The Bush Administration

The remarkable reduction in cold war tensions, combined with the promise of continued prosperity with no increase in taxes, carried Republicans George Bush and Dan Quayle to victory over Democratic candidates Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Lacking his predecessor's strong personal following and facing a Democratic-controlled Congress, Bush sought to govern in a more moderate, middle-of-the-road way than Reagan. The rapid demise of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989-90 and upheaval in the USSR in 1991 provided him with an opportunity to lessen international tensions and to reclaim the primacy of the United States in world affairs. Bush intervened militarily in Panama in 1989 to overthrow its president, Manuel Noriega. In mid-1990, responding to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait, he ordered more than 400,000 American troops to the Persian Gulf region to defend Saudi Arabia. When Iraqi troops refused to withdraw from Kuwait in January 1991, demanded by Bush in an ultimatum, he authorized a massive bombing, and then ground assault, on Iraq and its forces in Kuwait, and won a swift victory.

Decisive in acting abroad, Bush failed to evolve a domestic program that addressed a persistent recession starting in 1990. That year, despite the recession, he and congressional leaders agreed to a deficit-reduction package that raised federal taxes, thereby breaking his "no new taxes" 1988 campaign pledge. He also failed on his promise to be both "the environment president" and "the education president" and angered many women by naming Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court and continuing to support him despite allegations of sexual harassment. Concerned about the economy and demanding change, many conservatives backed columnist Pat Buchanan's challenge to Bush's renomination while moderates rallied to the independent H. Ross Perot. Also focusing on the nation's economic woes and promising change, Bill Clinton, governor of Arkansas, beat several rivals in the Democratic primaries and chose as his running mate Tennessee senator Al Gore. Capitalizing on a slumping economy, the Clinton-Gore ticket won 43% of the highest voter turnout (55%) since 1976 and 370 electoral votes.

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  	Rosa Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This picture book tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed. $16.95 books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 4-8

  
  Rosa
  Ages 4-8 $16.95
  
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  March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Dr. Christine King Farris and London Ladd 2009 Andrew Carnegie Medal Winner From Dr. Martin Luther King's sister, the definitive tribute to the man, the march, and the speech that changed a nation. On a hot August day in 1963, hundreds of thousands of people made history when they marched into Washington, D.C., in search of equality. Martin Luther King, Jr., the younger brother of Christine King Farris, was one of them. Martin was scheduled to speak to the crowds of people on that day. But before he could stand up and inspire a nation, he had to get down to business. He first had to figure out what to say and how to say it. So he spent all night working on his "I Have a Dream" speech, one that would underscore a landmark moment in civil rights history -- the Great March on Washington. This would be one of the first events televised all over the globe. The world would be listening, as one of the greatest orators of our time shared his vision for a new day. From the sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., comes this moving account of what that day was like for her, and for the man who inspired a crowd -- and convinced a nation to let freedom ring. London Ladd's beautiful full-color illustrations bring to life the thousands of people from all over the country who came to the nation's capital. They sing, they join hands, they march, and they listen as speaker after speaker inspires social change, culminating in Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. $14.39 You save: 20% books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 9-12

  
  March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World
  Ages 9-12 $14.39
  

A Conflict in Black and White
Brief history of the civil rights movement in America from 1955 to 1968.

African-American History Web Resources
This guide to links outside of Scholastic covers important topics such as school integration, the NAACP, Emancipation, and the Freedman's Bureau.

Emigrate To Africa? A 1920s Debate
Should African-Americans emigrate to Africa? Two influential leaders of the 1920s had different point of view.