Chapter 31

Persian Gulf War

1991 war between Iraq and a U.S.-led international coalition. The war was sparked by the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. A forty-day bombing campaign against Iraq followed by coalition troops storming into Kuwait brought a quick coalition victory.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

1993 treaty that eliminated all tariffs and trade barriers among the United States, Canada and Mexico. NAFTA was supported by President Clinton, a minority of Democrats, and a majority of Republicans.

USA Patriot Act

2001 law that gave the government new powers to monitor suspected terrorists and their associates, including the ability to access personal information. Critics charged that it represented an unwarranted abridgement of civil rights.

No Child Left Behind Act

2002 legislation championed by President George W. Bush that expanded the role of the federal government in public education. The law required every school to meet annual testing standards, penalized failing schools, and allowed parents to transfer children out of such schools

The Clinton administration ended its eight-year term in office with_______________________.

A federal budget surplus and the longest economic boom in history

What finally decided the outcome of the 2000 presidential race between Al Gore and George W. Bush?

A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court

What motivated Al Qaeda's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001?

Al Qaeda's wish to rid the Middle East of Western influences

President George H. W. Bush was more inclined than President Reagan had been to ______________________________________.

Approve government activity in the private sphere

How did President Clinton appease critics of globalization in 2000?

Clinton signed an executive order requiring an environmental impact review before signing any new trade agreement

What persuaded Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to announce the withdrawal of his troops from Kuwait in the first Gulf War?

Crippling air bombardment and the beginning of an all-out ground assault on Iraqi troops

Clean Air Act of 1990

Environmental legislation signed by President George H. W. Bush. The legislation was the strongest and most comprehensive environmental law in the nation's history

Which piece of legislation enabled workers in larger companies to take time off for the birth or adoption of a child, for the care of aging parents, and for family emergencies?

Family and Medical Leave Act

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Federal antipoverty program initiated in 1975 that assisted the working poor by giving tax breaks to lower-income, full-time workers or a subsidy to those who owed no taxes. President Clinton pushed through a significant increase in the program in 1993.

What did the economic boom of the 1990s mean for unskilled and semiskilled workers in the United States?

Fewer opportunities and lower wages

What was the outcome of the presidential election of 2004?

George W. Bush beat John Kerry by a slim margin in both the Electoral College and the popular vote

Who won the popular vote and the Electoral College vote in the presidential election of 2000?

George W. Bush won the Electoral College vote; Al Gore won the popular vote

Why did George H. W. Bush ultimately abandon his no-new-taxes pledge?

He had inherited a huge budget deficit from the Reagan administration

Why did President Clinton order missile attacks on sites in Afghanistan in the summer of 1998?

He suspected that they were sites of terrorist training camps

Give an example of President George W. Bush's policy of preemption?

His resolution to invade Iraq in March 2003

World Trade Organization (WTO)

International economic body established in 1994 through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to enforce substantial tariff and import quota reductions. Many corporations welcomed these trade barrier reductions, but critics linked them to job loss and weakening of unions.

What was the purpose of the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement?

It eliminated all tariffs and trade barriers among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Why did he United States intervene in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait?

It needed to maintain access to Middle Eastern oil resources

Did Congress and the American people support Operation Desert Storm of 1991?

It was a war that President George H. W. Bush waged with the consent of Congress and widespread American support

Which was the largest minority group in the nation by 2004?

Latinos

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

Legislation signed by President Clinton in 1996 that replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. It provided grants to the states to assist the poor and limited welfare payments to two years, with a lifetime maximum of five years.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Legislation signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 that banned discrimination against the disabled. The law also required handicapped accessibility in public facilities and private businesses.

"don't ask, don't tell" policy

Military policy announced by President Clinton in 1993 that barred officials from inquiring into the sexual orientation of military personnel but permitted the dismissal of personnel who admitted to being gay or engaged in homosexual behavior.

At the end of the twentieth century, what facilitated globalization?

New communications technology that linked almost all parts of the world

In what major way did Barack Obama's foreign policy differ from that of George H. W. Bush?

Obama was committed to a multilateral approach to foreign affairs

Who formed the base of the Tea Party political movement?

Older white voters

How did George H.W. Bush respond to threats to U.S. interests as the Cold War came to an end?

Panama: "Operation Just Cause" saw U.S. forces invading Panama and ousting Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega who had been indicted for drug trafficking by an American grand jury. Both the United Nations and the Organization of American States censured the unilateral action. Persian Gulf: When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sent troops into Kuwait in August 1990, threatening the world's largest oil reserves, Bush ordered a massive mobilization of American forces and assembled an international coalition. He invoked principles of national self-determination and international law; long-standing interests in Middle Eastern oil also drove the U.S. response.

On what grounds did the House of Representatives vote to impeach President Clinton?

Perjury and obstruction of justice

What did the 1991 Americans with Disabilities Act require?

Private businesses be accessible to people with disabilities

What commitment was reflected in President George W. Bush's environmental policies?

Reducing government regulation

What was result of the Congressional elections of 1994?

Republican majorities in the House and Senate

What policies of the Clinton administration reflect the president's efforts to move his party to the right?

Retreat from gay rights: In 1993, President Clinton conceded to opponents of gay rights and reneged on a campaign promise to lift the ban on gay people serving in the military. He instead introduced the problematic "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which forbade official inquiry into service people's sexual orientation, and allowed the dismissal of those who acknowledged engaging in homosexual behavior. In 1996, he made it illegal for the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages licensed by individual states when he signed the Defense of Marriage Act. Welfare reform: In 1996, President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which abolished Aid to Families with Dependent Children, better known as welfare. The new law reduced protections for the poor by limiting welfare payments to two consecutive years and establishing a lifetime limit of aid at five years. Clinton's support for this legislation signaled a dramatic shift from the Democratic Party's New Deal legacy of expanding government provisions for social welfare. Deficit reduction: Republican control of Congress and the Reagan legacy of a massive deficit ensured that President Clinton restricted the growth of government spending. His fiscal policies contributed to a reduction of the deficit and the maintenance of a buoyant economy. Clinton's focus on deficit reduction reflected in part an adoption of traditionally conservative policy concerns. 3. What obstacles stood in the way of Obama's reform agenda? (pp.1068-1071) Economic crisis: When Obama took office, he confronted the worst economic crisis since the 1980s. A recession hit in 2008, sending home mortgage foreclosures skyrocketing, leading major companies to file for bankruptcy, and the unemployment rate to rise to 9.8 percent, the highest rate in more than twenty-five years. Republican opposition: Republicans opposed Obama's efforts at health care reform. Nonetheless, Obama achieved passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which provided 30 million Americans health insurance. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: Obama continued the Bush administration's plan to withdraw from Iraq, but dealt with an increasingly corrupt government in Afghanistan where an additional 50,000 military personnel were dispatched in hopes that the United States could begin to draw down its commitment by mid-2011. Tea Party revolt: Frustrated Americans expressed their fury at what they considered an over-reaching government by joining a grassroots movement calling itself the Tea Party. This intensely polarizing revolt complicated Obama's efforts at reform in environmental and immigrant policy.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Sweeping 2010 health care reform bill that established nearly universal health insurance by providing subsidies and compelling larger businesses to offer coverage for employees. Championed by President Obama, it also imposed new regulations on insurance companies and contained provisions to limit health care costs.

Which piece of legislation represented the largest expansion of government since the Great Society?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Which organization authorized the use of force against Iraq if it did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991?

The United Nations

Why did President Clinton launch air strikes against Iraq in 1993?

The United States uncovered an Iraqi plot to assassinate President Bush

What characteristic made the majority of post-1965 immigrants to the United States much like their nineteenth-century predecessors?

The majority of immigrants were unskilled and poor

After the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, what were George Bush and his advisors unprepared for in Iraq?

The subsequent social and political chaos in Iraq

In a meeting at the White House in September 1993, what was agreed to by Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin?

They agreed to Palestinian recognition of Israel and Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Jericho

What was the purpose of the USA Patriot Act of 2001?

To monitor suspected terrorists and their associates

Iraq War

War launched by the United States, Britain, and several smaller countries in March 2003 against the government of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It was based on claims (subsequently refuted) that Hussein's government had links to Al Qaeda, harbored terrorists, and possessed weapons of mass destruction.

The welfare reform measures passed during the Clinton presidency _______________.

authorized a two-year limit on welfare payments and set a lifetime limit of five years on payments