1. Richard Nixon (Highs) Served in the U.S. Navy during WWII Elected to the House of Representatives (1946) and later the Senate (1950) Became Vice President under Eisenhower in 1952  Truecrimeinc Evaluate the success of 1960s era presidents’ foreign and domestic policies (SS.912.A.7.4)

2. Richard Nixon (Lows) Lost presidential election to Kennedy in 1960 Career low – lost race for Governor of CA

3. 1968 Election Narrowly defeated Hubert Humphrey to win the Presidency Called himself the spokesperson for the “Silent Majority” Believed America was tired of “big” government Wanted to address social ills like crime & pollution

4. Government Expansion “New Federalism” Retuned power and money to the States Sponsored many new federal programs OSHA DEA EPA Tried to establish the Family Assistance Program (FAP) which would provide a guaranteed income to every American family Medicare and Public Housing grew steadily during his presidency

5. Struggling Economy Troublesome economy began during Johnson’s presidency and grew worse during Nixon’s years in office New term stagflation was coined to describe the combination of recession and inflation

6. Stagflation (Causes) Expanding budget deficit due to the Vietnam War (inflation) Rising foreign competition cost thousands of Americans to lose jobs (auto industry) Rapid increase in the price of oil

7. OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Group of mostly Arab countries that sells oil to other nations and cooperates to regulate the price and supply of oil Evaluate the success of 1960s era presidents’ foreign and domestic policies (SS.912.A.7.4)

8. OPEC (Cont.) Why was the cost of oil rising for Americans? During the 1973 Arab war against Israel OPEC placed an embargo (ban) on Israel’s allies Including the United States The ban lasted until Spring 1974 and gas prices still remained high Odd/Even Days

9. “Southern Strategy” Nixon set out to win over the blue-collar workers and the Southern whites (both traditionally Democrats) Hoped to make the Republican party strong in the South

10. “Southern Strategy” Nominated Conservative Southerners to serve as judges on Supreme Court (failed Senate confirmation b/c they supported segregation in the past) Froze court-ordered busing of Children in the South Busing was protested by mostly Southern whites and blue-collar workers

11. New Civil Rights Initiatives Mixed stance on issue Philadelphia Plan – required labor unions and federal contractors to submit goals and timelines for hiring minorities Affirmative action – a policy that gives special consideration to women and minorities for education and jobs

12. 1972 Election Nixon’s 2 nd term High approval ratings Some popularity based on trips to China and Soviet Union Ran as a moderate against McGovern (antiwar senator) & Wallace (extremist)* Won 61% of popular vote and was 1 st Republican to sweep the South

13. Watergate Scandal The botched burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate Complex (June 1972) received little attention Investigators began to unravel connections between the burglars and the White House Watergate began to dominate the national news

14. Burglars Tried (1973) One of them, James McCord claimed that administration officials had been involved Led to a Senate Investigation and televised hearings Numerous witnesses stated that the President and his top aides had taken part in a cover-up Nixon denied wrongdoing

15. Washington Post Journalists Bob Woodward Carl Bernstein Crucial role in unveiling cover-up 2 reporters followed tips provided by a secret government informant known as “Deep Throat” He was later revealed to be a top official of the FBI Woodward and Bernstein reported that the burglars had close ties to Nixon’s reelection committee

16. “I am not a crook.”

17. The Public’s View The public disagreed with Nixon’s statement Poll – taken one month after Nixon’s denial of involvement showed that less than 1 in 5 Americans believed the President  About Evaluate the success of 1960s era presidents’ foreign and domestic policies (SS.912.A.7.4)

18. New Developments Fall 1973 Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned Unrelated corruption scandal

19. 25 th Amendment Presidential succession Nixon nominated Gerald Ford as new Vice President

20. Nixon’s Troubles Multiply Summer 1973 It was revealed the Nixon had been secretly taping his Oval Office conversations Speculations that these tapes would confirm that he played a leading role in the cover-up

21. Executive Privilege Nixon refused to turn tapes over to prosecutor Justified this by claiming executive privilege Almost 1 year later, in the case of United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn the tapes over

22. The Tapes Investigators noticed crucial parts were missing from the conversations Nixon claimed his secretary had accidentally erased them Still, proved enough evidence to prove Nixon’s involvement Could now vote on impeaching the President

23. Impeachment Process February 6, 1974 -- the House of Representatives approved giving the Judiciary Committee authority to investigate impeachment of the President July 27, 1974 -- The House Judiciary Committee voted (27-11) 1st article: obstruction of justice 2 nd article: abuse of power 3 rd article: contempt of Congress Articles were passed on July 29, 1974 & July 30, 1974

24. Nixon Resigns He saw that the full House of Rep. would vote in favor of impeachment On Aug. 8, 1974, Nixon informed the Nation that he would resign the following day. 1 st U.S. President to resign

25. Further Investigations Revealed Nixon had committed further abuses of power His re-election team had engaged in dirty tricks to secure re-election Had developed an “enemies list” Used federal agencies to go after “enemies” Ordered FBI to place wiretaps on phones of government employees and reporters suspected of leaking information deemed harmful to his administration

26. Watergate’s Lasting Impact Reputation of the United States President was scarred The public’s confidence in the government was also damaged Polls revealed that approval of government fell from 80% to 33% after Nixon’s resignation

27. New Reforms Post-Watergate Government Reforms Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments (1974) Set limits on campaign contributions, provided partial federal funding for presidential campaigns, created the Federal Election Commission to enforce these laws Freedom of Information Act Amendments (1974) Penalized government officials who withheld documents illegally Government in the Sunshine Act (1976)Opened meetings of many government agencies to the public. Ethics in Government Act of 1978Required financial disclosure forms from public officials, restricted government officials’ ability to lobby, created the office of special prosecutor Congress enacted reforms reestablish the public’s confidence in government and to prevent future abuses of power

28. Strength of the Nation The Watergate affair demonstrated that we could endure a crisis Showed the strength of our checks and balances system Demonstrated that no one, not even our president, was above the law.