By : Rasha Shaik, Mallika Kumar, Meherab Grewal, and Kenny Wellens
MYP Unit Question: How can the contributions of one person affect the direction of an entire nation?
Guiding Question: How did Culture and the Role of the President Shape Post-WWII America?
Business & the Economy
The greatest change to occur in the 1990’s to the act of business would have to be the internet. In so many ways, the internet revolutionized how transactions were made, and created a much larger network in the ease of communication. “Online companies overshadowed legendary corporations,” (Overview: American Decades). This new created system, as well as new business practices, led to the rise of many multibillion corporations. During this time, the stock market soared, and the largest companies only became larger. Unemployment was under 5%, for the first time since the 70’s (Overview: American Decades). The more experienced and educated workers met easy opportunities in the newly expanding economy.
All of this growth, however, was also met by subtle drawbacks. The low unemployment meant that some companies did not have the ability to be selective in hiring. Less educated workers were left behind in the advances, and small business owners had many problems. “3 out of 5 small businesses failed,” and more successful ones were usually bought out by larger corporations (Overview: American Decades). Although small businesses accounted for more than 99% of all American businesses at the time, they only made up about 50% of the nations employment, sales, and output. In the end, continuously growing mega-corporations began to dominate business society, and smaller factions were left in the wake of their interests.
Education
Education standards in the 1990’s faced many changes in dynamics. The SAT score average across country were “continuing to fall, or at best, not rising” (Overview: American Decades). New standards were being voted on at record speeds, and the teacher’s union was struggling for their own rights. New regulations on hiring teachers, testing existing ones, and examining students all became more regular in the 1990’s. Despite all of this, many schools and families saw a decline in the education system at the time.
Many private schools became more and more expensive, and even cheaper ones, such as Catholic schools, were too much for the average American family’s budget. As a result, there were an increasing number of students attending public schools, and they struggled to keep up. Quality in classrooms and schools fell, and many families even became concerned for the health and safety of their children. School violence was on the rise, and many violent outbreaks such as the infamous one atColumbineHigh SchoolinColorado, created a new age of insecurity about the education system. “In a 1990 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control on youth health risks, 31.5 percent of young males reported carrying a weapon to school” (Overview).
In other regards, desegregation and affirmative action also started to play a larger role gradually through out the 1990’s. Public schools were forced to accept students based on a percentage of the racial background in the community. While many elite white schools saw a sharp drop in performance, this maximized availability for education to many students of other races. Nevertheless, the 1990’s proved to be an era of revolution to the American education system.
Fashion
In the 1990’s, it became increasingly common to wear comfortable clothing such as jeans and t-shirts and clothes that expressed their individuality. “Casual Fridays” were and established tradition where people could wear whatever the wanted. Businesses and corporations started accommodating “Casual Friday” and workers wore what they wanted rather than formal suits and ties or women’s padded-shoulder suits. Pretty soon, everyday became “Casual Friday”.
The younger generation in the 1990’s started pushing to use clothing, hairstyles, and body decoration as a way to express themselves. Some bought unusual clothing that was paired together to create a mismatched effect. Stores that supported this style were Gap and Old Navy. Others supported the preppy look. They wore styles from Abercrombie & Fitch. Gap, Old Navy and Abercrombie & Fitch started a trend of putting their brand name on their clothing. Pretty soon, no item of clothing was worth considering if it didn’t have a brand name. Another significant style were the Goths. They based their looks on characters in gothic novels and stories that emphasized the use of the color black.
Although the new generation wanted to express their individuality and originality through their clothes, people also started bringing back past trends. Styles like bell bottom jeans and satin gowns were making their way into the 1990’s fashion. Men and women did not stop wearing formal clothing. The Audrey Hepburn A-line shift dress from 30 years ago and styles worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis became the latest trend in dresses. Women also started wearing dresses with flowing skirts and empire waists. Men wore sport jackets, instead of traditional wool coats, that came in new colors such as grey and green. Jackets became an important part of a man’s formal outfit. Movies and magazines also became trend starters. People saw actors or actresses they liked wearing new styles and started wearing them too.
In truth, 1990’s fashion is a lot like fashion today in 2009. Back then, people started using clothing as an opportunity to express themselves, same as today. Even today, brand name clothing is everything. One rarely sees anyone wearing clothes without some kind of logo and brand on it. Our fashion is influenced by things we see in movies and magazines. We have also brought back many styles from the past such as skinny jeans, and leggings, like they did in the 1990’s.
Film & Theatre
Special effects were all the rage in the 1990s. Films like Jurassic Park (1993), Independence Day (1996), and Star Wars Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999), saw hugely successful box office runs. Special effects technology was new, and people wanted as much of it as they could get, and movie producers were happy to oblige. Two major film genres, previously thought to be dead due to unoriginal plot lines, animation and horror, were revived during the decade. Scream (1996) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). Both films used previously untapped plot structures, and the horror genre experienced a pleasant surprise. Animation scored several box office hits, such as The Lion King (19940, Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), and A Bug's Life (1998). The theater industry was also resurrected. Broadway plays, such as Ragtime (1997), started in New York, then toured the country, pulling in revenue. The 1990s was a very successful decade in terms of the entertainment industry.
Food & Drink
During the 1990s, eating healthy food was the key issue that many families stressed over. Due to technology, such as biotechnology, many food products were being produced artificially and this brought concern to many people. Although the use of biotechnology increased, the use of organic farms continued to stay strong, since their products were fresher. Organic farms used natural methods – the ecosystem, crop rotations, compost, animal grazing, and careful cultivation. In the end, in comparison to factory farms, organic farms used little or no fertilizer at all. Also, in relation to biotechnology, people were concerned with genetically modified organisms – basically, people used technology to create a system to dramatically increase the harvests. In general, the public did not really care how much food was produced, as long as it was healthy, and some were not too sure about that in this case. Next, people also worried about the conditions of factory farms; they felt that keeping as many animals, such as chickens and pigs, as possible crowded in pens was unsanitary. Overall, during the decade, people were concerned with the amount of healthy food that they were consuming. Due to biotechnology, which relates to food with artificial ingredients, people were feeling more worried and concerned over their public health.
Government & Politics
During this decade, America faced external and internal challenges pertaining to government and politics. Global conflicts occurred, affecting the only superpower left in the world – America. For instance, the Soviet Union broke up, ending the Cold War. However, the diverse areas that had been under the rule of the Soviet Union fell under the reign of violence. Ethnic/religious groups struggled for independence of their own nation. Within the country, however, this decade was a time of change. Also, in the Middle East, Iraq was attacking Kuwait. Besides the external conflicts, within the country, civil rights movement grew, helping women, racial minorities, and homosexuals. Moreover, this was the time of when the country was governed by the Democratic President Clinton. One of the reasons Clinton was elected was because people believed that he could help improve the economy, since during President Bush Sr.’s time, the economy was slowly declining, despite his successes in global affairs. Clinton’s first term did not go well, but it was the opposite during his second term. The economy skyrocketed. The ideas of having government environmental control and emergency preparedness emerged. Although everything was going great, Clinton was impeached for having an affair, but he was not convicted. Clinton dealt with his situation amazingly by setting aside the issue and continuing to govern the country. In the end, people did not like what Clinton did personally, but they did admire his leadership skills. So although the government did make some mistakes, overall they created improvements for the country.
Law & Justice
In the early 1990s, concern over crime was high. The crack epidemic of the 1980s was just dying out, but some notorious gangs still operated and had large areas of influence. However, overall during the decade, the crime rate decreased sharply. The crime rate also decreased in other major areas, such as juvenile crime. Less and less shootings were happening, with the only major occurrence in Columbine, Colorado. Several major foreign-related attacks also occurred, such as the largest terrorist attacks in American history up to that point on a federal building in Oklahoma City. A major factor that came into play in the 90s was the rights movement in several areas, such as women's rights, homosexual rights, and affirmative action. Women were given more freedoms in the decade, such as being able to end previously all-male military training schools. However, minorities and homosexuals did not make many advances. A newly rejuvenated Republican party restricted rights for minorities by scaling back government programs for minorities. In addition, a federal law called the "Defense of Marriage Act," which defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman, prevented gays from marrying in any state. The decade was a also a step back on the path to environmentalism. Business owners argued that environmental conservation laws prevented them from developing, and that industry and jobs would be harmed by this legislative approach. Technology also made a breakthrough in this decade, due to the Internet being created. Also, British scientists managed to clone a sheep. These new advances made Congress ever more wary of national security, as well as the relation between ethics and law, a topic further emphasized by the debate over abortion. Law and justice took large steps during this decade.
Music
Most of the music in the 1990’s was aimed for a teenage audience. During the 1990’s music started to develop into many different styles. The most common styles of music were pop, rock and rap, but pretty soon “alternative” music, and metal kicked in. “Alternative” styles were variations on the rock, and rap and other music that people were used to hearing. Bands like Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machines were at the top of the music market along with boy bands such as *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. One group, called Marilyn Manson wrote music that focused on frustrated teenagers called “death metal”. They used music to express their opinions and discontent, and to relieve anger. Other singers, like Mariah Carey, made it huge. Mariah had more #1 hits than any other female singer and only eight less then Elvis Presley. Britney Spears also became a sensation during the 1990’s. At only eighteen, her album …Baby One More Time made her a star.
Today, music is not so different from the 1990’s. We have built on some of the styles started then. Metal has grown and developed, rap has taken off, and rock is everywhere. Even some of the singers are still around doing just as well. Britney Spears has come out with several albums since … Baby One More Time, and her last, Circus, has become extremely popular with teenagers today.
Print Culture
Americans have always read books, newspaper, and magazines on paper. But during the 1990’s, when the Internet revolutionized America, print culture started changing. People started listening to books on tape in their cars and at home more often. The “e-book” allowed people to download books onto their own computers or device designed for e-books. Magazines and newspapers also published their articles online for users to read on their websites.
Although new ways of reading were being explored, most people read the same authors like Stephen King, John Grisham, and Michel Crichton whose best-selling novel Jurassic Park became a blockbuster film. However, one author, who became famous during the 1990’s, was the British novelist, J. K. Rowling, with her book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a story about a teenage wizard, which she followed with a series. Many people were fascinated by the concept of magic, but others were appalled at the story for promoting witchcraft. Whatever one’s opinion of the series was, one could not disagree that it increased reading among teens. The controversy over the book made it even more famous.
Books, magazines and newspapers have been there for a long time. But having it on the computer and on the Internet was a novel concept in the 1990’s. Today this idea has been even more developed. Instead of on tape, books can be read to you online, and magazines and newspapers post all their articles on their Websites so one can just read online instead.
Religion
In the 1990s, Americans were still identified by their religious belief, given that more than 95 percent of Americans believed in God. The majority of Americans were still either Protestants or Catholics. There was also the influential minority of the Jews, as well as the increasing numbers of Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus. However, although many Americans followed a religion, American culture itself lost its morality, since people were becoming more laid back. For example, lack of morals from President Bill Clinton, the increase in homosexuals, and the acceptance of abortion by many has caused the conservatives much grief. Nonetheless, more and more Americans joined "superchurces" which focused more on family-oriented programs, uplifting worship services, and very little on theology. In general, the focus of religion changed. During the decade, religion changed in other ways as well. For instance, rules were created to allow the government to regulate religious activities, as long as it does not help or hurt the religion. Also, more people began committing violent actions, such as murder and bombing other people like homosexuals and doctors that performed abortions, by using the Bible to justify their actions. Overall, in this decade, religion was just as important as it was in the past decades; however, it transformed and played different roles in society.
Sports and Games
The 1990s were characterized by the advent of big business in the sports world. More and more athletes were not only making money from gigantic sports contracts, but from endorsements and advertising. Television networks and cities were competing for the rights to broadcast and host big sporting events, such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness). Also, sports movies made a breakthrough in this decade, with several successful examples, such as Jerry Maguire (1996) and Happy Gilmore (1996). Sports scandals also created media controversy. O.J. Simpson was tried for allegedly murdering his wife and her friend, and Tonya Harding was convicted for attacking Nancy Kerrigan, an opponent for a spot on the American Olympic figure skating team. All this media focus inspired millions ofAmericans to get off their couches and get active, and physical fitness saw a rise in the 1990s. Women’s sports also saw increased interest in the 1990s, with several new leagues being created. Sheryl Swoopes (basketball) and Mia Hamm (soccer) were two of the prominent female athletes during this decade. However, through all this, mainstream US sports never lost their appeal. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire created new interest in baseball, while Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olujawon tore up the NBA. Football saw the rise of the Dallas Cowboys, and hockey had one of its greatest players ever in Wayne Gretzky. Overall, sports saw a big increase in interest in this decade.
"The Way We Lived"
The greatest change to the life of the common American in the 1990’s was the internet. The World Wide Web revolutionized availability and accessibility of information in a way stronger than that of any other since the automobile. For the first time ever, information could be stored, shared, given, and accessed instantaneously through out the world. People were able to do business work at home, communicate in the form of e-mails, and unlock a huge range of possibilities that derive from this instant communication. “Soon people were shopping, chatting, falling in love, learning, and wasting time over the internet- all at ever-increasing speeds” (1990’s: The Way We Lived).
This flood of information availability redefined how people accessed the news, gossip, and weather. Styles and fashion spread faster than ever before, as did the stories and rumors associated with them. Advertising also became easy and less costly than ever before, and crazes soon became larger, faster, and more intent. Drugs such as Prozac, for depression, and Viagra, for male impotence, not only became popular but also used by people not suffering from prescribed symptoms, and their use was largely covered by the media (1990’s: The Way We Lived). Inevitably, the easy information created a powerful, albeit often disputed, change for the advancement of American economy, sociability, and even political gains.
President, Governor, Politician, Attorney General of Arkansas
Interests/Hobbies:
Wanted to be a saxaphonist or a doctor
Orator
Education:
Georgetown University
Oxford University
Yale University
Friends:
George Bush
James McDougal
Mary Mahony
Vince Foster
Ron Brown
Paul Tulley
Ed Willey
Sports:
Collecting coins
Collecting saxophones, both miniature and real size
Playing jazz music
Trailer to Biographic Film:
During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (at home) included:
Political
1993 World Trade Center car bombing
Elián González affair
Republican control of Congress
Social
Monica Lewinsky scandal
Homosexual US soldiers
Health care reforms
Economic
Proposed tax cuts by Republicans
Republican opposition of the federal budget
During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (abroad) included:
Political
Bosnian Civil War
Rwandan genocide
North Korea's breaking of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
Social
Terrorism
Drug smuggling from Latin America
Troubled relations with Cuba
Economic
Near collapse of the Mexican economy
Haiti's new economy drives country into chaos
Looking back at my presidential career, I had to wear several "hats." Wearing these different "hats," these were my most significant achievements and failures:
Commander-in-Chief
- deployed US troops to Somalia
- failed to take action in wake of Rwandan genocide
Chief Diplomat
-acted as arbitrator in Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Ceremonial Head of State
- appeared as the face of the US
- spoke in many remote countries promoting democracy
Manager of the Economy
- led the US to one of the most successful economic periods in history
Party Leader
- often considered a "New Democrat"
- centrist policies helped the Democrats win their first reelection since the 1940s
Favorite Quote About Me:
"He's going around the country ... basically thanking himself for being our president."
—MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Clinton's farewell tour
Positive Political Cartoon
Negative Political Cartoon
Final Analysis
William J. Clinton’s presidency was, overall, successful. He managed to correct many of the mistakes of his predecessors, as well as succeed in his own endeavors. Though he made mistakes, he was able to learn from them and this influenced his later decisions. Throughout his term, he promoted the ideals of democracy. In this way, Bill Clinton changed post-WWII America by emphasizing the good in capitalism and the concept of a democratic republic.
Clinton’s economic policies were controversial at first, but soon gained popularity. His initial budget plan was immediately opposed by Republican Congress, and was only passed with the vote of Vice-President Al Gore. Eventually, his plan was successful, and the federal government recorded a budget surplus throughout his presidency. During the Clinton presidency, homeownership rate reached its highest ever, as did median family income. Inflation dropped, as did unemployment, along with poverty levels. These highly successful endeavors conducted by the Clinton administration illustrated the smart decisions that capitalism allows a leader to make.
Clinton also handled domestic and foreign affairs well. He was successful in bringing together the Israeli Prime Minister and the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, something that had never before happened. He also succeeded in calming the panic caused by two terrorist attacks within US borders. When the Mexican economy almost fell, Clinton revised a plan to help the peso regain value, and was successful in doing so. Perhaps his only failures were the non-intervention in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and his inability to capture Osama Bin Laden. Despite these unfortunate moments, Clinton’s presidency was still successful in managing social and political affairs, and displayed the benefits of the democratic system to former Soviet republics.
Clinton’s presidency embodied all that was good in America. His successful handling of world affairs gained him a reputation as one of America’s most popular presidents. Through his successes and failures, he persevered, leading America and the world to a better time. Bill Clinton will always be remembered as a man who changed the world.
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