His birth name was William Jefferson Blythe IV, born AUGUST 19, 1946.
At age 15, he took his stepfather's name Clinton.
A graduate of Georgetown University, he was a Fulbright Scholar before becoming Governor of Arkansas.
In
a three way Presidential race, populist Ross Perot pulled votes from
incumbent George H.W. Bush, allowing Bill Clinton to be elected the 42nd
U.S. President in 1992.
The 3rd youngest President, he became
the 2nd president to be impeached by the U.S. House, charged in 1998
with perjury and obstruction of justice.
He
signed a Republican sponsored welfare reform bill in 1996 which helped
people get off of welfare, balance the Federal Budget for the first time
in nearly 30 years, and gave the Federal Government an historic budget
surplus.
In 1997, President Clinton signed into effect the
Taxpayer Relief Act which included the largest capital gains tax cut in
U.S. history and stimulated economic growth.
Speaking of his years growing up, Bill Clinton addressed the National Prayer Breakfast, February 4, 1993:
"The
first time I ever saw Billy Graham...he came in the 1950's, in the heat
of all our racial trouble, to Arkansas to have a crusade. And the white
citizens council tried to get him, because of the tensions of the
moment, to agree to segregate his crusade...He said, 'If I have to do
that, I'm not coming.'
And I remember I got a Sunday school
teacher in my church-and I was about 11 years old-to take me 50 miles to
Little Rock so I could hear a man preach who was trying to live by what
he said.
And then I remember, for a good while thereafter,
trying to send a little bit of my allowance to the Billy Graham crusade
because of the impression he made on me."
President Bill Clinton, June 29, 1993, spoke regarding Independence Day:
"The
Declaration of Independence... delineated the very idea of America, that
individual rights are derived not from the generosity of the
government, but from the hand of the Almighty."
At an Interfaith Breakfast, President Bill Clinton remarked August 30, 1993:
"I
bought a book on vacation called 'The Culture of Disbelief' by Stephen
Carter, a professor...at the Yale Law School. He is himself a committed
Christian, very dedicated to the religious freedoms of all people of
faith, of any faith, in the United States.
And the subtitle of
the book is 'How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious
Devotion.' And I would urge you all to read it from whatever political
as well as religious spectrum you have...
Sometimes I think the
environment in which we operate is entirely too secular. The fact that
we have freedom of religion doesn't mean we need to try to have freedom
from religion.
It doesn't mean that those of us who have faith
shouldn't frankly admit that we are animated by the faith, that we try
to live by it, and that it does affect what we feel, what we think, and
what we do."
President Clinton stated in a Christmas radio address, December 25, 1993:
"Today
Christians celebrate God's love for humanity made real in the birth of
Christ in a manger almost 2,000 years ago. The humble circumstances of
His birth, the example of His life, the power of His teachings inspire
us to love and to care for our fellow men and women."
In his Hanukkah Message, Bill Clinton stated on December 20, 1997:
"The
coming year will mark the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel,
where the story of the first Hanukkah took place so many centuries ago...
From
the days of the ancient Maccabees down to our present time, tyrants
have sought to deny people the free expression of their faith and the
right to live according to their own conscience and convictions.
Hanukkah
symbolizes the heroic struggle of all who seek to defeat such
oppression and the miracles that come to those full of faith and
courage."
At James Madison High School, July 12, 1995, President Bill Clinton stated:
"The
First Amendment does not require students to leave their religion at
the schoolhouse door...It is especially important that parents feel
confident that their children can practice religion...
We need to make it easier and more acceptable for people to express and to celebrate their faith..."
Bill Clinton continued:
"If
students can wear T-shirts advertising sports teams, rock groups or
politicians, they can also wear T-shirts that promote
religion...Religion is too important to our history and our heritage for
us to keep it out of our schools...
Nothing in the First
Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones or
requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse
door..."
President Clinton concluded:
"Government's schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day."
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