318 a short history of the united states
fence built above the ground an equal amount would have to be con-
structed under it.”
Immigration from Asia also gained momentum in the 1980 s, and
Asians became not only a fast-growing minority but a prosperous one as
well. No longer satisfied with menial employment, they sought and
achieved better jobs through their reliance on education. Asian children
in school were among the brightest and most dedicated. As graduates
they entered the fields of science, medicine, business, and industry.
The fact that the population of the United States in the census of
2000 reached nearly 300 million and that it had grown by more than
30 million over the past ten years said something that was very signifi -
cant, in that the 30 million represented the largest population increase
for a ten-year period in the history of the United States.
Since the beginning of his administration, Clinton had endured
any number of investigations by Republicans into the operations of the
White House, including the travel office and the involvement of the
Clintons in the Whitewater land scheme in Arkansas. The obvious
purpose of these investigations was to fi nd sufficient cause to initiate
impeachment proceedings. Clinton’s sexual activities also came in for a
renewal of charges that began when he was governor of Arkansas. In
partic ular, Paula Jones, a former employee, claimed that she had suf-
fered sexual harassment. Worse, he was accused of inappropriate be-
havior toward a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, that had
allegedly occurred in the Oval Office, no less. The Attorney General,
Janet Reno, appointed Kenneth Starr to investigate the allegations, and
in testimony before a grand jury in January 1998 , the President swore
he had had no improper relations with Lewinsky, a denial he repeated
several more times to members of Congress, his cabinet, and others.
Nevertheless, the truth finally emerged. Continued revelations of in-
criminating evidence eventually forced Clinton to admit before a televi-
sion audience on August 15 , 1998 , that he had indeed carried on an
“inappropriate” affair with Lewinsky. But he went on to insist that he
had done nothing illegal. Certainly nothing impeachable. And a good
many people believed him. “I think the American people,” declared Re-
publican Senator Robert E. Bennett of Utah, “have come to the conclu-