Homework 38 - Chapter 34: The United States in Today’s World

Read pages 1064 to 1095. Answer the questions.

Section 1: The 1990s and the New Millennium

  1. What honor did Maya Angelou have on January 20th?
  2. Who was the 42nd President?
  3. What did he say to attract votes?
  4. Why did George Bush’s approval ratings fall from an all time high to an all time low?
  5. Who was H. Ross Perot?
  6. How did Perot shape the outcome of the election?
  7. What town was Clinton born in?
  8. In what way was Clinton a New Democrat?
  9. What role did Hillary Clinton play as the first lady?
  10. What happened to her health care reform plans?
  11. What economic achievements helped to make Clinton a popular president?
  12. What kind of reforms did Clinton bring to welfare?
  13. Why did Columbine Massacre shock Americans?
  14. What happened at the World Trade Center way back in 1993?
  15. What did this foreshadow?
  16. Who was Timothy McVeigh and what did he do?
  17. How many died?
  18. How many died on 9/11?
  19. Why were US relations with Russia and China strained in the 1990s?
  20. Why did the US send soldiers to Haiti in 1991?
  21. Why did the US send soldiers to Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s?
  22. Did these interventions make a difference?
  23. What is NAFTA?
  24. How did help the US?
  25. How has it hurt the US?
  26. Was NAFTA worth it? Why or why not?
  27. Who is Newt Gingrich?
  28. What was in the Contract With America?
  29. What issues did Congress and Clinton clash over?
  30. Why did Clinton win reelection in 1996?
  31. Who was Kenneth Starr?
  32. What conclusions did the investigations in Whitewater reveal?
  33. What did Clinton admit to the nation in August of 1998?
  34. What was Clinton’s impeachment punishment?
  35. How did this harm the last 2 years of the Clinton presidency?
  36. Who were the candidates for President in 2000?
  37. What led to election night confusion?
  38. What role did Florida play in the election outcome?
  39. What did the courts decide about the election of 2000?
  40. Look at the box on page 1073. How many votes did Ralph Nader get in 2000?
  41. How did Nader shape the outcome?
  42. Why was George W. Bush questionable as an effective leader from the very beginning?
  43. What event defined the Bush Presidency?

Section 2: The New Global Economy

  1. What was Ethel Beaudoin experience like?
  2. What had happened to unemployment during the 1990s?
  3. What is the service sector?
  4. Why were more and more Americans taking service sector jobs?
  5. What steps did corporations take to save money?
  6. What was the consequence of downsizing for workers?
  7. What happened to America’s farms and factories in the 1980s and 1990s?
  8. Who was Bill Gates?
  9. How much cash does he have?
  10. How did technology based companies and the stock market pave the way for success in the 1990s?
  11. What led to the NASDAQ and the stock markets overvalue in 2000?
  12. What is the General Agreement on Trades and Tariffs?
  13. What is the World Trade Organization?
  14. What is the Group of Eight?
  15. Why do GATT, WTO, and G8 control the world economy today?
  16. Why does the US struggle to compete with the economies of the world?
  17. How have US businesses adjusted to remain competitive?

Section 3: Technology and Modern Life

  1. Why is Rudy Garcia Tolson and amazing 12 year old?
  2. What does his story tell us about the role of techonology?
  3. What is the information superhighway?
  4. How did the internet shape the economy of today?
  5. What has surpassed the CD ROM as the way to carry digital information?
  6. What is telecommuting?
  7. How did the Telecommunications Act of 1996 change technology?
  8. What advances in science and technology helped every day life?
  9. In the 1990s how did the US remain the world leader in space exploration?
  10. What is biotechnology?
  11. How does it shape the economy and the quality of life?

Section 4: The Changing Face of America

  1. What did the 2000 census reveal about the Hispanic Population?
  2. What is urban flight?
  3. What is gentrification?
  4. Why is this happening?
  5. Why do the suburbs continue to grow?
  6. How many Americans are over the age of 85?
  7. What does this mean about the cost of health care?
  8. How will more retirees impact Social Security?
  9. What changes must be made to save Social Security?
  10. How large has the immigrant population grown?
  11. What is Proposition 187?
  12. What challenges does the US face in the 21st century?