Bill Clinton: Farewell Address

Bill Clinton assumed the presidency in 1992 promising change and renewal to a recession-wracked nation just entering the post–cold war era. As the economy recovered while tensions in the former Soviet Union and elsewhere exploded into violence, Clinton sought to garner support for often controversial policy decisions through the message of positive change. In his Farewell Address, delivered eight years after taking office, the outgoing president recalls his administration’s achievements and looks to the future of the country, singling out the goals of fiscal responsibility, global security and social responsibility, and tolerance at home.