Main political leaders.

17.3.1. President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) ushered in a more activist approach to governing. As president, he sought to accelerate economic growth by increasing government spending and cutting taxes, and he pressed for medical help for the elderly, aid for inner cities, and increased funds for education. Kennedy also stepped up American space exploration. After his death, the American space program surpassed Soviet achievements and culminated in the landing of American astronauts on the moon in July 1969.

17.3.2. President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) had been the little-known governor of Georgia, but after a remarkable rise to national prominence, he defeated Republican President Gerald R. Ford. Unlike every Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), he did not propose any new or sweeping solutions to social problems. Carter, unlike any of the other Democratic presidents in the XX century, did keep the United States out of any foreign wars, and he substantially increased the percentage of minorities and women in high-level bureaucratic and judicial positions. Opinion polls regularly showed that the public liked Carter as a person but lacked faith in his leadership abilities. Following his presidency, Carter remained active in public life and gained new respect as an effective peacemaker, acting as a mediator in several international conflicts. He also used his influence as a former president to call attention to economic and social problems in developing countries and to promote human rights and democracy. In 2002 Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his accomplishments in these areas.

17.3.3. President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) based his economic program on the theory of supply-side economics, which advocated reducing tax rates so people could keep more of what they earned. Reagan also undertook a campaign to reduce or eliminate government regulations affecting the consumer, the workplace, and the environment. At the same time, he feared that the United States had neglected its military in the wake of the Vietnam War, so he successfully pushed for big increases in defense spending.

17.3.4. President Bill Clinton (1993-2000) declared that the era of "big government" was over in America. He pushed to strengthen market forces in some sectors, working with Congress to open local telephone service to competition. He also joined Republicans to reduce welfare benefits. Still, although Clinton reduced the size of the federal work force, the government continued to play a crucial role in the nation's economy. Most of the major innovations of the New Deal, and a good many of the Great Society, remained in place. He appointed minorities and women to high-level positions. In March 1999 under his order NATO forces began bombing Serbia and Serbian targets in Kosovo, parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

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