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The Nixon Resignation: The Watergate Scandal

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The Nixon Resignation How would you feel if you could not trust someone? What if that someone was a great importance to your country? You would most likely feel betrayed, unable to believe a single word uttered from their lips. You would not want them to have any influence on the matters of your country. This how America felt when they found out that President Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, was a part of the covering up of the Watergate Scandal. It traumatized the entire nation and forced President Nixon to resign. Nixon resigned because he felt he had no choice whatsoever. He knew it was best for all Americans. He also knew it was best for the entire country and that he would have been impeached in the end. Everyone knew it was best in several ways. Even Nixon himself knew and some say he fulfilled his duties to his country by resigning. On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested while breaking into and wiretapping the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C., which was illegal. Back in May, the burglars had broken in to bug the office’s phones and steal copies of top-secret documents (Watergate Scandal, History). But something had gone wrong with the wiretaps, so that, in June, they returned …show more content…

They all began to think there was a “larger scheme afoot” (Watergate Scandal, History). During it all, some of the conspirators began to break under the pressure of holding the cover-up on their shoulders. A few of Nixon’s aides confessed to the president’s crimes. They confessed that Nixon had taped (secretly) every single conversation that was held in the Oval Office. If anyone could get their hands on those tapes, they would have all the proof they needed on the president’s

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How Did The Watergate Scandal

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(Fremon). Tensions were high because of the Vietnam War, and President Nixon felt extra pressure to win the election (History.com). Nixon ended up being the first American president to resign, which is why the events were so scandalous and drew attention from the American people. When they broke into the Democratic National Committee office at the Watergate Hotel, the burglars recorded phone calls and took top-secret documents (History.com). The day

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Taken Hostage Summary

1136 Words | 5 Pages

On the domestic aspect, citizens were beginning a new chapter in which they did not trust the government. Stemming back to Lyndon B Johnson and the Credibility Gap of the Vietnam War, the most recent, most devastating attitude change surrounded the Watergate Scandal and the aftermath. During Nixon’s presidency, he was attempting to bug the Democratic Party headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel. While his henchmen were placing the bugs, they were caught, thus causing a huge controversy amongst Americans. Although Nixon attempted to cover up his ties to the break in, it eventually came out that he ordered it to be done.

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Richard Nixon's Watergate Scandal

228 Words | 1 Pages

Although it is debateable whether or not Nixon knew of the break-ins, he did behave very suspiciously. He became very secretive, resentful, and defensive towards his critics, even going so far as to make

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President Richard Nixon And The Watergate Scandal

846 Words | 4 Pages

1. The Watergate Scandal in 1972 revealed many ethical dilemmas in President Richard Nixon and his administration. President Nixon proves to be a teleological egoist as he determines what is right is what will benefit himself the most. Additionally, he has a subjective theory of the good because what is good is determined by how he feels about it. When deciding to break in to the Democratic National Headquarters, both Nixon and the five agents of the Committee to Reelect the President lacked prudence because they did not act wisely.

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Nixon Dbq

1234 Words | 5 Pages

Question 7 (for 10 points): After Nixon was connected to the break-in of the offices of the DNC at the Watergate business complex, in part due to the affiliation of his connection to one of the burglars, who was an employee of Nixon’s Committee for the Re-election of the President (CREEP), it gradually became apparent that the Watergate break in was largely a result of Nixon’s beliefs concerning the degree of latitude his office afforded him with regards to transgression of federal law. As the result of an investigation by a senate committee prompted by the Watergate scandal, it was discovered that during his presidency Nixon had committed a number of crimes, which included “extending political favors to powerful business groups in exchange

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Rhetorical Analysis Of President Richard Nixon

616 Words | 3 Pages

On August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon made a speech that would guarantee him a special spot in American History books for many, many years to come. Although Nixon is known for the Watergate Scandal, many presidents have had scandals; however, he is the only president to have resigned from office (Nixon, 1974). Stuck in a media frenzy of accusations pointing to him being guilty, many of course question Nixon’s credibility at this point. As a rich, white man holding such a high political position, many would not question his credibility. However, his reputation is now tainted by accusations of him being a crook and dishonest to the American people.

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How Did The Watergate Scandal Of 1972

1708 Words | 7 Pages

The Watergate Scandal of 1972 is considered to be particularly significant in the history of America; it encompassed an array of illegal activities including the bugging of offices, break-ins, cover-ups and a serious abuse of presidential power, all of which led to the first and last resignation of a U.S president. Although Watergate is typically remembered as a political scandal, it was also a defining event for the media, and more importantly in this case, the relationship between president Nixon and the media. It is important to recognise that the hostility between Nixon and 'the press' had existed for almost a decade before the emergence of the Watergate scandal in 1972, therefore this essay will focus on Watergate as the pinnacle of a

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Richard Nixon And The 1972 Watergate Scandal

1068 Words | 5 Pages

The first event of the Watergate scandal took place in June 1971. In an attempt to plug security leaks, Nixon creates a Special Investigations Unit called “The Plumbers”. Whether Nixon knew what his men were planning on the night of June 15, 1972, is up for debate, but it was highly controversial. The five burglars on the night of June 15th broke into the Watergate Hotel for a second time. They had previously broken into the hotel to bug the Democratic National Committee office, but one of the wiretaps in the phone was faulty and required the “Plumbers” to replace

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1429 Words | 6 Pages

During this time of the scandal, “... President Richard Nixon would be forced to resign, many of his principal aides and advisers would be convicted of unlawful activities, and many of the heretofore secret workings of the government would be exposed for public inspection”. The arrest of the five men as well as their guilty pleas revealed a series of wiretaps, slush funds, political sabotage, and unjustified firings. Through this recovery, the American people felt heavily betrayed due to President Nixon being the one to say how he would take charge and investigate when he was the one who planned the break-in. President Nixon had strong speeches and made the people of America feel good about their President. In 1972, President Nixon stated “So, I’m the first four-year president who hasn’t missed a day in office providing I make it to January 20…

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Effects Of The Watergate Scandal

697 Words | 3 Pages

Many were convicted for very serious offenses and were eventually sent to federal prison. “Nixon’s Attorney General of the United States John Mithcell served 19 months for his role in the scandal, while Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, served four and a half years.” Halderman, Nixon’s Chief of Staff spent 19 months in prison and John Ehrlichmn spent 18 months attempting to cover up the break-in on Nixon’s behalf. “Nixon himself never admitted to any criminal wrongdoing, though he did acknowledge using poor judgment.” Because of his abuse of power, America was filled with an atmosphere of cynicism and distrust from the poor political life and was further disappointed because of the outcome of this entire

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Rhetorical Analysis Of President Nixon's Speech

1216 Words | 5 Pages

President Nixon is one of the most famous Presidents in American history for being the first one to resign from office. While Nixon is famous for doing such an unthinkable act, he is also the one that gave one of the best and most well known speeches in political history, The Checkers Speech. The speech was given by (Senator at the time) President Nixon when he was running for Vice President on General Eisenhower’s Presidential ticket. A newspaper, the New York Post, had a front page with the headline "Secret Rich Men's Trust Fund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary"; the article alleged that people were donating to a secret fund that Nixon had for his personal benefit in trade for political favors.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Richard Nixon's Resignation

669 Words | 3 Pages

The men arrested would not speak of who sent them there but they were later traced back to Richard Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect the President members. Nixon seemed to be in enough trouble, being moderately involved with this scandal, it was then known that the crooks had also been wiretapping the office and stole copies of top secret files. Although even to this day it is unknown if Nixon knew of the break-ins in the Watergate while it happened, it is fact that the President had sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in “hush-money” to the burglars to keep it out of the public eye. Nixon and his affiliates then began attempting to create the CIA to stop any further investigations of the FBI’s on the Watergate scandal (Staff). The former president continuously denied he was involved in the scandal, until the court ordered he handed over recordings that proved he attempted to redirect the fact-finding (“Richard”).

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1415 Words | 6 Pages

Although we like to pretend the President of the Unites States is a perfect leader capable of leading this country to glory, no President is without scandals. They are humans just like the general population, and with every new president, rumors spread. Some turn out to be just that, but in some cases those rumors turn out to be true. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and during his presidency there was a report that he and a woman by the name of Sally Hemings were engaged in a sexual relationship. Jefferson got married to Martha Wayles Skeleton in 1772 and in 1773 Mrs. Hemings was brought onto Jefferson's plantation as a slave because of Martha's inheritance.

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578 Words | 3 Pages

Richard Nixon was the 37th president of the United States; he resigned as president after his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. People broke into the Watergate building to wiretap phones and steal secret documents. Nixon knew about the break in before hand and tried to cover it up. When people found out about him trying to cover it up, he decided to resign as president. He gave his speech on August 8th 1974 and resigned on the 9th.

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584 Words | 3 Pages

He had amassed a collection of government fills, tape records, and intelligence on the common people in the Watergate building. After it was broken into, files were stolen and released to the public. It was the first real time that the general public learned just how paranoid Nixon was, but also how much he wanted to keep the power he already had. As these precious documents surfaced, one could see in full light that Nixon exhibited all the symptoms of Paranoid Personality Disorder. He was always distrustful of people, he recorded every encounter he had, so that one could twist his words against him.

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