Warm-up

• List 4 things that Bill Clinton did while he was President.

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The 21st-Century United States

Politics & Leaders

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The Presidency of

George W. Bush

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• The election depended on Florida’s 25 electoral votes.

Clinton’s Vice President, Al Gore, ran for the Democrats against Republican George W. Bush for President in the 2000 election.

Although Gore won more popular votes than Bush, the electoral vote margin was too close to call.

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• Because the vote in Florida was so close, state law mandated an automatic recount.

The Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore ended the recount. Bush was declared President.

• He passed a series of tax cuts to stimulate the economy.

• Bush promoted the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act tying school funding to student success.

• Bush pursued an aggressive conservative agenda when he took office.

• In 2003, despite criticism, Bush worked with Congress to extend Medicare to cover prescription drugs for seniors.

• The tax cuts and Medicare extensions became controversial because they added to the national debt.

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• In 2000, Republicans controlled the White House and Congress.

• Then something happened that challenged the new President and led to a shift in U.S. foreign policy.

• On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and crashed four airplanes. Two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York City. More than 3,000 people died as the twin towers collapsed.

September 11, 2001

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Bush first focused on the terrorists who were directly responsible for 9/11—

al Qaeda & Osama bin Laden

In response, the United States began a “war on terror.”

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Bush then worked to prevent future terrorist attacks with the passage of the USA Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

Bush then turned his attention to Iraq, where many feared Saddam Hussein was stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

In 2003, U.S. and British forces invaded Iraq.

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Saddam and many of his supporters were captured, but many Americans were troubled by the war, terrorism, and the budget as they cast their votes in the 2004 election.

Bush won reelection, but the U.S. seemed to be returning to a country of deep political divisions.

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As the war continued, the federal budget deficit grew larger, causing many people to criticize Bush.

Then, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast. Federal response to the disaster was slow. Discontent with the administration grew.

The 2006 midterm elections gave control of the House and the Senate back to the Democrats.

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Election 2008• With the country dealing with a recession,

rising unemployment, increasing foreclosures, and a plunging stock market, Bush issued a $700 billion bailout for the banking industry using taxpayer dollars

• This bailout was abused by CEOs

• In 2008, a weary US voted democrat Barack Obama into office

Activity

• Bush policies

• Compare Clinton & Bush presidencies

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