Bill Clinton united several groups in the Democratic Party.
Domestic Policy:
- Clinton’s first budget limited federal spending, increased income taxes for wealthy Americans, and introduced a gasoline tax
- In the election, Clinton promised to reform health care; he appointed his wife, Hillary Clinton, to head a task force but no plan was able to be passed by Congress
- Clinton was successful in passing a bill that increased funds for police departments, increased federal money for prisons, and banned sales of assault weapons
- Clinton pushed NAFTA through Congress – creating a free trade association between the United States, Mexico, and Canada which gradually phased out tariffs between the three countries
- By the end of his Presidency, unemployment was down, spending was up, and business profits were at all-time highs; the federal budget was enjoying a surplus for the first time in years
- Clinton became subject to a major scandal when an independent prosecutor, investigating Clinton’s personal finances, uncovered a sexual affair between Clinton and a White House intern
- After finding Clinton had lied about the affair under oath, the prosecutor recommended impeachment; voting along party lines, the House impeached the President but in the Senate, Republicans fell short of the required two-thirds vote needed to remove the President
Foreign Policy:
- Clinton followed Bush’s policy of maintaining friendly relations with Russian President Boris Yeltsin
- After years of fighting among Bosnian Muslims, Croats, and Serbs, Clinton intervened to force a compromise peace; when Serb nationalists began persecuting Muslims in Kosovo, Clinton spearheaded the use of NATO forces, which bombarded Serbia and forced an end to the bloodshed in Kosovo
- At first, President Clinton tried to protect human rights in China by threatening to link U.S. trade to China with the promotion of human rights; he soon abandoned this policy
- In 1999, U.S. missiles accidentally hit the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia; U.S. – Chinese relations suffered a setback, but there was no attempt to halt U.S. – Chinese trade
- U.S. leaders helped China join the World Trade Organization, further cementing economic ties
~ Adapted from The Key to Understanding U.S. History and Government
What did Clinton’s first budget do? ________________________________________________________________________
What did Clinton promise to reform? ________________________________________________________________________
Who did Clinton appoint to a task force to implement this reform? ________________________________________________________________________
Did this reform occur during the Clinton Presidency? Explain your answer. ________________________________________________________________________
What did Clinton increase funding for? ________________________________________________________________________
What is NAFTA? ________________________________________________________________________
What did NAFTA eliminate? ________________________________________________________________________
How does free trade benefit producers? ________________________________________________________________________
How does free trade benefit consumers? ________________________________________________________________________
Describe the U.S. economy at the end of Clinton’s Presidency. ________________________________________________________________________
What scandal occurred during the Clinton Presidency? ________________________________________________________________________
What had Clinton done during the scandal that led the prosecutor to recommend impeachment? ________________________________________________________________________
What is impeachment? ________________________________________________________________________
Why was Clinton not impeached? ________________________________________________________________________
Describe Clinton’s relations with Russian President Boris Yeltsin. ________________________________________________________________________
What had Serb nationalists done in Kosovo? ________________________________________________________________________
What did Clinton do in response to the actions of the Serb nationalists? ________________________________________________________________________
Describe Clinton’s relations with China. ________________________________________________________________________
What did Clinton try to protect in China? ________________________________________________________________________
Define human rights. ________________________________________________________________________
Why do you think Clinton decided to not link trade relations to human rights in China? ________________________________________________________________________
What did the U.S. help China join? ________________________________________________________________________
Primary Source: Excerpt from President Bill Clinton’s Speech, Aug. 17, 1998 This afternoon in this room, from this chair, I testified before the Office of Independent Counsel and the grand jury. I answered their questions truthfully, including questions about my private life, questions no American citizen would ever want to answer.
Still, I must take complete responsibility for all my actions, both public and private. And that is why I am speaking to you tonight. As you know, in a deposition in January, I was asked questions about my relationship with Monica Lewinsky. While my answers were legally accurate, I did not volunteer information. Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible. But I told the grand jury today and I say to you now that at no time did I ask anyone to lie, to hide or destroy evidence or to take any other unlawful action. I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression. I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that. I can only tell you I was motivated by many factors. First, by a desire to protect myself from the embarrassment of my own conduct. I was also very concerned about protecting my family. The fact that these questions were being asked in a politically inspired lawsuit, which has since been dismissed, was a consideration, too. In addition, I had real and serious concerns about an independent counsel investigation that began with private business dealings 20 years ago, dealings I might add about which an independent federal agency found no evidence of any wrongdoing by me or my wife over two years ago. The independent counsel investigation moved on to my staff and friends, then into my private life. And now the investigation itself is under investigation.
Question:
Identify seven significant points made by President Clinton:
The main reason that the United States sent troops to Bosnia in 1995 was to try to
bring a peaceful end to a civil war
contain the spread of communism
take over the area as a protectorate
resettle refugees in North America
What is the main idea of this cartoon about President Bill Clinton?
Positive economic conditions helped maintain his high approval ratings.
Voter approval of the president declined due to flaws in his character.
He did not deserve credit for the economic prosperity of the nation.
The American public considered personal character the most important trait of a president in the 1990s.
President Bill Clinton’s decision to send troops to Bosnia in 1995 and to participate in the bombing of Kosovo in 1999 were both in response to international concern over
President Bill Clinton’s decision to send troops to Bosnia in 1995 and to participate in the bombing of Kosovo in 1999 were both in response to international concern over
trade agreement violations
access to world oil reserves
human rights violations
monetary policies
Support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) reflected the United States commitment to
