Bill Clinton


Bill Clinton became the 42nd president of the United States in 1993.

Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas, on August 19, 1946. His father died before he was born. His stepfather, Roger Clinton, adopted him.

After graduating from university, Clinton won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, England. He then studied law at Yale and graduated in 1973. In 1975, he married Hillary Rodham, another Yale Law graduate. They have a daughter, Chelsea.

Clinton is a Democrat. He was elected attorney general of Arkansas in 1976 and then governor of Arkansas in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1990. In 1991, he decided to run for president. He worked hard and surprised many people when he won the 1992 presidential election.

After Clinton became president in 1993, the American economy got better. He worked with his Republican opponents to balance the U.S. budget. He dropped some of his election promises, such as health care for all Americans. He worked for peace in places like Northern Ireland and the Middle East.

The American people were happy with Clinton, and in 1996, they reelected him as their president. There were many serious world problems for him to solve. But his personal life became his biggest problem. In 1998, a woman from Arkansas charged Clinton with sexual harassment. Then he was accused of lying about his friendship with a young woman who worked in the White House.

In December 1998, the House of Representatives charged him with lying and then trying to cover up his lies. But the Senate found him not guilty.

Even though the Senate found him not guilty, Clinton said he did lie and he was sorry for doing it. He continued to be president until 2001, and many Americans still supported him. Others thought he had behaved very badly.

In November 2000, Clinton’s wife, Hillary, became a U.S. senator. Today, Clinton lives with her in New York. He has written his memoirs and now appears on political shows on TV, and travels the world making speeches.

 

Reading Warm Up Questions:

  1. How many presidents has the United States had?
  2. Do you know when Bill Clinton was president of the United States?
  3. Have you heard of the scandal involving Bill Clinton?