1. 1993-2001

2.  President Bush lost the election of 1992 mainly because of a bad economy  Bill Clinton & Al Gore focused on the bad economy & unemployment rates during the election campaign  Ross Perot ran a successful grassroots campaign as a very popular third-party candidate because so many people were upset with everyone in Washington

3.  Clinton aimed at reducing the budget deficit; he did this by cutting spending & raising taxes.  Clinton passed strong gun control laws & the Family and Medical Leave Act

4.  In 1994 Republicans win a sweeping victory in both houses of Congress when they offered the Contract with America, which was a promise to get back to basic American Values  The Republican Congress and Clinton clash on a new federal budget in 1995 and as a result the government shuts down for 27 days

5.  Clinton easily wins reelection in 1996 due to a much improved economy and a historically low unemployment rate  The gross domestic product grows at a rapid rate in 1996 & 1997  President Clinton was able to balance the Federal budget in 1998 because a very strong economy

6.  President Clinton was accused of numerous scandals one being the giving of illegal loans to a Real Estate company while he was Gov. of Arkansas.  He was also accused of having an affair with a White House intern  An investigation into these accusations concluded that Clinton committed perjury, or lied under oath, to Senate investigators  Congress brought impeachment charges against Clinton but he was acquitted (not convicted) of these crimes

7.  Clinton passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico & Canada: This eliminated trade barriers between the three nations  Many farmers and other workers feared this would cost them their jobs because of cheap Mexican labor costs

8.  Clinton was able to bring Israel and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) together for a peace agreement in 1993:  Israel recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinians  PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist  Both sides had trouble with the agreement and violence ensued in the Middle East for the rest of Clinton’s term