The economic boom of the 1990s is covered from a number of angles by PBS's Frontline series. Bigger Than Enron investigates the system of business regulation and oversight that failed to curb the excesses of Enron and other companies. In Dot Con, the rise and sudden fall of the internet economy is examined. Films for the Humanities and Sciences offers Wall Street's Wild Ride, in which Ted Koppel discusses Wall Street volatility in the late 1990s. The same source has available Bill Moyer's discussion of money and politics, Money Talks. In its Talking with David Frost series, PBS Video offers Senator Robert Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (each one hour). The other end of the social structure is examined in Uneasy Neighbors (thirty-five minutes), In the Shadow of the Law (fifty-eight minutes), and Farmworkers' Diary (ten minutes). The first considers growing tension between residents of migrant worker camps and neighboring affluent homeowners in California; the second is a portrait of four families of illegal immigrants; the last is a day in the life of Chicano farmworkers. All are available from the University of California Extension Center for Media in Berkeley.

Before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Frontline produced In Search of Bin Laden, which traced the investigation of Bin Laden and his followers after the bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa. Another pre- 9/11 documentary is Iraq: Sanctions and Suffering, from Films for the Humanities and Sciences. The same source also produced In Time of War: Striking the Balance Between Freedom and Security, which looks at new policies and procedure in the aftermath of September 11, and 9/11 Through Saudi Eyes, which presents a cross-section of Saudis discussing their perception of events and issues surrounding September 11. Also on the topic of the war on terror is Frontline's Campaign Against Terror, a behind the scenes look at America and the world's response to September 11.The obstacles that African-Americans have faced over the years are the subject of Goin' to Chicago (seventy-one minutes), a chronicle of migration north in search of factory work, the changes in Chicago's South Side, and the drying up of economic opportunity with the closing of the mills and stockyards after World War II. Popular entertainment and media attitudes toward African-Americans are explored in Ethnic Notions (fifty-six minutes) and Color Adjustment (eighty-eight minutes). The former covers a period of about 150 years, and the latter takes the story of racial prejudice into the television age. Both films can be obtained from Resolution, Inc. of San Francisco or see the Educational Film & Video Locator.
Document Set 3332-1

Health Security for All Americans: Great ExpectationsClinton Impeachment:: A Roller Coaster Presidency

1. Hillary Rodham Clinton Justifies Health Care Reform, 1993Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr Reports His Findings (1998)
2. President William Jefferson Clinton Challenges Congress to Enact Reform, 1993President Clinton's State of the Union Address (1999)
3. The President's Health Security Plan, 1993Albert Hunt Assesses Public Opinion of President Clinton (2000)
4. The Press Helps Shape the Debate, 1993Ed Seigel Reviews Clinton as Television Personality (1998)
5. The Reform Consensus, 1993A Cartoonist Interprets the President's Actions
6. Religious Conservatives Define Health Care Reform, 1993
7. Bob Woodward Analyzes the Decision-Making Process, 1994Among the key issues of the Clinton presidential campaign of 1992, none was more significant than the looming health-care crisis, highlighted by a consistent 20 percent of Americans unable to secure medical coverage in the 1990s. Instructors seeking to emphasize social history and continuity in reform might depart from the first "focus question" in Chapter 33 to explore the role played by the health-care issue in Bill Clinton's election. Students will want to know why the world's most affluent society has not been capable of meeting the health-care needs of its people. The quest for an explanation will provide a provocative discussion topic for opening debate.The textbook asks students to consider whether Clinton was able to govern effectively despite the impeachment charges against him. Students sometimes have a very black and white sense of right and wrong, and the instructor might want to ask students to consider the details of political and economic developments during the mid-1990s as a background to understanding Americans' continued high approval of Clinton in the midst of scandal. A useful tool could be to have the class together create a balance sheet, and place Clinton's successes on one side and his failures on the other. Use this to decide if Clinton was overall an effective president or not. Students also often look for yes or no answers to questions, so encourage them to see that there may be ways in which Clinton was effective, and ways in which he was not. One way to deepen this discourse would be to ask students to rely on personal knowledge as they approach the documents. With the increase of nontraditional students in the modern classroom, discussions have been enriched by the wealth of human experience now available, on which we may build meaningful historical analysis. By tapping into students' own family experiences, learning is made relevant, and the text is brought to life. This line of inquiry should lead naturally into an exploration of the reasons why the nation's social safety net has been shredded during the past generation. Classes will be led easily into discussion of modern attitudes toward the breadth and depth of the American social welfare state.The Clinton impeachment crisis is indicative of a number of changes in the American presidency and how presidents are perceived and treated by the American public. Students may well be aware of the indiscretions and misstatements made by past presidents. Have them review some dubious presidential actions and consider what changed in the past 50 years to make the impeachment trial possible. Presidents Kennedy and Nixon naturally spring to mind, but there are others. This could also be a good way, as you near the end of the course, to help students see Clinton in the light of long-term trends in U.S. history.As students dissect the documents, their search for an explanation of the welfare state's inadequacies may well lead to the identification of "villains," in the words of Bob Woodward. To assist students in their analysis, instructors might employ role-playing technique to highlight competing positions on health-care reform. Students (or student groups) may be asked to use the documents and their own research to develop presentations or debating positions from the standpoints of physicians, insurance industry executives, drug companies, hospital administrators, social services workers, and consumers. The result should be rewarding discussion of the very serious impediments to sweeping reform of the nation's health-care delivery system.The role of the media, particularly television, has been critical in American politics in the second half of the twentieth century. Your students have grown up watching a good deal of television, but often not with a critical eye to the messages they are being sent. Just as instructors are teaching students to use critical thinking skills to examine documents, students can also be encouraged to apply those skills to other sources as well. Ed Seigal's review of Clinton's television performance could be a useful way to begin a discussion of Clinton's media skills. Ask students to consider whether Clinton's handling of the media is part of what made him a skilled politician. Does a leader need media skills in order to effectively govern? Finally, faculty interested in women's history may wish to focus on the crucial role played by Hillary Rodham Clinton in the development of the administration's health-care reform program. The First Lady's contribution to the debate raises numerous questions for analysis. Students might be asked to explore the role of the First Lady in historical context, as essential background for discussion of the divisive argument over Mrs. Clinton's direction of the health-care reform task force. Students could develop positions in favor of or against the activist role she assumed. By examining the public reaction to Hillary Rodham Clinton's high profile, of which the health-care effort was a part, students can develop a more sophisticated understanding of modern gender relations as well as the place of women in American society as the century comes to an end.Students need also to consider how Clinton may have tried to distract attention from the impeachment scandal. Ask students to consider the timing of the U.S. bombing of suspected chemical weapons facilities and the build-up of forces in the Persian Gulf over Iraq's expulsion of U.N. weapons inspectors.In putting also of these factors together, ask students if Clinton was an effective leader, a good spin doctor, or merely lucky in the timing of economic prosperity. A five-minute freewriting exercise based on this question at the end of discussion would let students summarize their ideas about Clinton.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 3332-1


Joseph A. Califano, JrLauren Berlant and Lisa Duggan, eds. Radical Surgery: What's Next for America's Health CarOur Monica,Ourselves: The Clinton Affair and the National Intereste (19942002).

Erik Ekholm, edLeonard V. Kaplan and Beverly I. Morgan, eds. Solving America's Health Care CrisisAftermath: The Clinton Impeachment and the Presidency in the Age of Political Spectacle (19942001).

Irwin Morris, Votes, Money and the Clinton Impeachment (2002)

Richard Posner. An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton (1999).

Robert H. Frank and Philip J. CookMark J. Rozell and Clyde Wilcox, eds. The Winner Take All SocietyThe Clinton Scandal and the Future of American Government (19952000).

Jacob S. HackerSteven S. Schier, ed. The Road to Nowhere: The Genesis of Bill Clinton's Plan for Health SecurityThe Postmodern Presidency: Bill Clinton's Legacy in U.S. Politics (19972000).

Haynes Johnson and David Broder. The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point (1996).

Roger MorrisJeffrey Toobin. Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their AmericaA Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President (19961999).

Richard Reeves. Running in Place: How Bill Clinton Disappointed America (1996).

Paul Starr. The Logic of Health Care Reform (1992).

Bob Woodward. The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House (1994).
Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 3332-1


Can't Afford to Grow Old (videotape--55 min.). Filmmaker's Library, 124 E. 40th Street, New York, N.Y. 10016.

The Great Health Care Debate, with Bill Moyers (videotape--56 min.). University Film and Video, Continuing Education, University of Minnesota, 1313 Fifth Street, Suite 108, Minneapolis, Minn. 55414.

The High Price of HealthThe Clinton Years (videotape--60 120 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.

The Politics of MedicineSecrets of an Independent Counsel (videotape--60 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.
Document Set 3332-2

The Revolution of 1994: Realignment or Readjustment?The War on Terror: Beyond the September 11 Attacks

1. The Republican Contract with America, 1994Bush Addresses a Joint Session of Congress (2001)
2. Conservative Christians Influence the Electoral Outcome, 1994Tony Blair Offers British Support to the U.S. (2001)
3. A Skeptical View of the Contract, 1995Arundhati Roy Criticizes U.S. Actions (2001)
4. The Revolution That Wasn't, 1998Robert Baron Considers the Political Situation in Afghanistan (2002)
5. The Nation Detects the Demise of the Conservative Revolution, 1998A Television Interview Shows Two Different Views on U.S. Policy (2002)The textbook emphasizes the lack of vision demonstrated by many Democrats in the 1990s, as well as the Republicans' single-minded pursuit of a moral agenda within a framework of economic conservatism. Against this backdrop, the story of American social and political life at century's end concludes on a note of uncertainty. Instructors might wish to open discussion by exploring the textbook's focus question on the social and cultural trends of the 1990s most likely to shape the future course of American history. This document set offers an opportunity to employ primary sources in an examination of American ambivalence and shifting party preferences in the tumultuous Clinton eraTeaching recent events to which both students and instructor may have an emotional connection can be challenging. However, it does provide an opportunity for students to discuss the historian's need to balance the goal of objective analysis with an acknowledgement of personal and moral concerns. By focusing on events after September 11, 2001, the text and the readings push students to consider what an effective and appropriate national response to terrorism should be..The evidence provided should enable students to look behind voter choices and explore the American public's deeply conflicted attitude toward government after sixty years of the welfare state. Students might be asked to research the impact of federal spending on their families and communities, with emphasis on the development of a definition of the term, welfare. These documents will encourage students to think critically about the function of government and the issue of governmental responsibility for the social and economic well-being of citizens.In considering the U.S. response to the terror attacks, instructors can encourage students to discuss the long-term goals of American foreign policy. Ask students what factors have historically influenced U.S. actions abroad. Humanitarian motives, protection and development of trade, and strategic military concerns have all driven American foreign policy at one time or another. Have students discuss what issues are relevant to the current international situation. Instructors may also ignite intense debate by asking students to comment on the wisdom of cuts in government spending. Before long, this discourse is likely to produce sharp disagreement over whose welfare is expendable in America. Skilled instructors will convert this discussion into a group reassessment of the New Deal-Fair Deal-Great Society concept of community and social responsibility. By subjecting the documents to close critical analysis within this deep historical context, students will be forced to revisit the issue of "how much government is enough."The way America is perceived by other nations is important to assessing the response to terror, and students are often unaware of the lingering resentments caused by past U.S. actions, or the complexities that develop when a traditional society comes into conflict with a modern one. A discussion of why terrorists have targeted the U.S. would be useful to students. Also have students consider the role of allies in U.S. foreign policy. The textbook characterizes Bush's foreign policy as a "go-it-alone" stance. A lively debate over the appropriateness of unilateral versus multilateral action may ensue.Further examination of modern conservatism's socioeconomic base will also shed light on the roots of the erstwhile "revolution of 1994," as well as its long-term prospects. One important dimension of this discussion might be a debate over the relative significance of cultural and economic considerations as the driving forces behind the political success of Republicans in 1994. Another subject for a structured debate would be the Republican and Democratic positions in either the 1994 or 1998 election.Debate within the U.S. over foreign policy has also been intense. Ask students to consider why. The debate between Scott Ritter and Gary Schmitt can be useful here, as a way to introduce the issues at stake. Is "regime change" an appropriate use of U.S. power? What is the responsibility of the administration to explain its actions to the American public? Do partisan loyalties play too large a role in foreign policy considerations? These are controversial questions and encourage students to think seriously and deeply about America's role in the world. If analysis of the 1998 result is attempted, instructors may want to link character issues, the impeachment controversy, and the matter of moral concerns as factors in recent political discourse. These documents reveal both nostalgia for traditional values and open dislike for government as important factors in the rise of militant conservatism. Yet careful analysis will also reveal the many meanings read into the stalled revolution by both progressive observers and detached scholars. Finally, this document set is designed to launch provocative discussion of prospects for twenty-first century American political life. Spirited discussion of the Clinton era's long-term legacy is certain to develop from an analysis of the Republican surge in the 1990s.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 3332-2


Don Balz and Ronald BrownsteinFred Halliday. Storming the Gates: Protest Politics and the Republican RevivalTwo Hours that Shook the World: September 11, 2001: Causes and Consequences (19962001).

E. J. DionneChalmers Johnson. They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate the Next Political EraBlowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (19962001).

Elizabeth DrewAnthony Lake. Showdown: The Struggle between the Gingrich Congress and the Clinton White HouseSix Nightmares: Real Threats in a Dangerous World and How America Can Meet Them (19962001).

David FrumPaul Pillar. Dead RightTerrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (19942001).

Stanley Greenberg and Theda Skocpol, eds. The New Majority: Toward a Popular Progressive Politics (1997).

David Maraniss and Michael WeisskopfPeter Trubowitz. "Tell Newt to Shut Up!"Defining the National Interest: Conflict and Change in American Foreign Policy (19961998).

William Martin. With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America (1996).

James B. Stuart. Blood Sport: The President and His Adversaries (1996).

Michael Tomasky. Left for Dead: The Life, Death, and Possible Resurrection of Progressive Politics in America (1996).

Ben J. Wattenberg. Values Matter Most: How Republicans, Democrats, or a Third Party Can Win and Renew the American Way of Life (1995).
Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 33-2


Can the States Do It Better? (videotape--56 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.9/11 Through Saudi Eyes (videotape--54 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

The ConservativesIn Time of War: Striking the Balance Between Freedom and Security (videotape--80 23 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

The Elected: The Presidency and CongressCampaign Against Terror (videotape--60 120 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.

The President vs the PressIraq: Sanctions and Suffering (videotape--45 22 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

The Religious RightIn Search of Bin Laden (videotape--60 60 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.