1. Events of the 1990s

2. Operation Desert Storm, 1991 Iraq invaded Kuwait; the US led a coalition to bomb Baghdad. Saddam Hussein’s forces were stopped in a 100-hour battle. President GHW Bush left Hussein in power.

3. Presidential Election of 1992 Governor Clinton of Arkansas defeated HW and Ross Perot. Clinton’s campaign focused on economic issues: “It’s the economy stupid!”

4. Early Achievements: Family and Medical Leave Act Motor Voter Law – could register to vote when getting a driver’s license Brady Handgun bill – five day waiting period to purchase a handgun Anti-Crime Bill -- $30 billion in funding for police hiring and creating crime-prevention programs.

5. Somalia, 1992 US troops attempted to provide relief and stabilize the political situation, but a number of Americans were killed. Based on this experience, the US provided no assistance in Rwanda, and one million were killed in that country in 1994.

6. Yugoslavia Intervention, 1990s Ethnic strife dissolved into civil war when Bosnia and Croatia declared their independence in 1991. US sent troops as peace keepers in 1995. US and NATO forces used air strikes to force Servia to withdraw from Kosovo, Bosnia in 1999.

7. NAFTA, 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement reduced tariffs between Canada, the US, and Mexico

8. “Don’t ask; don’t tell”, 1993 Clinton lifts the ban on gays in the military, as long as no one was openly gay. Congress repealed this in 2010, allowing openly gay soldiers to serve in the military.

9. Republicans take over Congress, 1994 Contract with America: led by Newt Gingrich, a 10-point plan Conflict caused two government shut=- downs in 1995 Congress balanced the budget in 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act: limited welfare to five years

10. Whitewater, 1994 Congressional hearings on Whitewater begin. Attorney General Janet Reno announces the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate Whitewater.

11. Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995 A federal building in OK City bombed by militia-movements extremists, including Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran. The bombing took 169 lives, which was the worst act of terrorism in the nation’s history until September 11, 2011.

12. Clinton re-elected president, 1996 This campaign used character attacks and major campaign spending, and Clinton- Gore were re-elected over Dole-Kemp.

13. Clinton Impeachment Crisis, 1999 Investigations by Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr into Clinton financial improprieties led him in 1998 to interview Monica Lewinsky, a 21-year-old White House intern about an affair with the president. Clinton was impeached by the House for lying to a grand jury, suborning perjury, and leading a cover-up. He was acquitted of all charges by the Senate.

14. Trends of the 1990s Technology Boom Longest peacetime economic expansion in history Stock market gained more than 22% Unemployment at 3.9% Globalization: World Trade Organization (WTO) 1994 – to oversee trade agreement and settle disputes; International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank oversees economic policies of some countries

15. By 2000... The 2000 Census set the US population at 281 millions The fastest growing regions of US = West, South The fastest growing population = Hispanic US population = “graying, “ with 35 million people over 65 High school graduates earned only one-half of salary of college graduates US wealthiest country in world, but gap between lowest and highest paid worker also largest in world – a new Gilded Age?