CHAPTER
34
The United States in Today’s World
Overview
Time Lines
SECTION
1 The Clinton Presidency
SECTION
2 The New Global Economy
SECTION
3 Technology and Modern Life
SECTION
4 The Changing Face of America
Chapter Assessment
Transparencies
CHAPTER
34
The United States in Today’s World
“America is . . . like a quilt—many pieces,
many colors, many sizes, all woven and held
together by a common thread.”
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, politician
THEMES IN CHAPTER 34
The American Dream
Economic Security
Science and Technology
Immigration and Migration
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CHAPTER
34
The United States in Today’s World
“America is . . . like a quilt—many pieces,
many colors, many sizes, all woven and held
together by a common thread.”
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, politician
What do you know?
Read the quote above and answer the following:
• What does the quote lead you to think about
the United States today?
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CHAPTER
34
Time Line
The United States
1992 The Twenty-seventh Amendment to the
Constitution, which deals with congressional
pay raises, is ratified.
U.S. troops land in Somalia to provide
humanitarian aid to the famine-stricken nation.
1993 The United States and Russia sign the
START II pact to reduce nuclear weapons
on both sides.
Terrorists bomb the World Trade Center in
New York City.
1995 The Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma, is bombed.
1997 Pathfinder spacecraft lands on Mars.
1998 President Clinton is impeached.
1999 Senate acquits President Clinton.
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CHAPTER
34
Time Line
The World
1993 The South African government and the
African National Congress agree to end
white minority rule.
1994 Russian armies invade the republic of
Chechnya to try to squelch a separatist
rebellion.
1996 Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is
assassinated.
1997 British return Hong Kong to Chinese rule.
1998 Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, and the
United Kingdom sign peace agreements.
1999 NATO bombs Serb forces to protect ethnic
Albanians in Kosovo.
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SECTION
1
The Clinton Presidency
Learn About
Bill Clinton’s presidency.
To Understand
American politics during the 1990s.
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SECTION
1
The Clinton Presidency
Key Idea
President Bill Clinton attempts to provide
more economic security for all Americans.
Republicans challenge some of his
programs and win control of Congress.
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SECTION
1
The Clinton Presidency
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Section 1 Assessment
SUMMARIZING
What are some of Clinton’s major actions during his first
term as president?
September 1993
Presents health care
bill to Congress
November 1993
Wins passage of
NAFTA
1995
Participates in negotiating
Dayton Accords, leading to
peace in Bosnia
1996
Signs welfare reform bill
1997
Signs budget agreement
that leads to balanced
federal budget
1999
Authorizes U.S. participation
in NATO bombing of Serbia
SECTION
1
The Clinton Presidency
Section 1 Assessment
RECOGNIZING EFFECTS
Explain how the economy played significant but different
roles in Clinton’s presidential election victories in 1992 and
1996.
THINK ABOUT
• the state of the U.S. economy in 1992 and 1996
• how voters responded to their economic circumstances
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SECTION
1
The Clinton Presidency
Section 1 Assessment
FORMING AND SUPPORTING OPINIONS
What event or trend during the Clinton administration will
have the most lasting impact on the United States?
THINK ABOUT
• welfare reform
• the impeachment of President Clinton
• balancing the federal budget
• encouraging the development of the global economy
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SECTION
2
The New Global Economy
Learn About
America’s role in a changing world economy.
To Understand
the economic challenges and opportunities facing
Americans in the 21st century.
HOME
SECTION
2
The New Global Economy
Key Idea
Workers face new challenges to their
economic security as the U.S. economy
evolves.
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SECTION
2
The New Global Economy
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Section 2 Assessment
SUMMARIZING
What were the major changes that occurred in the U.S. economy
during the 1990s?
“permalancers”
expanding
service sector
GATT
contract
workers
high
unemployment
downsizing
Economic Changes
international
trade
global
economy
decline in
industrial
work
drop in union
membership
high-tech
industry
“knowledge
worker”
SECTION
2
The New Global Economy
Section 2 Assessment
RECOGNIZING EFFECTS
Explain who was negatively affected by the changes in the
economy and what negative effects they suffered.
THINK ABOUT
• who had the highest unemployment rates
• what types of jobs were eliminated
• what other negative effects there were
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SECTION
2
The New Global Economy
Section 2 Assessment
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
Considering the economic changes described in this section,
how do you think workers can best prepare themselves for
the future?
THINK ABOUT
• the trend of hiring more temporary employees
• the shift from agriculture and manufacturing to high-tech
industries
• the skills that might prepare one for work in the global
economy
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SECTION
3
Technology and Modern Life
HOME
Learn About
developments in communications and other industries.
To Understand
the impact of technological advances in the late 20th
century.
SECTION
3
Technology and Modern Life
Key Idea
New opportunities and challenges arise from
technological developments in many
industries, especially computers and
communications.
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SECTION
3
Technology and Modern Life
SUMMARIZING
Section 3 Assessment
3
What are some of the technological changes described in this
section?
• Internet
• e-mail
• V-chip
• MRI
• artificial limbs
• virtual reality
• CD-ROMs
• air bags
• electric cars
• Global Positioning System
• genetically engineered food
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SECTION
3
Technology and Modern Life
ANALYZING
Section 3 Assessment
3
Explain how government, business, and individuals are
important to the existence of the information superhighway.
THINK ABOUT
• the costs of developing the superhighway
• the equipment and personnel needed to maintain it
• who uses the superhighway and why
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SECTION
3
Technology and Modern Life
EVALUATING
Section 3 Assessment
3
Which area of technological change described in this section
do you think was the most important one for the country as a
whole?
THINK ABOUT
• changes in communications and transportation
• changes in health care
• changes in entertainment
• changes that benefit the environment
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SECTION
4
The Changing Face of America
HOME
Learn About
social and cultural changes in the United States in the
late 20th century.
To Understand
the challenges and opportunities of America’s future.
SECTION
4
The Changing Face of America
Key Idea
Demographic changes in the United States
have significant implications for American
society at the outset of the 21st century.
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SECTION
4
The Changing Face of America
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Section 4 Assessment
SUMMARIZING
What are some of the demographic changes occurring in the
United States today?
Demographic Changes
Urban distribution
more suburban, less urban
Age
more senior citizens
Ethnic and racial makeup
more Asians and Hispanics, lower proportion of whites,
about the same proportion of African Americans
SECTION
4
The Changing Face of America
Section 4 Assessment
HYPOTHESIZING
As urban problems become more common in the suburbs,
how might the residents of suburbs respond?
THINK ABOUT
• the spread of suburbs farther and farther from the city
• the new ability to telecommute
• the tax problems that suburbs face
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SECTION
4
The Changing Face of America
Section 4 Assessment
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing the
United States in the new millennium?
THINK ABOUT
• rundown cities and poverty
• the growing population of elderly persons
• the debate over immigration policy
• terrorism and crime
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Chapter
34
Assessment
1. Name three of President Clinton’s most significant
achievements during his first term.
2. How did both political parties contribute to the gridlock
that shut down the government in 1995 and 1996?
3. How did world events shape Clinton’s foreign policy?
4. How did downsizing affect U.S. workers?
5. Summarize which parts of the economy grew during the
1990s and which declined.
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Chapter
34
Assessment
6. Explain what President Clinton meant when he said,
“Trade, as much as troops, will increasingly define the
ties that bind nations in the twenty-first century.”
7. What resources of information, previously difficult to
find, did the Internet make available?
8. How did changes in technology in the 1990s enrich
American lives?
9. How has urban flight changed both cities and suburbs?
10. In what ways has technology improved American
education?
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