The United States in Today’s World

What are the most important issues that affect the world today?

The 1990s and the New Millennium

Main Idea The Democrats gained control of the White

House by moving their party’s platform toward the political center Why it Matters Now

As the Democratic and Republican parties move closer in agenda, the extreme liberal or

conservative viepoints are less popular.

Clinton Wins the Presidency Gov. William Jefferson Clinton from Arkansas

became the first member of the baby-boom generation to win the presidency.

Election of 1992 Dem.- Clinton Rep.- Bush 3rd Party- H. Ross Perot Clinton wins with his center-of-the-road strategy.

A “New” Democrat Clinton promises to move away from Democratic

policies Move people off of welfare Political center- both liberal and conservative programs

Moderate Reform and Economic Boom

Healthcare Reform

Balanced Budget &

Economic Boom

Reforming Welfare

Affordable insurance for all peopleCongress never voted on the bill

1997- Clinton worked with Congress to create a surplus for the 1st time in 30 years

1996- place limits on how long people could receive benefits

New Foreign Policy Challenges

Relations w/Cold War Foes •U.S. & Russia cooperate on economic and arms control•China- increase trade

Troops Abroad•(1991)Haiti- Clinton sends troops to force the elected president from office•(1995)Yugoslavia- broke into 5 nations; Bosnia-”ethnic cleansing”•(1998)Kosvo- U.S./NATO launched strikes against Serbian targets

Trade & Global Economy •North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)- Mexico-Canada free trade•Critics felt that jobs would go to Mexico because of weaker laws.

Partisan Politics and Impeachment Republicans take control of Congress

1994 Newt Gingrich- Contract with America- 10 items Republicans promised to enact if they won control of Congress.

Congressional Term Limits

Balanced Budget

Tax Cuts

Tougher Crime laws

Welfare Reform

The President Investigated Whitewater Development Company- Clinton accused of using the land money to

fund his 1984 gubernatorial reelection campaign

Ken Starr- legal counsel for the federal gov’t (Clinton cleared)

1998- Clinton admits to improper relationship with Monica Lewinsky (Clinton lies under oath)

Clinton Impeachment 1998-House votes to impeach

Senate fell short 67 votes to convict Clinton

Crime and Terrorism Fears of acts of violence and terrorism gripped the

country Columbine HS (CO)

1999- 12 killed, 23 wounded

World Trade Center 1993- terrorists exploded a bomb in the car garage of

the building

Oklahoma City Federal Office Building 1995 Timothy McVeigh 168 children, women, & men

World Trade Center 2001 Two hijacked airplanes struck the Twin Towers

The New Global Economy

Main Idea Because of technological advances and new trade laws, the U.S. economy underwent a boom during the late 20th

century Why it Matters Now

New types of business have meant new work environments and new challenges for American workers

The Shifting Economy Good News

Millions of new jobs created between 1993 and 1999 (unemployment fell)

Bad News Wage inequality-income gap widened

More Service, Less Security Service sector- the part of the economy that provides service to

consumers. 80% working as teachers, medical professionals, lawyers, engineers, store

clerks, waitstaff, etc.

Downsizing- trim payrolls to streamline operations and increase profits. Hired temp-workers. ¼ of the nation’s workforce worked in temporary-part-time postiitions

1999- 11% of workers 16-24 were unemployed

Farms and Factories Better machinery meant less workers needed.

Robots in industry

The Shifting Economy-con’t

High-Tech Industries Bill Gates- personal computers (Microsoft) NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers

Automated Quotation System)- technology dominated stock index on Wall Street. Dotcoms- nickname of identities or address on the World Wide Web.

Change & the Global Economy

International Trade

1948- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)-23 nations signed to reduce trade tariffs & trade barriers. 1995-Established the World

Trade Organization (WTO)- replaced GATT and 123 nations signed to solve trade disputes

G7/G8- 8 leading economic powers.

International Competition

Companies moved where there were less restrictions

Products were now being made in: Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, etc.

Technology & Modern Life

Main Idea Advances in technology have increased the pace but also the

comfort of many Americans’ daily lives

Why it Matters Now Providing access to the new

technology and regulating its use are two current challenges facing 21st

century America.

Communications The Internet- “The Information Superhighway” E-Mail WWW Personal Computer Cell Phone Fax machine “Bodycam” Telecommunications Act of 1996- removed

barriers form one type of a company from starting up or buying another related one

Healthcare More accurate diagnoses Less painful treatments More effective medications and treatments MRI- magnetic resonance imaging Virtual reality to diagnose health problems

Genetic Engineering Genetically altered food products

(These have been engineered for resistance to pathogens and herbicides and for better nutrient profiles.)

 Foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA

Public concern of genetically altered food products

FDA approval of products Cloning

Entertainment Video Games Virtual Reality CD-ROM The Internet

Education

The Internet Computer access in the classroom Long-Distance Video

Space Exploration

The Hubble Space Telescope NASA’s Pathfinder and

Soujourner brings lives images back from Mars

International Space Station

Environment Environmentally friendly vehicles-

electric cars, solar cars, natural gas cars.

Increased recycling of aluminum, paper, glass, etc.

Alternate energy sources- nuclear, solar, and wind.

The Communication Revolution

The Informatio

n Age

New Tools, New Media

Legislating Technology

The computer industry transformed the 1980s. Home computers became widely available.

1. Information Superhighway-V.P. Al Gore oversaw the development

2. Internet- W.W.W.

1. Electronic messaging- Email

2. CD-ROMs3. Telecommute4. 2000- 97

million used the internet

1. Telecommunications Act of 1996- removed barriers form one type of a company from starting up or buying another related one.

2. More competition

Scientific Advances Enrich Lives Telecommunications was matched by insights that

revolutionized robotics, space exploration, and medicine

Science Advances

Robotics & Machine Intelligence

Visual ImagingArtificial Intelligence

Virtual Reality

Space Exploration

Pathfinder & Sojourner sends pics from MarsInternational Space

Station (ISS)

Biotechnology/Medical

Human Genome ProjectGenetic EngineeringDNA in crime cases

MRI

The Changing Face of America

Main Idea At the end of the 20th century, the U.S. population grew more diverse both in ethnic background and in

age.

Why it Matters Now Americans of all backgrounds share common goals:

the desire for equal rights and economic opportunity

The Race for the White House2000

Dem.- Al Gore Rep.- George W.

Bush Green Party-

Ralph Nader

Election Night

Confusion

Dispute in Florida

To the Courts

Aftermath of

Election

-270 electoral needed to win-Florida?-Gore wins popular vote-TV’s claim Florida goes to Bush

-Florida recount-Voter punch cards

-Rep. sue to stop recounts-Supreme Court rules 5 to 4 to stop recounts and Bush wins

Bush deals with a 50/50 congress. Legislative deadlocks

Urban Flight Urban Flight- the process in which

Americans left the cities and moved to the suburbs. By the 1990’s- 43% of Latino population and more

than half of Asian-American population lived in the suburbs

2000 census indicated that affordable suburban housing was booming in many states

1990- the 31 most impoverish communities were in the cities Gentrification- people purchased deteriorating

urban property. People moved back to the cities

The Aging of America- Baby Boomers The 2000 census said that Americans

were older than ever before. By 2000- the median age of

Americans was 35, two years older than a prior decade.

By 2030- 1 out of 5 Americans is expected to be over the age of 65

By 2005- spending on programs benefiting the elderly is expected to consume 39% of the federal budget.

A Shifting Population- Immigration In addition to becoming increasingly

suburban and elderly, the population of the U.S. has also been transformed by immigration. In 1990s- about 45% of immigrants came

from the Western Hemisphere and 30% came from Asia

Early 1900s- there was an estimated 3.2 million illegal immigrants.

2014- 9-11million

Proportion of non-Latino whites to minorities is expected to continue to shrink

1994- Proposition 187 in CA. was passed to cut off education and health benefits to illegal immigrants

Challenges in the 21st century

Urban & Suburban Life Decline in economic base of cities and

increase in suburban wealth Aging Population

Possibility of Social Security will run out, not be available

Immigration Dealing with illegal immigrants