laws that apply to the rest of the country will apply to Congress Less House Committees with term limits for chairs and meetings open to the public Balanced budget Tax cuts for small businesses, families, and senior citizens Term limit for legislatures Social Security Reform Welfare Reform

Clinton’s Health Care Reform Guaranteed Health Insurance Hillary Clinton – 1st lady led the task force on healthcare Did not pass Congress/ major defeat for Clinton

Clinton’s Foreign Policy Balkan Crisis Yugoslavia was formed after WWI - Catholic / Croats - Muslim/ Bosnians - Orthodox Christian/ Serbs

Balkan Crisis cont. End of Cold War fighting broke out between Bosnian Muslims and Christian Serbs. Some Serbs attempted to massacre civilians “ethnic cleansing” aka genocide.

Balkan Crisis cont. NATO Airstrikes Clinton helped negotiate peace. Used NATO air strikes to stop attacks and end bloodshed. US involvement centered on stopping the oppression

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Eliminated many tariffs between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico NAFTA meant to stimulate the economy by encouraging increased free trade

NAFTA NAFTA positives Created jobs Produce what goods each country makes best increased free trade increased agricultural production in the U.S. Increased competition

NAFTA NAFTA negatives poor working conditions in factories in Mexico Less regulations (environment and wages) loss of manufacturing jobs

U.S. Participation in International Organizations NAFTA GATT – General Agreement on Tariff and Trade( tariffs after WWII) WTO – World Trade Organization Rules for global trade Settle trade disputes US helps China join Accelerated globalization (world economy) PROs Promotes Peace Strengthen Relationships Forum for US ideas Helps tackle global problems CONs Involves US in world problems Money to support

American Terrorism In 1995 a truck filled with explosives was used to blow up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The blast claimed 168 lives, including 19 children under the age of 6, and injured more than 680 people.

American Terrorism In response to the bombing, Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism Act in 1996 The Act was in many ways similar to the Patriot Act that was signed following the 9/11 attacks Timothy McVeigh, an army veteran, was convicted and sentenced to death. He was executed in 2001 ..\Garth Brook Change.mp4

Scandal in the Whitehouse During a grand jury investigation, Bill Clinton lied under oath regarding his personal relationship with Whitehouse intern Monica Lewinsky Clinton continued to deny the relationship until evidence of the relationship was brought to light. Many demanded that the President be punished for committing perjury. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs

Impeachment 2nd time in history the Senate held an impeachment trial. Who was first? Charged with lying under oath (perjury) Removing the President from office requires a formal accusation, or impeachment by the House of Representatives and a trial and conviction by the Senate.

Impeachment Impeachment requires majority vote in House Conviction is more difficult requiring 2/3 vote in Senate Voting on party lines House impeached In Senate Republicans fell short of 2/3 vote needed to remove Clinton from office.

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? 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?