Katie Glover

Rosa Drake

Matt McCord

Quintin Sellers

 

The 1990s  

 

MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?

 

 

Business & the Economy

The 1990's were the beginning of the success of the World Wide Web, or as many call it, the Internet. The internet allowed commerce to take place across the street, across the country, or even across the world, without having to leave the comfort of your home. Because of this many small "dot com" companies started in order to sell their products to the various users surfing the web.  The areas of Silicon Valley, and Silicon Alley were the places where the largest effects of the "dot com" companies were felt. Additionally, Microsoft had booming success due to the fact that they were the company that created the majority of the operating systems that companies used to conduct business online. 

 

Education  

During the 1990s, the major concern for parents was the protection of their children during school. According to The USL American Decades Novel, there were many incident reports including in-school shootings and the death of many teachers. Numerous schools installed metal detectors, 24-hour surveillance cameras, police patrol to be present at all times, and random locker searches during the school year. This not only insured safety, but also created a more reliable and caring learning environment. 

 

This is also the time test scores started to fall increasingly. At best, most students were below average in common categories such as math, science and language arts. Teachers, parents, and government officials demanded higher test scores to show improvement and overall learning by the students.

The Smart Board, used in the International Academy West every single day, was a product of 1990’s education. Johndan Johnson-Eilola invented the Smart Board in 1991. His plan was to have a portable, combination touch screen and white board with which could use and engage.
         

Many tools put into play in the 1990s are still a main part of education today. Countless individuals in the United States do not know about the fantastic use of The Smart Board in class rooms. Students seek safety; with the protection most schools have today, students and their parents feel like they are in a safe and caring community.

 

Fashion

In the 1990's two largely popular hair trends of previous decades "split ends". The mullet died off, and bleach blonde stayed strong. As we see in the world of music, stars like Britney Spears, and some of the Backstreet Boys bleach their hair entirely, or streak it blonde. This trend is still prevalent. Also, in response to popular TV Shows, such as Friends, or movies, such as Romeo and Juliet, we start to see a lot more men and women adopting the short "feathered" or "layered" hairstyle with bangs, as seen below. Meg Ryan is the perfect example of this trend. In clothing, neon was still being played up from the '80's in the early 1990's, and in response to the grunge style the look remained unkempt and "androgynous"- or for both sexes. Bellybutton-piercings and midriff style shirts became popular for women, and briefly for men. Also in early 1990's, leggings began to outsell jeans in the United States. Then in the mid-to-late 1990's we saw the most change. In 1996 Punk, as in piercings, spikes and studs, black coloring with pops of neon, and skater shoes, became widely spread, only to be shortly followed by the still-popular Prep style in 1997. Prep, introduced majorly by Tommy Hilfiger, brought on a new craze in pastel colors, sweater vests, polos, argyle, capris, and khakis- yet still very androgynous. At the end of the decade hip-hop made a stand with hooded sweatshirts, tracksuits, baggy jeans, gold jewelry, and the androgynous corn-row hairstyle was worn by many famous African American hip-hop artists. In 1994, Snoop Dogg even wore a Tommy Hilfiger shirt on a comedy show, making Tommy Hilfiger even more popular.

 

        Meg Ryan      Britney w/ piercings and cut off top           Prep Style                            Snoop Dogg- 1998         HipHop Stars wear Prep Designs

                                                                                                                                                                              (Tommy Hilfiger above)

 

Film & Theater

The 1990’s was a great decade full of historical movies and stage shows. First in theater, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Musical-winning show with the controversial characters and plot, RENT, came to Broadway in ’96. The following year Disney produced two popular animated movies into stage shows. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King both took to Broadway. Also in ’97, Ragtime came to Broadway. Revivals, as in every other decade, were brought back to the stage. But particularly in this time period Cats and Les Miserables became extremely popular on stage, and less on film.

 

In movies, the 1990’s were full of epic award-winners. In 1993, the first of the Jurassic Park movies was released, which among other awards won 3 Oscars. In ’94 Disney came out with The Lion King followed by Toy Story in ’95. In 1996 the sci-fi movie featuring Will Smith called Independence Day came to cinemas, winning an Oscar and several Science Fiction Awards for its astounding special effects. Following in ’97, the timeless and captivating 11-time Oscar winner, Titanic, came to theaters. Then in 1999, not only did the 3- time Oscar winner Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace come out, but so did the multiple-Film-Festival frontrunner The Blair Witch Project.

 

For a slideshow of these movies and behind-the-scenes shots follow the link below.

 

http://animoto.com/play/RGbOUTZcfSUlr1GoPwn2KQ

 

Food & Drink

The top foods and drinks of each year during the 1990s, according to Lynne Olver (the writer of "The Food Timeline") are:

[1990] Campbell’s Cream of Broccoli soup

[1991] McDonald’s McLean Deluxe (low-fat burger), Crisco Sticks, Colombo Classic (yogurt), Home-style entrees (Stouffers, frozen), Prego Pizza sauce (Campbell's), Life Savers Holes
[1992] AriZona bottled iced teas introduced, Charlie's Lunch Kit (Starkist)
[1993] Boca Burger (soy burger product), Snackwell brand (low fat cookies),Promise Ultra (Lever Brothers), Hershey's Hugs
[1994] Fruitopia (bottled fruit beverage, Healthy Choice (Kellogg's, breakfast cereal line)
[1995] Blue Bell introduces the nation's first full line of bite-size mini-frozen snacks, from fruit ices to chocolate-dipped cones, DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza, Turkey bacon (Louis Rich)
[1996] Lay's Baked Potato Crisps, Dunkin' Doughnuts begins making bagels, Stuffed crust pizza (Pizza Hut)
[1997] V8 Splash (beverage)
[1998] Frozen Skillet Sensations, friable entree combinations, fat-free Pringles & Frito-Lay Wow! Potato chips with Olean, Cappuccino Coolers (Kraft)
[1999] Pillsbury's OneStep Brownie (already packaged in the cooking pan)

 

The interesting fact is most Americans still use these products today. Lay's chips are always found at the local gas station or CVS; Life Savers can be found in most American’s pockets; even fat-free Pringles are in most school lunches! These foods and drinks help shape our nation in lots of ways. The quick, easy access helps students like us become more efficient and the finger foods help us have a small, but appetizing snack. Overall, the foods in the 1990s will influence foods in other generations for years to come.

 

Print Culture

Prior to the 1990s, Americans received their news and information primarily from print sources, such as magazines and newspapers. The newspaper industry dominated the world news market. However, with the advent of the Internet and multi-channel television, a revolution took place in print culture.

 

Books were gradually converted into audio: the book-on-tape became immensely popular during this period. However, printed books still remained the dominant source of literature.

 

The newspaper industry felt a rapid decline with the advent of the Internet. The Internet saw added convenience to the end user, and the newspapers declined, already suffering from the advent of dedicated television news channels. Circulation numbers fell drastically. This turn of events saw the merging of several major newspapers, the takeover of small news papers, the closure of failing newspapers, and the expansion of media empires. Such instances include the 1987 Detroit News/Free Press combining management departments to form the Detroit Media Partnership, as well as the heavy acquisitions by Gannett and Murdoch's News Corporation.

 

Sports & Games

The 1990's were a time of drastic change in the world of sports and games. Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships, all while pioneering the sports industry buy accepting a sponsorship deal with Nike. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire held a season long home run competition to break the record for the most homeruns hit in a single season, eventually ending with Mark McGuire winning taking the record. The 90's were also the time that home video game consoles became popular. The long running competition between Nintendo and Sega was ended when the Nintendo 64 dominated sales, while the Sega Dreamcast failed miserably. However a new player was added to the game when Sony released the Sony Playstation, which included the first controller to have to analog joysticks on a single game pad. The 90's were also when games first made their successful transition into the realm of 3D. Games like Metal Gear Solid, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, led to the Playstations huge success. Whereas games like The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, and Super Smash Bros. lead the Nintendo 64 to becoming one of the most popular consoles of all time.

 

 

Music

The 1990's were considered the era of grunge rock by many within the music industry. Bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, and Nirvana dominated the air waves of the 90's. Songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit, considered to be the most popular song of the 90's, and Black Hole Sun gave the teenagers of the 90's a new way to fight the authority they had grown up with. The 90's were also the first time that techno music made its way into pop culture. Dj's like Fatboy Slim and Moby gave a face to the largely anonymous techno industry. Consequently this music gave rise to the popular rave party, which has continued until now. The 90's were also when Boy Bands first became popular. Groups like NSYNC and The Back Street Boys were the teen heart throbs for many teen girls of the 90's. Boy bands also popularized the use of unified dance moves to add a greater effect to their shows and music videos. Finally the 90's was when the ever popular Britney Spears first made her debut on the music scene with her album Hit Me Baby One More Time. 

 

 

Government & Politics

The 1990s had two presidents: President George H. W. Bush (R-TX) and President William J. Clinton (D-AR). The era saw President Bush, Sr. launch the Persian Gulf War and a Somali UN peacekeeping mission. The era also saw unrest in Rwanda, the fall of the Soviet Union, the Oklahoma City bombings, the impeachment and subsequent acquittal of President Clinton, and clashes of a nature of law and order involving race with the beating of Rodney King and trial of O.J. Simpson. The time also saw the action and fall of the Provisional IRA's militant activities.

 

The Persian Gulf War in 1991 was in response to the Iraqi invasion of the neighboring nation of Kuwait, a vital U.S. ally and a nation with an abundance of oil and strategic location. Saddam Hussein was the leader of Iraq at the time, and George Bush, Sr., was the President of the United States. The conflict officially began in 1990 and ended in 1991.

 

The Bush, Sr., administration found itself in crisis, leading to the rise of President Clinton in 1992.

 

He, too, saw military conflict abroad. The next military action was in Somalia, where the United Nations and United States involved themselves in the Somali Civil War. The results on American domestic and international standing were disastrous as pictures of American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu reached television screens.

 

This led to his reluctance to intervene in Rwanda, ending in over 800,000 dead in their genocide.

 

His regime would fall into deep crisis in the late 1990s, when impeachment proceedings were brought against him by the Congress over an alleged affair.

 

In 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics broke into the Russian Federation and several other states that were either assimilated or part of the U.S.S.R. at its conception. This occurred when Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under arrest by hardliner Soviets for attempting to dissolve the Union. Boris Yeltsin won the support of the people of Russia in the civil unrest that followed between the two sides of the Communist party.

 

 

Leadership

The 1990’s was the decade for new technology, new ideas and rising leaders. The list of presidents in the 1990s includes George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton. Of particular infamy was scandal of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, an unpaid summer intern who worked in the white house. Bill Clinton admitted, in the end, to having sexual relations with Monica during his time of presidency, as well as during the time of his marriage. At first he kept the news secret, but once the press found out about everything, his popularity and trustworthiness began to decline. Bill Clinton denied the relationship until he heard there was going to be a law suit that included a large sum of money to be paid by him if he did not confess. The link below shows a documentary on the entire subject. 

 

 

Another popular leader at the time of Bill Clinton was Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, in the highlight of his career, led the Chicago Bulls with a 33 to 35 point per game streak in the 1990s. He is extremely inspirational due to his story of believing in dreams and his hard work and determination toward achieving those dreams. When he was a sophomore at Laney High school, he was cut from his varsity basketball team. Instead of leaving the past behind, he started to practice more often, learn new skills and teach himself how to become a better basketball player. In his senior year at Laney, he led his varsity basketball team to the state championship. In 1991 he led the Bulls into their first of three consecutive NBA championships. 

Lastly, a main leader in the world of technology was Gunpei Yokoi. This man created the hand-held device all the ‘cool’ kids use today. The Game Boy was invented. In 1970, his first invention was "The Ultrahand" which sold 1.2 million units the first Christmas season at the modest price of $6. The Ultrahand was Nintendo's first toy; it was a toy arm on an extension that kids could use as an extendable claw. He left the company soon after his invention and was hired by Nintendo for his outstanding invention of the Game Boy in 1992.

These are only some of the leaders who influenced the world today by their behaviors, their stories and their incredible inventions.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-wKIsLQmy4

http://animoto.com/play/7UeLmFktg0mqZkwwGWBSSQ#

 

 

Law & Justice

The most notable cases of the decade were that of the beating of Rodney King, the trial of O.J. Simpson, and the impeachment of President Clinton. Each added an important chapter to American legal history.

 

First, the beating of Rodney King. 1993, Los Angeles. Rodney King was pursued by police for fleeing and eluding a routine speeding stop. Upon apprehension, King was brutally beaten by the officers. This resulted in a media shock wave and mass riots in the streets of Los Angeles. When order was finally restored, the impact of the incident would continue to reverberate for years. The primary issue was of race.

 

The first president to ever have impeachment proceedings brought against him was Pres. W. Clinton. The trial of a president was a first, despite it almost happening to Nixon, however Nixon resigned before these proceedings could take place. He was acquitted, but the scandal in which he was wrapped doused his credibility.

 

Religion

Many events in the 1990's had an effect on how religion was perceived. President Clinton, who was elected in 1993, made many immoral decisions during his presidency including but not limited to his various occurrences of sexual misconduct, which lead to his impeachment at the turn of the century. This relates to religion at the time because the way he lead the U.S. caused many people to reevaluate their beliefs. President Clinton was openly a member of a Southern Baptist Church yet did not abide by their increasingly conservative policies. Also, the lawful acceptance of abortions and homosexuality as well as other lifestyle decisions was said to have had similar effects on the U.S. population. Many Acts were struck down by Congress which would have altered the extent to which the government could regulate religious activity, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Religious Liberty Protection Act.

 

Some important Religious Events of the '90's include the Shooting at Columbine High School and racist hate groups using violence against people of other religious groups or sexual orientations. This could easily be defined as a time of great confusion in the United States. During this decade we see the continuation of racist groups committing violent acts to support their extremist ideals, the continued abortion debate, and immoral acts from political figures. The spiritual role models for the United States were struggling and so were the assumed 95% of the population that said they believed in God. Politics had been dealing with these same debates and ideas for decades previously, and we still hear of them a lot today.

 

Similarly in the news we saw a lot of controversy over priests performing same-sex marriages, such as Father James Callan, or radical political leaders or scholarly sexists/racists, such as Mary Daly and Henry J. Lyons, speaking their minds on religious-based concepts. Many people were sentenced to jail, or removed from their highly-regarded jobs, due to their advocacy of controversial religious matters. Many U.S. citizens were similarly reevaluating what they knew to be true, and what they would and would not support based on those beliefs.  

 

 

(Arguably) Positive Political Cartoon

 

 

 

Negative Political Cartoon

 

 

 

 

MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?

 

The world of sports and games drastically changed in the 90's and has drastically changed since WWII. Competitive sports have exploded on the national scale in the 90's especially due to the amazing home run race of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire. Video games entered the home on a 3d level in the 90's and games like Medal of Honor, and 007 Golden Eye reflect both the red scare and the horrors of WW2, all from the comfort of your couch. Music was drastically changed as well. Bands like Nirvana, and there infamous front man Curt Cobain, were celebrites during the 90's and were adored as such. The grunge movement gave a voice to the angst ridden teenagers of the 90's. While pop diva's and boy bands like NSYNC and Britney Spears gave everyone amazing songs to dance to. Finally the once nameless world of techno was given a mascot, with the arrival of Moby and Fatboy Slim.

 

Events such as the Shooting at Columbine High School and violence from racial/sexist groups reflect life in the US after WWII as well. Religious beliefs were tested after two boys were involved in the fourth-deadliest school killing in the United States, what's come to be known as the Columbine Shooting. Perceptions about firearms and the youth of America were put to the test. Next, violent racial and sexist hate crimes continued through the 1990's, although supporters of affirmative action become more prevalent with each passing year. These events represent life after WWII because we are still struggling with racial tension, but it has decreased extensively, and affirmative action is being sought.  It is apparent that the majority of the U.S. population is attempting to move forward and leave these small yet detrimental hate crime groups in the past.  

 

Business played an integral role in shaping the way America looks post-WWII. The creation of the internet and so called "dot com" companies has changed the way the world of business works, by allowing almost anyone to conduct business with almost anyone else. Finally Bill Gates and the explosion of Microsoft have shaped the way that most people view, and use the internet. This turned Bill Gates into a billionaire, and created one of the worlds most powerful companies. Part of the leadership roles after World War II changed dramatically and rapidly. Franklin D. Roosevelt allegedly had affairs with Lucy Mercer, Eleanor Roosevelt’s social secretary. Unlike the Clinton scandal, Roosevelt’s was extremely hidden between his wife, Lucy and himself. Media started to discover the relationship after FDR’s death, in 1945. Despite, that discovery FDR is regarded as one of the most influential leaders of his time. Unlike FDR, Clinton’s legacy will always be marred by his infidelity.  In summary, the popularity of leaders, post WWII, included more of their personal lives, instead of the rules they under took to serve our country.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

"Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union.." The American Presidency Project. 2009. University of

     California. Web. 17 Jun. 2009 .

 

"Europe Divided on Familiar Lines To Two Speeches." Prescott Evening Courier 54(1948): 6. Print.

 

Cooke, Jacob E. "Washington, George." Presidents: A Reference History. Ed. Henry F. Graff. 3^rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 1- 21. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Farmington Hills: Gale. Web. 30 Apr. 2008.