Chapter Overview

During the 1990s, the United States became increasingly tied to a worldwide network of economic, financial, and demographic relationships that increased both the nation's diversity and its interdependence. Immigrants arrived from all over Asia, and from Mexico, Cuba, and Central America. The Cold War was replaced with regional conflicts as a top foreign policy concern. President Clinton faced an increasingly hostile Congress that attempted to thwart much of his legislative agenda.

The New Immigration

During the 1990s, immigration returned to the forefront of issues. As a result of the Immigration Act of 1965, immigration took on a new look. Asian-American immigrants came in large numbers, as did even larger numbers of both legal and illegal immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, and Central America. Because of new and faster means of transportation and communication, these immigrants have found it easy to maintain cultural links with their homelands. They reshaped the religious faiths of America because they brought not only their own brands of Christianity and Judaism but also Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic beliefs.

The Clinton Presidency: Managing a New Global Order

President Clinton pledged to revive the economy and shrink the federal deficit. He called for reform of the welfare and health-care delivery systems as well as measures to reduce the violence that had turned some urban neighborhoods into war zones. Republicans disliked not only his politics but also his perceived moral lapses. The Whitewater real estate scandal and the president's alleged sexual affairs kept his foes busy.

Clinton was forced to involve the United States in regional crises that had their origins in ethnic and nationalist movements. By using American power in a limited manner, he gained considerable public support. He also tried to find a lasting peace in the troubled Middle East.

The Clinton Presidency on Trial

Throughout Clinton's presidency, the nation experienced a powerful economic expansion. Nevertheless, when the Congress was recaptured by Republican majorities, much of his legislative agenda was stymied. His personal life was rocked by scandal. The president did experience some legislative success, particularly with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and his welfare reform package. Clinton was also successful in creating economic growth without inflation, in reducing the government's budget deficit dramatically, and in operating on a balanced budget.

The first half of Clinton's second term was consumed almost entirely by the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Special prosecutor Kenneth Starr recommended that the president be impeached on the grounds of perjury, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. Despite a general public that was opposed to impeachment, the House, voting along strict party lines, voted three articles of impeachment against Clinton. The Senate voted to acquit the president. The scandal seemed to have little impact on the country. The economy remained strong with unemployment at a 30-year low and a stock market soaring.

The United States in a Networked World

At the end of the twentieth century, Americans had become linked to a global communications network of electronic devices that provided almost instant contact with a wider world. In 1998, electronic commerce generated nearly half a million jobs. Education proved to be the determining factor in who would benefit. Most semi-skilled and unskilled workers saw little growth in their earnings in the 1990s. The spread in incomes widened significantly as well, with the highest-paid Americans seeing their pay grow twice as fast as the middle class.

Multiculturalism and Contested American Identity

During the 1990s, the new multicultural and global complexion of late-twentieth-century America became fully evident, primarily reflected in political controversies in California. The battles over race, immigration, and multiculturalism suggest that the United States remains a nation of nations seeking to accommodate distinctive identities along lines of race, ethnicity, and national origins. Hispanic and Asian immigrants constituted the largest groups of newcomers. Friction with older groups sometimes resulted in violence. The issues of race prejudice and minority poverty still troubled the nation.