2. New Century 1
Most significant innovation in the ne w 21st Century was the computer.
First invented in 1946 for military use, the development of the microchip made personal computers possible.
IBM made the first commercially successful computer.
By the 1980’s, computers were transforming everyday and business.
Apple computers and Microsoft software and computers made it affordable to millions of Americans.
Advances made possible video games and cell phones.

3. New Century 2
Biotechnology led to revolutionary advances in health care and new technologies made farming more productive.
People began to live longer and healthier lives while the workforce began shifting away from agriculture even more.
The late 20th Century became known as the Information Age.
Computers, cell phones, and satellites made communication and information access fast and easy.

4. New Century 3
The Internet, a worldwide web of computers, transformed business, education, and entertainment. It provided a huge database for research and investigation.
New communications technologies allowed companies to do business around the world.
Globalization-process by which national economies, politics, cultures, and societies become integrated with other nations.
Globalization made products cheaper and more available to people. However, it also allowed problems in one region to spread faster to other regions.

5. New Century 4 E-Commerce-internet buying and selling.
The production of goods in the U.S. declined while the production of services increased.
Service economy-an economy based on the production of services rather than goods.
Weakness-Service economies primarily circulate wealth, rather than create new wealth.
As manufacturing declined in the U.S., so did labor unions. Union membership fell from 35% in 1945 to less than 15% in 2000.

6. New Century 5
President George H.W. Bush could not maintain his popularity after the Gulf War.
The economy had entered a recession, federal deficit rose, Saddam Hussein was still in power in Iraq, and Bush broke his promise to not raise taxes.
William Jefferson Clinton ran as the Democratic candidate in 1992.
He worked his way up the political ranks as Governor of Arkansas.
He called himself a “New Democrat” a centrist who appealed to liberals and conservatives.

7. New Century 6
Billionaire businessman H. Ross Perot ran as an independent and took Republican votes away from Bush.
Bill Clinton then won the election in 1992.
Clinton had a Democratic congress and he increased the minimum wage, made college loans easier to obtain, and expanded tax credits for higher education.
He also secured passage of the Family Medical Leave Act which allows full-time workers to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year for medical reasons.

8. New Century 7
In response to gun violence, Clinton passed the Brady Bill in 1993 which restricted gun sales and required a 3 day waiting period.
Then the OKC Bombing occurred in 1995 and the Columbine High School Shooting in 1999.
Stiff laws were passed to deter terrorism and schools adopted a “zero tolerance” against violence.
Hillary Clinton, the First Lady, championed a national health care program. It failed in Congress.

9. New Century 8
The 1994 elections saw Republicans gain control of the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years.
Led by Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, Republicans proposed a Contract With America.
They promised a balanced budget, welfare reform, tax cuts for the middle-class, decreased federal bureaucracy, and term limits for Congress.
Some of these passed but many, including cuts to Medicare failed.

10. New Century 9
In 1995, Congress refused to pass Clinton’s budget. As a result, the government shut down for the first time over several days.
In the 1996 election, Clinton supported some of the Republican’s ideas such as balancing the budget and reducing the federal deficit.
Strong economic growth in the mid-1990’s allowed Clinton to win re-election by a large margin.
Clinton also had scandal. In 1994, prosecutor Kenneth Starr investigated some questionable real estate investments in the Whitewater development in Arkansas.

11. New Century 10
In 1998, Clinton was again investigated about an alleged affair with a White House Intern.
He denied under oath that he had an affair.
Later it was found that he lied under oath.
The House brought impeachment in 1998.
It was clear early in the impeachment that there were not enough votes in the Senate to convict him. Clinton was acquitted.
After the Cold War, the U.S. supported free trade blocs with other countries and globalization.

12. New Century 11
Under Clinton, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was passed after proposal by President Bush.
It allowed for free trade between U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Many, including presidential candidate H. Ross Perot, predicted it would cause U.S. jobs to move overseas and hurt U.S. employment.
Over the years, that proved correct.
NAFTA caused trade to increase between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico between

13. New Century 12
Clinton signed 270 free trade agreements including GATT-General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade first created in 1947 to lower trade barriers.
The U.S. expanded its role in financing the World Bank which helps developing countries with healthcare, human rights, and poverty.
The U.S. believes that developing countries with stable economies is vital to U.S. security.
Clinton military intervened in the civil war in Somalia which failed.

14. New Century 12
Clinton also sent troops to an uprising in Haiti with mixed results.
In the Balkans, amidst the old Yugoslavia, a brutal civil war erupted among Serbs, Bosnians, and Croats.
In 1995, Clinton and NATO sent forces to bomb the Serbs who had engaged in ethnic cleansing (purging an ethnic group by murder or deportation) in Bosnia.
Tension in the Middle East grew as Israelis and Palestinians increased their violence.
Clinton brought in Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and Israeli premier Ehud Barak for a peace agreement. It failed.

15. New Century 13 The U.S. faced its own threat of terrorism.
al Qaeda-opposed to Western (U.S.) influence in the Middle East launched terrorists attacks.
In 1993 they attacked the World Trade Center.
They killed 225 people in bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
In 2000, they killed 17 sailors when they attacked and bombed the USS Cole in Yemen.
Their deadliest attack will be on September 11, 2001.

16. New Century 14
In 2000, Clinton’s Vive-President Al Gore ran as the Democrat against Republican George W. Bush.
Gore won more popular votes, but the electoral vote was too close to call.
At question were Florida’s 25 electoral votes.
After many recounts, the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore, declared Bush the President with 271 electoral votes to 266 for Gore.
Bush passed a series to tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
He promoted the No Child Left Behind Act which reduced federal funding if schools did not improve academic standards.

17. New Century 15
Bush extended Medicare to cover prescription drugs for the elderly.
Then the attack on the World Trade Center occurred on September 11, 2001 killing close to 3,000 people.
In response, the U.S. began a War on Terror.
Bush first focused on the al Qaeda terrorists and attacked their political supporters in Afghanistan where the terrorists operated.
The U.S. overthrew the Taliban but the mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, escaped capture.

18. New Century 16 He was not captured until killed under President Obama.
Bush secured passage of the Patriot Act which gave law enforcement broad powers in monitoring possible terrorists activities.
He also created the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate security efforts.
Bush then turned his attention to Iraq, where Saddam Hussein was allegedly stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction-nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons intended to kill or harm on a large scale.

19. New Century 17
Without United Nations support, the U.S. and England sent force to invade Iraq in 2003.
Saddam and his supporters were captured but not Weapons of Mass Destruction were ever found.
America was returning to deep political divisions over the war, terrorism, and the growing budget deficit which doubled under Bush as he won re-election in 2004.
The War on Terror continued into Bush’s second term. Many claimed Bush was misleading Congress and the American people.

20. New Century 18
Then in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. The federal response was slow and chaotic causing many to become dissatisfied with the Bush administration.
In 2006, mid-term elections saw the Democrats regain the House and Senate.
In the late 20th Century, U.S. immigration policy changed as limits were relaxed.
Immigration Act of 1990-increased quotas by 40% and eased remaining restrictions.
1 million new immigrants came to America. Immigrants are 10% of the population as of 2010.

21. New Century 19
Most of the new immigrants were Latinos from Mexico and Central America.
The second largest group was Asian who largely settled in California.
One issue of immigration was bilingual education. Many felt that immigrants should learn English.
Another issue was illegal immigration. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 south to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.
Over time and under President Bush, illegal immigration grew.

22. New Century 20
Many argued that illegal immigrants occupied jobs no one else wanted. Others claimed illegal immigration was costing the U.S. in social services the taxpayer was paying.
Latino neighborhoods appeared in most major cities.
Meanwhile, Americans moved in large numbers to the coast and warmer regions of the country in the South and Southwest, or Sunbelt.
The structure of families also continued to change as divorces became common and both parents often worked outside the home.
More babies were born to single mothers.
Affirmative Action remained hotly debated as a means to help women and minorities.

23. New Century 21
New laws were passed for equal work and punishment for sexual harassment.
The Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994.
Education became a focus as standardized testing was debated under No Child Left Behind.
Americans also have longer life spans due to technology and the older population has strained Medicare and Social Security.
President Bush wanted to privatize (transfer from government control to business) Social Security but it was defeated. Debate continues over the problem.

24. New Century 22
As the 2008 election approached, the economy was rapidly declining as the stock market fell deeply due to bad banking practices and debt.
The War on Terror continued, Osama Bin Laden was still on the loose, and the national debt had double from $6 Trillion to $12 Trillion.
Two women, Hillary Clinton as a Democrat, and Sarah Palin as Republican sought nomination for President.
As it turned out, Barack Obama won as the Democrat against John McCain the Republican.