15.33.4 The Contemporary United States
Which of the following is true about impeachment? [select all that apply]
does not mean immediate removal from office, requires vote and trial by the Senate
What are some fears and concerns of Americans in the latter half of the 1990s? [select all that apply]
terrorism, growing federal government
Trump Administration
-2016, Donald Trump won the presidential election against popular Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, despite poll numbers indicating the opposite outcome. As of 2019, Trump has worked on some Republican principles, including a tax cut for many who are in the middle and lower classes. His administration has also been haunted by many investigations and scandals, including the Russian collusion investigation led by Robert Mueller. The results of this investigation are still being debated, but Mueller did not present Congress with his advice to seek prosecution. Trump was also impeached by the House of Representatives for his involvement in quid pro quo investigation of Hunter Biden in Ukraine. This made Trump the third President to be impeached. It is important to remember that under the US Constitution impeachment does not mean removal from office. The impeachment trial takes place in the Senate, where the members vote for removal, something that did not happen in President Trump's case. -Trump has worked on promoting border security, negotiating fair trade deals with other countries, and cutting down on regulations. The effects of these changes are not yet fully known but will be evaluated more carefully with time and distance from the events.
Obama Administration
-As President Bush's popularity declined, immorality increased, leading to a backlash against Bush's faith and conservative stance on issues such as abortion and homosexuality. The media began to focus on divisive issues in the United States and encouraged people to feel entitled to certain privileges. Immorality and an entitlement mentality led to the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. -President Obama prided himself on his liberal ideology, and those who did not want to focus on their sinful nature felt he would make them feel secure. Obama gained a following by promoting the ideas that the wealthy should pay more taxes and the country needed universal health care. In fact, the latter, which became the Affordable Care Act of 2010, threatens American prosperity by making small businesses either pay extra for employee healthcare or pay a penalty for not offering health insurance. This is an extra charge for businesses and has led some small businesses to express fears of bankruptcy. -Obama's administration had begun to pave the way for the United States to become more of a socialist nation. Fortunately, the citizens of the United States are beginning to speak out against socialist policies and refuse to compromise their Christian morals. Some of the polices disrupted smaller towns that relied on regulated industries. Some coal-producing regions were hit hard as well as manufacturing centers. People in these regions were dissatisfied with the leadership of Obama and the Democrats.
Persian Gulf Conflict
-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President George H.W. Bush immediately began preparations to protect other Arab nations and repulse the Iraqi threat. -Hussein's harsh treatment of people bonded the world against Iraq -Both Bush and Thatcher were determined to liberate Kuwait and preserve Western interests in the Middle East. -Israel: concerned with Iraq's attempt to strengthen, but if Israel joined the fight, there was concern that other Arab nations would no longer offer support against Iraq (Bush persuaded Israel to stay out of the conflict but promised to protect Israel if Iraq attacked.) -The United States provided 500,000 American troops to liberate Kuwait, but this coalition of forces was also made up of British, French, Italian, Egyptian, and Saudi Arabian soldiers. -When Saddam Hussein ignored a final ultimatum to withdraw from Kuwait, President Bush received support from the United Nations to use force to repulse Iraq.
Clinton Administration
-Bush's popularity declined as the presidential election of 1992 approached -Critics of Bush claimed there was an economic disaster looming if Bush were to be reelected. Ross Perot, the candidate for the Reform Party, stepped forward as a conservative alternative to George H. W. Bush. William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton, the Democrat, was considered to be the popular alternative to Bush and his conservative policies. With the conservative vote split between Perot and Bush, Bill Clinton won the election of 1992. -During the course of his first administration, Clinton and his advisors promoted massive government spending causing taxes to rise and the national debt rose to $5.3 trillion. While spending was on the rise, morality began to decline in the United States. -The Clinton Administration, with the support of liberal entertainers and media personnel, promoted abortion, special rights for homosexuals, and increased government spending for government programs. During Clinton's time in office, there was an increase in drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and immorality. The need for a conservative revival in politics and in spirit was needed. -Voters made their voices heard in 1994 when they elected a conservative Congress to office. Congress called for a balanced budget, less government interference in industry, and welfare reform. Unfortunately, liberal leadership blocked most attempts at genuine reform. -Clinton was reelected in 1996 in spite of his scandals by campaigning as a moderate; however, more and more people were concerned with the growing power of the federal government. Citizens feared a strong central government would violate their rights detailed in the Constitution of the United States. Another cause of concern in the United States was the growing threat of terrorism. -February 26, 1993, a Muslim fundamentalist planted a bomb at the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people. On April 19, 1995, a bomb exploded outside of the federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. While radical Muslims did the former attack, domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh committed the latter. (Interestingly, McVeigh served his sentence in the same cellblock that held the World Trade Center bomber, Ramzi Yousef.) -The United States joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) to help coordinate international trade. Conservatives were concerned this organization would supersede the power of the states and violate American sovereignty. The United States was ordered to follow stiff trade sanctions or face punitive measures. -The United States continued to play a leading role in global affairs, coordinating its efforts with the UN and NATO. As a result, the United States became involved in Somalia and Haiti. Just as Bush done before him, President Clinton overlooked human rights abuses in China and continued its "Most Favored Nation" trading status. -In 1998, the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, funded and supported by Osama bin Laden, bombed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. -2000, Al Qaeda members slammed an explosive-laden motorboat into the side of the destroyer the USS Cole. Clinton warned that terrorism was growing and called for missile strikes on terrorist facilities in the Middle East. -December 1996, Clinton made history when he appointed the first female Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. She approved the United States' support of Communist China even though there were clear-cut violations against human rights like the persecution of Christians and the use of slave labor camps. -Clinton's Administration suffered heavy criticism justly when the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, was embroiled in infidelity and lied about it under oath. Clinton was impeached in 1998, and though not removed from office, his legacy was forever tarnished. His Vice President, Al Gore, attempted to gain control, but in a controversial election, the Republican nominee, George W. Bush, was the victor.
George W. Bush
-George W. Bush took office, the Muslim terrorist organization, Al Qaeda, was rising in prominence and wanted to make a statement against United States imperialism. This ideology led to one of the deadliest days in American history. -On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 Muslim radicals, members of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda, boarded four passenger jets. While in the air, the terrorists threatened and murdered the planes' pilots using box cutters. At 8:46 am, American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City; 17 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 hit the south tower of the World Trade Center. At 9:37 am, American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the west wall of the Pentagon outside Washington, DC. The terrorists aboard United Airlines Flight 93 hijacked the plane and attempted to fly to Washington, DC. They would never make it as regular citizens became heroes that day. They overpowered the highjackers, seizing the plane from the terrorists and crashing the plane in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to prevent the terrorists from taking more lives. -The event known as "9/11" killed more people than the attacks at Pearl Harbor. President George W. Bush declared publicly that the United States would make no distinction between the terrorists who committed those awful acts and the nations who supported them. George W. Bush's administration was not yet a year old and found its purpose, to lead the global War on terror. George W. Bush's focus was to protect the world and make it safe for democracy. -The United States determined that Afghanistan's Taliban government was harboring Osama bin Laden. After the Taliban refused to surrender bin Laden to the United States, NATO countries, led by the United States, launched an aerial assault on Afghanistan in October 2001 in what was known as Operation Enduring Freedom. -The weak Taliban government fell quickly to the United States. A coalition army of NATO nations and the United States established a presence in Afghanistan to help protect the new government. Osama bin Laden was eventually located and killed on May 2, 2011. -1 year later, George W. Bush went before the United Nations and made a case that Iraq was a threat to world security because of Saddam Hussein's support of the terrorist activity and his creation of chemical weapons called "weapons of mass destruction." -March 2003, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq and made strikes on military targets in an attempt to kill Saddam Hussein. On April 9, 2003, Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed, and the Iraqi capital of Baghdad came under the administration of the United States until order could be restored. Thus began ten years of conflict in Iraq when terrorists began to disrupt order by targeting civilians and soldiers. On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a small bunker. On June 28, 2004, American authorities transferred sovereignty to Iraq and its new leaders. In 2005, in a show of defiance against years of oppression, Iraqis turned out in large numbers to vote in the country's first free election in 50 years. Saddam Hussein was executed in December 2006 for crimes against humanity. -Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the United States established a presence to maintain order after the fall of the Taliban. Terrorists, like in Iraq, tried to disrupt order by using violence to return the nation to a fundamentalist Islamic state. With Osama bin Laden still at large, the Bush Administration continued pursuing the terrorists who threatened American security and interests. -George W. Bush was confrontational with his "no-nonsense" attitude and often offended people with his obvious faith in Christ. He achieved a rise in popularity among the American people and won a second term as President in 2004. Those who were uncomfortable with his conservative views did everything they could to emphasize that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were unsuccessful and disastrous, leading Bush's popularity to decline.
Operation Desert Storm
-January 16, 1991 -UN forces began a series of strategic bombings on Iraqi soldiers and headquarters -New technology enabled air forces to select and destroy key military targets. Among the new advancements in weaponry were the smart bombs, cruise missiles, and the Stealth Bomber, which made it convenient to drop these explosives without being detected. The high-tech weaponry overwhelmed the Iraqi military. -President Bush placed General Colin Powell in command of Operation Desert Storm & Powell oversaw operations from Washington, DC, while General Norman Schwarzkopf led the troops into combat against the Iraqi army -February 24, 1991, American, British, and French forces, assisted by Egyptian and Saudi Arabian soldiers, invaded Iraq -Israel stayed out of the conflict. The Iraqi army was quickly defeated a few days later, and Saddam Hussein retreated to a bunker. -President Bush did not pursue Saddam Hussein because the US State Department expressed concern that a total collapse of the Iraqi government might result in a dangerous increase in Iranian power in the region. -The conflict lasted from January 16 to April 6, 1991, making it a tribute to the high tech advancements of the United States and its allies.
The United States
-Mikhail Gorbachev declared the Cold War over after the fall of the Soviet Empire The United States of America emerged as the dominant power in global affairs, and the first real test of this new era occurred in the strife-ridden Middle East. -August of 1990, Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq, invaded the small, oil-rich nation of Kuwait (wanted to est. a new Persian Empire with him as the leader). -The prospect of a Hussein empire threatened the security of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations. Europe, Japan, and the United States were also concerned about Hussein's invasion because not only did it threaten part of the world's oil supply, the Iraqi leader was known for his brutality.
Bush Administration
-The administration of Ronald Reagan created a time of economic success, and the US emerged as the dominant world power in the 1980s (during this period, the United States experienced a revival of conservative values with regard to a focus on God and morality. Reagan's successor, George H. W. Bush, inherited that atmosphere of security. (However, security would not last.)). -Bush came under intense criticism for raising taxes when he promised he would not; however, it was a liberal Congress that was partly to blame. The US Congress and Bush compromised to raise taxes and increase government spending. Bush was also criticized for not following through on his attack on Saddam Hussein's regime. Conservatives were disappointed with Bush because he cut defense spending, extended Most Favored Nation (MFN) trading status to Communist China, and applauded communist leaders in Russia and South Africa for their policies. Bush believed that these communists and their laws would help bring world peace and ignored violence occurring against the citizens of those nations.
Why did President Bush not pursue Hussein further?
American forces were depleted after a long invasion, Concerns over Iranian takeover
Who won the 2000 presidential election?
George W. Bush
What are some of the places that were negatively impacted by the Obama administration? [select all that apply]
manufacturing centers, coal-producing regions
