VSC Unit 15: America in a Global World

D. Hales
Swansea High School
US History

​VSC Unit 15: Contemporary US History 1988-2016

Students will be able to identify, explain, analyze and debate the most important domestic events in US History post 1953, including the causes and effects of the 9/11/01 attacks

​Subheader text

Standard 5: Demonstrate the impact of America’s global leadership on technological advancements, the transition to a post-industrial society, and ongoing debates over identity in the period 1945–present

​Standard

SC Social Studies College and Career Ready Standards--2019

--41st US President

--Republican

--His son later became the 43rd US President. The only other pair of father/son presidents were​ John Adams (2nd President) and John Quincy Adams (6th President). 9th President, William Henry Harrison, did have a grandson who became President (Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President)

​George H.W. Bush

​George H.W. Bush's Presidency--Key Moments

--He takes over just as communism is starting to end in Eastern Europe and is the US President when the Soviet Union breaks up in 1991

--Passes the American with Disabilities Act which provides legal protection for people living with disabilities, prevents them from losing their jobs, being discriminated against
--First Gulf War: Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait to capture their oil supply; US creates a coalition of countries who fight a limited war to free Kuwait, but they keep Hussain in power because they are afraid of political instability if they overthrow him

--Invades Panama to overthrow its leader (Manuel Noriega) whom the US accused of assisting in the drug trade. Noriega had been a US ally in the Cold War, but the US "didn't need him anymore."

--Bush says as President "read my lips...there will be no new taxes." When the economy slows down, he is forced to break that promise. Result: Loses the 1992 election to Bill Clinton.

--Nickname: "Bill"

--42nd US President

--Democrat

--Only 2nd US President to be impeached (charged with a crime while President) due to his affair with a White House intern

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​William J. Clinton

​Clinton's Presidency--Key Moments

--Supported NATO in Eastern Europe to stop the genocide in Bosnia. Also sent US troops to Somalia to intervene in their civil war.

--Health Care Plan of 1993: Put his wife, Hillary Clinton in charge of a plan that would consider creating a national health care system similar to that of Western European countries. Republicans and many Americans oppose this system and resent that Mrs. Clinton, who did not hold office at that time, could be appointed to such an important job. The plan was defeated

--"Don't Ask, Don't Tell": Clinton's plan to allow Gay Americans to serve in the military as long as they did not discuss their orientation. This plan angers conservatives who felt it would weaken the military and also angered progressives who thought Gay Americans should have the right to disclose their orientation while they served.

--Became only the second President to ever be impeached, due to his lying about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He was acquitted and allowed to remain in office.

Equal Opportunities Act of 1995 Prohibits discrimination or prefrences in federal employement, cannot discriminate against race,sex, religion, or age

Multiple Choice

Which of the following terms or events are not associated with the presidency of Bill Clinton?

• "Don't ask, don't tell"

• "Read my lips, no new taxes"

• Equal Opportunity Act of 1995

• Health Care Plan of 1993

--43rd President of the US

--Republican

--His father, George H.W. Bush was the 41st President

--President during 9/11, The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2008 financial crisis

​George W. Bush

​Bush's Presidency--Key Moments

--No Child Left Behind--Government initiative to improve failing school systems in the US. Started because many felt the US education system was falling behind other countries.

--9/11/01--September 11th Attacks. 19 Terrorists from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, angry at US support for Israel and the number of military bases in Muslim countries, stage a series of attacks that kill 3,000 Americans. The US then invades Afghanistan in October 2001 because it was giving shelter to the mastermind of those bombings, Osama bin Laden the leader of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda. We then later invade Iraq in 2003 because we believe they also support Al Qaeda and are trying to develop nuclear weapons. We later learn that our information about Iraq was not true, but only after we invaded.

Great Recession of 2008--Banks were extending housing loans (mortgages) to many Americans who couldn't pay them back. Government did nothing to stop them. This triggered the worse economic crisis in the US since the Great Depression. Like the Great Depression: Laissez faire policies meant that the US government was not supervising banks that were making dangerous investments and loaning money to those who could not pay it back.
Video: Why did the 9/11 Attacks Happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVAQsD9MK4k

--44th US President

--First person of Black ancestry to become President of the US

--First US President who was not a white male

​Barack Obama

​Obama Presidency--Key Moments

--Signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Stimulus package that provided assistance to select banks, corporations (such as the auto industry) after the 2008 recession. Many Americans criticized this plan because it assisted banks and corporations rather than individual struggling Americans. Nevertheless, it helped keep the recession from turning into a depression.

--Affordable Care Act--Extended health care to some Americans who could not afford it, prevented insurance companies from dropping customers who had pre-existing conditions and allowed young people to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turned 25.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT true about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?

• It was a failure and worsened the economy, leading to an economic depression

• Provided assistance to the auto industry

• Some criticized this plan because it assisted banks and corporations rather than individuals

• It was a stimulus package that provided assistance to select banks and corporations

Open Ended

Review: What role did laissez faire policies play in both the Great Depression and the 2008 recession?

Video Response

In a short video, explain the causes and effects of the 9/11 attacks.

Open Video Recorder