324444

Period 4
Richard Nixon
Though today Americas 37th president is mainly remembered for the Watergate scandal,
and for being the first man to resign the presidency, President Richard Nixons political career
goes far beyond all this.
After WWII, where Nixon served as a Navy Lieutenant Commander, he was elected to
Congress from his California District. In Congress, Nixon served as a member of the House of
Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Nixon played a pivotal role in the cross
examination and sentencing of Communist Alger Hiss. This cemented his national reputation as a
fierce anti-communist. Then, in 1950, he won a Senate seat. It was during this Senate race
against Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas, that a small Southern California newspaper
nicknamed Nixon Tricky Dick (Biography.com). This unfortunate nickname would stay with
him for the rest of his life. And at the age of only 39, General Eisenhower selected Nixon to be
his running mate in the next Presidential election. It was during this campaign that Nixon
delivered his infamous Checkers Speech in which he responded to allegations by The New
York Times regarding a slush fund he reportedly used during the election.
Between 1955-57, Eisenhower was suffering from as series of illnesses. While he was
incapacitated, Nixon took over much of his duties, attending many high-level meetings, and
keeping the country going in Eisenhowers absence. Nixon was an avid advocator for American
foreign policy and he undertook many high-profile trips to garner support for American politics.
As Vice President he visited Venezuela and Russia among others. In Russia he had an impromptu
debate against Nikita Khrushchev about the merits of Capitalism and Communism that gained
Nixon popularity for standing up to the Soviet bully.
In 1960, Nixon launched his bid for the presidency. After little opposition in the

324444
Period 4
primaries, He faced Senator John F. Kennedy. But the new use of television in elections was the
end of Nixon, who, in debates, appeared old, unhealthy, and unenergetic compared to the you
and vibrant JFK. After losing the election, and subsequently losing an election for the Governor
of California, Nixon moved his Family to New York, where in 1968, he began to think about
taking another shot at the Oval Office. After much careful consideration, Nixon decided to throw
his hat into the ring for the 1968 election, which he won. So, on January 20th, 1969, Richard
Nixon became Americas 37th President. As President, on of Nixons accomplishments was
something he called New Federalism, which is locally controlled desegregation. Across the
South, the Nixon administration established biracial committees to plan and implement school
desegregation. The program was well accepted by the states, and by the end of 1970 only about
18 percent of black children in the South were attending all-black schools, down from 70 percent
in 1968 (Biography.com). Nixon also increased the number of female appointments in his
administration, despite the opposition of many.
But Nixons most notable accomplishments as President were in the area of foreign
affairs. His administration successfully negotiated the SALT treaty with Russia, and engaged in
direct talks with Mao Zedong, the Chinese leader, which ushered a new era of Chinese-American
relations. Nixon also helped to de-escalate the Vietnam War. When Nixon first came into office,
three hundred American soldiers were dying per week (Presidental-Power.org). But by the time
his first term was over, he had successfully withdrawn 405,000 troops.
Unfortunately for Nixon, the Watergate scandal was grabbing headlines all throughout
this time and many of Nixons efforts went unheard of. Though the shadow of the scandal had
not yet fallen over the White House at this point, suspicion was growing. Even though the White
House claimed that the Washington Posts reporting had been biased and misleading, A full scale

324444
Period 4
investigation was being launched. After the FBI confirmed that Nixon aids had attempted to
sabotage the Democrats, many resigned in the face of criminal prosecution. Soon after, televised
Watergate hearings were held by the Senate Watergate Committee, where White House council
John Dean gave evidence that pointed to Nixon as a culprit in the scandal. In 1974, after articles
of impeachment were filed against Nixon, he resigned the presidency. He is the only president in
American History to have done so.
Though officially pardoned by President Gerald Ford, the American public never truly
forgave President Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal and cover-up. To this day, the
scandal looms as a shadow, covering all trace of Nixons many accomplishments in his decades
of public service. This unfortunate President, despite all the lies and secrets of the last years of
his administration, did wonders for America, in both domestic and foreign policy.

324444
Period 4

Work Cited
"Richard M. Nixon." White House. USA.gov, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/richardnixon>.
"Richard Nixon Biography." Biography.com. Bio, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.biography.com/people/
richard-nixon-9424076#watergate-and-other-scandals>.
"Richard Nixon Timeline." Presidential Power. Siteseen, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.presidential-power.org/presidencies-timelines/
richard-nixon-presidency-timeline.htm>.
The Watergate Story." The Washington Post. Washington Post, n.d. Web. 13 Apr.
2016. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/
timeline.html>.