EDWARD R. MURROW HIGH SCHOOL
MR. BARGE, PRINCIPAL
SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT
MR. J. PUELLE, INSTRUCTOR
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE SPRING SEMESTER HOMEWORK PACKET TWO
Directions:
· You are to use the documents on this sheet to complete the following homework assignments
· You are responsible for making sure that that your homework is handed in on time. If you are absent, it is
your responsibility to make sure that you make up your homework assignment and hand it in.
· One sentence answers are not acceptable, nor are incomplete assignments, lists, charts (unless it
specifically asks you for it). All answers need to be complete and thorough. All of your answers MUST be in
your own words. Answers that are copied from the packet will not be accepted and you will not have the
opportunity to make it up.
· NO LATE HOMEWORKS WILL BE ACCEPTED! NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
· Here is a listing of generals historical websites with very good links to more specific historical websites
that will help you to complete the assignments for the course:
www.besthistorysites.net
www.gilderlehrman.org
www.oyez.org
www.regentsprep.org
www.historymatters.gmu.edu/browse/wwwhistory/
www.history.com
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20. President John F. Kennedy (Read the selection below and answer the questions)
In a highly contested race for the Presidency in 1960 JFK would run against former Vice President Richard Nixon.
JFK would be elected in 1960 by a very slim margin and in doing so became the youngest President in the history of
the United States to be elected. In his inaugural address he addressed in beliefs on foreign policy by stating:
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any
hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
In his address he also called on the American people to:
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your
country…”
During Kennedy’s Presidential campaign, he spoke of moving boldly into the new
decade. He stated "the New Frontier is here whether we seek it or not."
Kennedy believed the newest frontier was space. In 1957, the Soviet Union
shocked Americans by launching Sputnik, the first satellite to be placed in
orbit. As a result Kennedy sought to exceed the Soviet Union’s space
exploration efforts by placing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960’s.
(The nation fulfilled his goal on July 20, 1969) In addition to investing federal
aid into government programs such as the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Kennedy’s New Frontier program would include
proposals for federal aid to education, greater Social Security benefits,
assistance to the poor, and more health insurance for the elderly. Kennedy also showed approval for the civil
rights movement by supporting an African American named James Meredith as he attempted to enroll at the
University of Mississippi in the center of the segregated Southern part of America. Kennedy would also order his
Attorney General, his brother Robert Kennedy, to protect the freedom riders in the South who aimed at ending
segregation on buses in the South. However, Kennedy was only able to pass just a few of his programs before he
was assassinated in 1963:
 Funds for urban (city) renewal to rebuild rundown, and poor, city neighborhoods.
 Funds to aid the poor in certain areas around the country.
 Raise the minimum wage from $1.00 to $1.25.
 The Creation of the American Peace Corp (Organization designed to encourage mutual understanding
between Americans and other cultures of the world.
1. What did JFK mean when he said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for
your country?”
2. Why do so many people consider JFK to be a “great” President? How do you perceive JFK?
21. The Bay of Pigs & The Cuban Missile Crisis (Read the passage and the scenario below then answer the
questions that follow)
The Bay of Pigs invasion was not originally John F. Kennedy's idea. As the communist nature of Fidel Castro's
regime became apparent in the nation of Cuba just 90 miles from the coast of Florida, the urge to topple his
government grew. Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration planned the invasion, which would be handled by the CIA.
By the time of Kennedy's inauguration, the order to invade was the only remaining piece of the plan to put into
place. On April 12, 1961, Kennedy told a press conference that the United States unequivocally (clearly) had no
intention of intervening in Cuban affairs. Five days later, the Bay of Pigs invasion took place visibly indentifying
JFK’s view on the spread of Communism throughout the world. Within the first few hours of the operation, it
began to appear that the invasion would fail because it had not garnered (gathered) the support from locals on,
which the American government was counting on. Much to the CIA’s surprise, locals firmly supported Castro and
the Revolution.
The invaders surrendered on the afternoon of April 19. More than 200 people been killed; another 1,197 were
taken captive. The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion set the stage for further aggressions against Castro from his
northern aggressor. President Kennedy made little effort to conceal his continued desire to see Castro deposed
(removed from power). Castro’s insecurity about the future of his rule over Cuba led to the installation of Soviet
nuclear missiles there, prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
SCENARIO: You are the President of the United States in 1962 (JFK) and you have just been informed that
American spy planes discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. Not only is a communist nation in the Western
Hemisphere but nuclear missiles are now aimed at the United States.
1. If you were President John F. Kennedy, how would you handle this situation (keeping in mind his hatred for
Communism and fear of nuclear war) between the United States and the Soviet Union? (Be sure to
thoroughly EXPLAIN your decision and why you chose to handle the threat this way) (Minimum ONE FULL
PAGE)
22. The Civil Rights Movement – Brown v. Board of Education
The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (KS) is among the most
important Supreme Court cases in United States history. Brown overturned the 1896 ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson
that established the doctrine of “separate but equal.” The 1954 Supreme Court Ruling handed down by the Warren
Court ended legal racial segregation in schools and other public facilities.
Facts of the Case: Black children (Linda Brown in this case) were denied admission to public schools attended by
white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to the races.
Decision: “Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical
facilities and other factors may be equal, deprive (take away) the children of the minority group of equal
educational opportunities? We believe that it does.... To separate them from others of similar age and
qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community
that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone....”
1. Describe the ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case and the Supreme Court’s justification for
overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling of 1896?
2. How do you think Southern whites who supported segregation would feel about the ruling? EXPLAIN
23. Martin Luther King Jr.
Jr.
“Violence often brings about momentary results...but...it
solves no social problem; it merely creates new and more
complicated ones....
The nonviolent resisters can
summarize their message in the following simple terms:
We will take direct action against injustice without waiting
for other agencies to act. We will not obey unjust laws or
submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully,
openly, cheerfully because our aim is to persuade. The way
of nonviolence means a willingness to suffer and sacrifice.
It may mean going to jail.... It may even mean physical
death.... What is the Negro’s best defense against acts of
violence inflicted upon him? His only defense is to meet
every act of barbarity, illegality, cruelty, and injustice
toward an individual Negro with the fact that 100 more
Negroes will present themselves in his place as potential
victims.”
Martin Luther King
1. Describe Martin Luther’s King’s views?
2. Do you agree with his views? EXPLAIN.
24. Black Power Movement
“I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America and the bad
ones are the ones who seem to have all the power and be in these positions to block things that you and I need.
Because this is the situation, you and I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that
situation, and it doesn’t mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in selfdefense. I don’t even call it violence when it’s self-defense. I
call it intelligence.” - Malcolm X
“I have to respect the believer in nonviolence because he is
doing something I do not understand. It would be equivalent
to putting handcuffs on me and putting me in the ring and
telling me to fight Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) nonviolently.
I don’t think I can do it. But what I am saying is this,
whenever you are dealing with an enemy, you have to be able
to communicate. You want to speak the language that the
other person understands. When you’re in Mississippi
speaking the language of nonviolence, you are not
communicating, you are talking a language that they don’t
understand.”
- Malcolm X
Black Panther Party Platform and Program: What We Want, What We Believe (October 1966)
1. We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community.
2. We want full employment for our people.
3. We want an end to the robbery by the white man of our Black Community.
4. We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings.
5. We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We
want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.
6. We want all black men to be exempt from military service.
7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people.
8. We want freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails.
9. We want all black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people
from their black communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States.
10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. And as our major political objective, a
United Nations-supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial
subjects will be allowed to participate for the purpose of determining the will of black people as to their
national destiny.
1. How does Malcolm X feel about Martin Luther King’s method of nonviolence? EXPLAIN
2. How is the Black Panther Party different from Dr. King and his supporters?
25. Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society (Read the quotations below and answer the questions)
“My first job after college was a teacher in Cotulla, Texas, in a small Mexican America school…Somehow you never
forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child. It never even
occurred to me in my fondest dreams that I might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those
students and to help people like them all over this country. But now I have that chance – and I’ll let you in on
secret: I mean to use it!”
- Lyndon B. Johnson (1963)
“I have called for a national war on poverty. Our objective: total victory!” - President Johnson (1964)
"We believe that all men are created equal, yet many are denied equal treatment. We believe that all men have
certain unalienable rights, yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights. We believe that all men are entitled to
the blessings of liberty, yet millions are being deprived of those blessings, not because of their own failures, but
because of the color of the skin."
- President Johnson (1964) At the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
"You do not take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting
line of a race, then say, you're free to compete with all the others.... Much of the Negro community is buried under
a blanket of history and circumstance. It is not a lasting solution to lift just one corner of the blanket."
- LBJ (1965) Howard Commencement Speech
(Picture on left: President Johnson and Dr. Martin
Luther King. Jr. discussing the Civil Rights Act of
1964)
1. Based upon the quotes above identify some of the
major components of LBJ’s Great Society Program.
2. How did LBJ help to improve American through
his Great Society initiatives? (Use the suggested
websites or other resources to identify two (2)
Great Society Programs and their intentions)
3. How did Johnson’s Great Society impact the
responsibility/role of the American government?
How is it similar to FDR’s New Deal?
26. The Warren Court (Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow)
The events of the Kennedy and Johnson years cannot be understood without reference to the “Warren
Court.” During the 1950s and 1960s, the United States Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren
became a strong supporter of civil rights in such cases as the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) (In this
case the Supreme Court declared segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional). The Warren court also
acted as a strong supporter of the rights of defendants in criminal cases. Some people criticized the Warren
Court for going too far in protecting the rights of the accused and making it more difficult for the police to
capture or convict criminals. However, supporters of the Warren Court argued that the Court had a
constitutional duty to protect individual rights. The Court, under Warren, became a major instrument of
social change, protecting rights that other institutions of government seemed too weak to defend. Other
cases under Chief Justice Earl Warren: (See chart on next page)
Mapp v. Ohio
(1961)
Engel v. Vitale
(1962)
Gideon v. Wainwright
(1963)
Miranda v. Arizona
(1966)
Facts of the Case:
Dolree Mapp was
convicted of
possessing obscene
materials (personal
pornographic pictures)
after an admittedly
illegal police search of
her home for a
fugitive. She appealed
her conviction on the
basis of freedom of
expression.
Facts of the Case:
The State of New
York authorized a
short, voluntary prayer
for recitation at the
start of each school
day. This was an
attempt to defuse the
politically powerful
issue by taking it out
of the hands of local
communities and
making it a state issue.
As a result students
were asked to say:
"Almighty God, we
acknowledge our
dependence upon Thee,
and beg Thy blessings
upon us, our teachers,
and our country."
Facts of the Case:
Clarence Gideon was
arrested for robbing a
pool hall. He was too
poor to have a lawyer
and was not provided
one by the government.
Facts of the Case:
Ernesto Miranda was
arrested for
kidnapping and raping a
young woman. After
appearing in a police
line-up, Miranda
confessed. The police
never told him that he
had a right to remain
silent, that he did not
have to answer their
questions, and that he
could have their lawyer
preset to advise him.
Ruling: The Court
brushed aside the
First Amendment issue
and declared that "all
evidence obtained by
searches and seizures
in violation of the
Constitution is, by [the
Fourth Amendment],
inadmissible in a state
court." Mapp had been
convicted on the basis
of illegally obtained
evidence. It placed the
requirement of
excluding illegally
obtained evidence
from court at all levels
of the government.
Ruling: Neither the
prayer's
nondenominational (not
related to any
particular religion) nor
its voluntary character
saves it from
unconstitutionality. By
providing the prayer,
New York officially
approved some form of
religion. The Court
used the
establishment clause
to eliminate religious
activities of all sorts.
Ruling: The Court ruled
that Gideon’s 6th
Amendment rights to a
lawyer were violated.
The decision required
all states to provide
free legal services to
any defendant who
cannot afford them.
Ruling: The Supreme
Court overturned
Miranda’s conviction.
The police are now
required to warn all
suspects that their
statement could be
used against them and
to inform tall suspects
of their constitutional
rights to remain silent
and to have a lawyer
present. They are now
known as the “Miranda
rights.”
1. How would supporters of the Warren Court feel about the rulings of the cases above?
2. Do you agree with the Court’s decision in these cases? EXPLAIN. (Choose three of these cases
above) (Min. One paragraph for each case)
27. The Origins of the Vietnam War
Historical Context – In the 1950’s, Vietnam was divided. North Vietnam turned
communist and South Vietnam supported the ideas of Democracy. North Vietnam,
under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, decided to invade South Vietnam in an attempt
to spread Communism. So where does the United States fit into this situation?
After President Harry Truman left office in 1952 his successors maintained many of
his ideas for Containment, which aimed at limiting the spread of Communism to
where it already existed. (Based upon quotes below answer the questions that
follow)
“If someone sets up a row of dominoes, and knocks over the first one...it is certain
that the last one will go over very quickly.... Asia has already lost some 450 million of its peoples to the Communist
dictatorship...the United States simply can’t afford greater losses...the loss of Vietnam would set off the loss of
Burma, of Thailand, of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia.... It would turn the so called island defenses chain of
Japan, Formosa and the Philippines and to the southward it would move in to threaten Australia and New Zealand…
The possible consequences of the loss to the free world are just incalculable...”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Press Conference (April 7, 1954)
“We are prepared to continue to assist them (the people of Vietnam), but I don’t think that the war can be won
unless the people support the effort... But I don’t agree with those who say we should withdraw. That would be a
great mistake. I know people don’t like Americans to be engaged in this kind of an effort. Forty seven Americans
have been killed in combat with the enemy, but this is a very important struggle even though it is far away. We
took all this—made this effort to defend Europe. Now Europe is quite secure. We also have to participate—we
may not like it—in the defense of Asia.”
President John F. Kennedy, Interview with Walter Cronkite (September 2, 1963)
1. What do both President Eisenhower and President Kennedy have in common regarding Vietnam?
2. What arguments do both presidents use to support their views on America’s involvement in Vietnam?
28. Vietnam War (Read the quotations below and answer the questions that follow)
“A Losing War: No one can assure you that we can beat the Vietcong (rebel forces in South Vietnam) or even
force them to the conference table on our terms, no matter how many hundred thousand white, foreign troops we
deploy (send to fight). No one has demonstrated that a white ground force of whatever size can win a guerilla war
in a jungle terrain in the midst of a population that refuses cooperation to the white forces (and the South
Vietnamese).
Undersecretary of State George Ball (July 1, 1965)
“U.S. military spokesmen have often said that their greatest problem is finding the enemy. The enemy is
everywhere. The old woman feeding her chickens may have a stock of hand grenades in her hut. The little boys,
who trail after American soldiers during the day, slip out to give information to the guerillas at night. The
washerwomen at the American air base bring a bomb to work one day. It is impossible to tell which are the
Vietcong and which are the civilians.”
Vietnam Day Committee Pamphlet (May 1965)
1. What are some of the problems that American soldiers are facing in Vietnam?
2. According to the sources above, is Vietnam a winnable war? EXPLAIN
29.
The Anti-War Movement
(Above Picture: John Lennon & Yoko Ono “War is Over! If you want it.”)
1. What is/are the goal(s) of each anti-war poster?
2. Are these effective ways to achieve their goals?
30. Richard Nixon (Read the chart below and answer the question that follows)
Highlights of Nixon’s Foreign Policy
Ending the Vietnam
War (1969-1973)
Nixon shifted the fighting
from American troops to the
South Vietnamese army, and
began withdrawing U.S.
forces. This process was
called Vietnamization. While
Nixon promoted
Vietnamization, he also gave
the orders to bomb
neighboring Cambia, which he
claimed served as a base for
the North Vietnamese
guerillas.
Re-Opening Relations
With China (1972)
Ever since the communist
takeover if China in 1949, the
United States had refused to
establish diplomatic relations
with the government there.
Nixon visited Communist
China and restored normal
diplomatic relations.
Detente With the
Soviet Union (1972)
Nixon introduced détente
(relaxing or cooling off of
tensions with the Soviet
Union). In 1972, he became
the first president to visit
Moscow. He also agreed to
sell American grain to the
Soviet Union to seas a severe
food shortage there. In
Moscow, Nixon opened what
became known as the SALT
Agreement. Strategic Arms
Limitations Talks which set
limits on the number of
missiles each nation would
keep.
1. How does Nixon ease the tensions of the Cold War?
2. If you were giving Richard Nixon a grade (N, S, G, E) on his foreign policy. What would you give it and
why?
31. Watergate (Analyze the passage below and the answer the questions that follow)
On June 16, 1972, a security guard at the Watergate Hotel in Washington,
D.C., discovered a piece of tape on the lock of the door that led to the
National Democratic Headquarters. This ruined break-in attempt at the
Watergate was part of a larger campaign by Nixon supporters to tarnish the
reputation of the Democratic Party. As soon as the attempted break-in at
Watergate Hotel scandal became know, president Richard Nixon ordered the
entire affair covered up. It became clear that the Nixon presidency had been
involved in serious manipulation and abuses of power for years. Millions of
dollars coming from Nixon supporters were used to pay for the cover-up in an
attempt to hide the truth from Congress and the American people.
The investigation raised two questions. "What did the president know?" and "When did he know it?"
The investigation into Watergate Scandal revealed that Nixon knew about the break-in from the beginning and
that he was involved in the cover-up as it progressed. As the Watergate Scandal investigation began, testimony
revealed that there was a taping system which was installed to record conversations in the Oval Office and several
of Nixon’s other offices.
Nixon argued that the tapes contained only private conversations. The Supreme Court did not agree. The court
ordered the president to release the tapes. Thus, the Nixon tapes were released. The tapes contained 18 minutes
of silence that have never been explained, but likely proved that Nixon was guilty of perjury (lying under oath).
In mid-1974, the House of Representatives approved the articles of impeachment against President Nixon and on
August 8, 1974, Richard Nixon announced to the American people that he no longer had a political base in Congress
strong enough to support his remaining time in office and resigned the presidency.
1. Why did President Nixon resign as President?
2. Should Nixon have been required to turn over the taped recordings of his conversations with his
advisors?
3. How does Nixon’s resignation reflect the system of checks and balances?
32. Carter’s Presidency 1977-1980
1977
March 30: Secretary of State Cyrus Vance presents an ambitious SALT II arms reduction
proposal to Soviet leadership in Moscow, and is strongly rejected.
April: Carter pressures NATO allies to re-arm and demands a commitment of a 3% annual
increase in.
September: Allan Bakke, a 37-year-old white man and former Marine, is denied admission to
the medical school at University of California-Davis. He sues, charging that less qualified
black students have been accepted. The first major challenge to affirmative action policies,
the case goes all the way to the Supreme Court.
October 13: In a press conference Carter attacks oil companies for perpetrating "the
biggest rip-off in history."
November 15: The Shah of Iran visits the White House, prompting demonstrations by antiShah forces.
November 19: Egyptian president Anwar Sadat makes an historic visit to Israel, where he
addresses the Israeli parliament, creating a major opportunity for peace in the Middle
East.
1978
August 5: Carter sends Secretary of State Cyrus Vance to the Middle East with invitations
to Sadat and Begin to meet with Carter at Camp David. They immediately accept.
September 4: The Camp David summit begins.
September 17: Begin and Sadat sign the historic Camp David accords.
October 15: Congress passes a version of Carter's energy package.
1979
March 8-14: President Carter journeys to the Middle East in a last-ditch attempt to save
the unraveling Camp David agreement. He succeeds after it appears all hope is lost.
March 26: Sadat and Begin sign the historic Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty on the White House
lawn.
June 18: President Carter and Soviet Premier Brezhnev sign the SALT II arms control
agreement in Vienna.
July 3-12: Carter holds a "domestic summit" at Camp David to address the energy crisis and
figure out how to rescue his presidency from record low approval ratings.
July 15: In a dramatic, nationally televised address, Carter addresses what he calls a "crisis
of confidence" in America. Though initially well-received, many object to the tone of what
is soon dubbed the "malaise" speech.
October 22: Carter allows the ailing Shah of Iran to enter the U.S. for medical treatment.
November 4: Outraged by the Shah's welcome in America, militant students overrun the
U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seizing 66 hostages. The 444-day Iranian hostage crisis begins.
November 14: President Carter issues an executive order freezing all Iranian
1980
Early September: The Iranian government indicates they are willing to discuss the release
of the hostages.
November 2: The Iranian parliament issues a statement making it clear the hostages will not
be released before the election.
1. Write an editorial assessing the Presidency of Jimmy Carter including: The Energy Crisis, Middle East
Peace Process, Affirmative Action and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. (Select two) Must be One page in length
33. Ronald Reagan
1. Define: Foreign Policy, Domestic Policy
2. Explain President Reagan’s Domestic Polices. How are they different than the domestic policies of FDR &
LBJ?
34. George H. W. Bush: 1989-1993
In 1980 Bush campaigned for the Republican nomination for President. He lost, but was chosen as a running mate
by Ronald Reagan. As Vice President, Bush had responsibility in several domestic areas, including Federal
deregulation and anti-drug programs, and visited scores of foreign countries. In 1988 Bush won the Republican
nomination for President and, with Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate, he defeated Massachusetts
Governor Michael Dukakis in the general election.
Bush faced a dramatically changing world, as the Cold War ended after 40 bitter years, the Communist empire
broke up, and the Berlin Wall fell. The Soviet Union ceased to exist; and reformist President Mikhail Gorbachev,
whom Bush had supported, resigned. While Bush hailed the march of democracy, he insisted on restraint in U. S.
policy toward the group of new nations.
In other areas of foreign policy, President Bush sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime
of General Manuel Noriega, who was threatening the security of the canal and the Americans living there. Noriega
was brought to the United States for trial as a drug trafficker.
Bush's greatest test came when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened to move into
Saudi Arabia. Vowing to free Kuwait, Bush rallied the United Nations, the U. S. people, and Congress and sent
425,000 American troops. They were joined by 118,000 troops from allied nations. After weeks of air and missile
bombardment, the 100-hour land battle dubbed Desert Storm routed Iraq's million-man army.
Despite unprecedented popularity from this military and diplomatic triumph, Bush was unable to withstand
discontent at home from a faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high deficit spending. In
1992 he lost his bid for reelection to Democrat William Clinton.
1.
Describe Bush’s foreign policy
2. Why do think the American people did not reelect President Bush?
(From left to right: Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush Sr.)
35. William Jefferson Clinton: 1993-2001
Becoming the President:
In 1992, William Jefferson Clinton was nominated as the Democratic nominee for president. He ran on a campaign
that emphasized job creation and played to the idea that he was more in touch with the common people than his
opponent, the incumbent George H. W. Bush. Actually, his bid for the presidency was helped by a three party race
in which Ross Perot garnered 18.9% of the vote. Bill Clinton won 43% of the vote and President Bush won 37% of
the vote.
Historical Significance: Clinton was the first two term Democratic president since Franklin Roosevelt. In a period
of increasingly divided politics, Clinton moved his policies more to the center to appeal to mainstream America.
Despite being impeached, he remained a very popular President.
Events and Accomplishments of Bill Clinton’s Presidency:
An important protective bill that passed in 1993 soon after taking office was the Family and Medical Leave Act.
This act required large employers to give employees time off for illnesses or pregnancy.
Another event that occurred in 1993 was the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement that
allowed for nonrestricted trade between Canada, the U.S., Chile, and Mexico.
A huge defeat for Clinton was when his and Hillary Clinton's plan for a national health care system failed.
Clinton's second term in office was marked by controversy surrounding relationships he had with White House
staffer, Monica Lewinsky. Clinton denied having a relationship with her under oath in a deposition. However, he
later recanted when it was revealed that she had evidence of their relationship. He had to pay a fine and was
disbarred temporarily. In 1998, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton. The Senate, however, did
not vote to remove him from office.
Economically, the U.S. experienced a period of prosperity during Clinton's time in office. The stock market rose
dramatically. This helped add to his popularity.
1. Upon leaving office President Clinton had an approval rating of about 60% based on the reading were the
American people correct?