Nixon and Ford

Nixon and Ford

Bellwork

The 1960s was an era of turbulent change. Violence erupted in both the north and the south from the Civil Rights movement. Protests engulfed campuses all over America. Leaders were assassinated, and many Americans began to wonder if the country was on the right path. What are the defining characteristics of the type of leader you believe the U.S. needs in a time of crisis?

Nixon and Ford

Election of 1968 Nixon

› Foreign Policy and Détente› Domestic Policy

Election of 1972 Oil Embargo Watergate Ford

Election of 1968

Democratic Party

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated

Race Riots

Race Riots

Democratic National Convention

Republican Party

America Independent Party

George C. Wallace

Dixiecrat Reestablish

Jim Crow South

Nuclear war on Vietnam

Results

Nixon won:› 31.8 million› 301 electoral votes

Wallace’s Results› Won 10 million popular votes› Largest third-party vote in American

history

Nixon and Ford




Henry Kissinger› Secretary of

State

Foreign Policy

Détente

Easing of Tensions

Nixon’s Détente With BeijingPing-Pong Diplomacy

March 1971 - Lifts restrictions on travel to China

June 1971 – Ended 21-year embargo on trade with China

February 1972 – Nixon visits China

Nixon’s Détente With Beijing and Moscow

Nixon traveled to the Soviet Union in May 1972

Nixon’s Détente With Beijing and Moscow

The Deal› Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty I (SALT I)

–

Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty I (SALT I)

Five-year agreement that held the number of ICBMs at 1972 levels

Step forward in limiting nuclear arms,

Both started developing MIRVs

Nixon and Ford




Welfare Programs

Expanded welfare programs:› Food Stamps› Aid to families with Dependent Children

(AFDC)

Environmental Actions (1970)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1970



Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) 1970




Clean Air Act of 1970




Clean Air Act of 1970 Endangered Species Act of 1973

Inflation

Removed U.S. off the gold standard

Nixon and Ford




Election of 1972

Election of 1972

Southern Strategy› To achieve a solid majority in 1972, he:

Appointed conservative Supreme Court justices

Softly applied civil rights Opposed school busing to achieve racial

balance

Election of 1972

Results of the Election of 1972› Nixon won:

47.2 million-29.2 million 520-17

Nixon and Ford




The Arab Oil Embargo and the Energy Crisis

Attack In the Middle East› October 1973› Syrians and Egyptians surprise

attacked Israel› U.S. supported Israel

Oil Embargo

late October 1973, OPEC led by Arab nations put an oil

embargo on the U.S.

Check Up!

Nixon believed that he was going to be remembered as one of the greatest presidents of the 20th Century, and had recording devices installed in the White House so that historians could later examine the actions he took as president. › Briefly create a list of Nixon’s accomplishments. › Then create a list of the accomplishments of

Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and LBJ.› Based on your list evaluate Nixon’s presidency.

Nixon and Ford




Pentagon Papers

1971: Daniel Ellsberg –› a former Defense Department official› Pentagon Papers to the New York Times

Plumbers

Response› Plumbers – Special White House unit

created to stop government leaks.

› Goal: gather intelligence/political information

The Watergate Break-In

Watergate Washington, D.C. Wiretapped the phones at the DNC

headquarters

The Watergate Break-In

Nixon authorized CIA to stop investigation on the grounds that the matter involved “national security”

Watergate Scandal

January 1973 –› Watergate burglar Trial

Results: All either pleaded guilty or were found guilty

› Nixon approved “hush money” to at least one of the defendants

Watergate Scandal

May 1973 –› John Dean (former White House lawyer) revealed

recording system in White House

Watergate Scandal

October 1973 –› VP Spiro Agnew

accused of taking bribes

› Agnew resigned › Gerald Ford

became VP

Watergate Scandal

January 1974 –› Congress ordered Nixon to turn over the

tapes. › Nixon refused, citing the executive

privilege – the power of the president to withhold information secret that is vital to the nation’s security

Watergate Scandal

July 1974 –› Supreme Court ruled that tapes must be

turned over› Tape recorded Nixon’s giving order to

CIA

Watergate Scandal

The House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach the President on the following charges:› Obstruction of justice› Abuse of power› Refusal to obey a congressional order to

turn over his tapes

Impeachment Process

Impeachment: To bring official charges against the president (majority vote in House of Representatives)

Trial/Removal: The individual stands trial (Senate acts as jury; 2/3 majority vote it needed for removal)

Impeachments in U.S. History

Andrew Johnson Richard Nixon Bill Clinton

Recommended for Impeachment

Why? Violated law by firing a cabinet member

Obstruction of justiceAbuse of powerRefusal to obey a congressional order

Lied under oath

Impeached by Congress

Impeachment confirmed by Senate

Resignation

August 9, 1974 –› Nixon became the

first President ever to resign

› VP Gerald Ford was sworn in.

Should Nixon be charged with a crime?

“When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.”

-Richard Nixon

Should Nixon be charged with a crime?

Resignation

August 9, 1974 –› Nixon became the

first President ever to resign

› VP Gerald Ford was sworn in. A month later Ford pardoned Nixon.

Nixon and Ford




Ford

Ford’s Critics› When Nixon resigned in August 1974, Ford

became the first non-elected President. He appointed Nelson Rockefeller to be VP. Now, both the P and VP were appointed. People criticized him as being an illegitimate president

› Some people, including LBJ, believed Ford to be a dim-witted former college football player

› The new President took a lot of criticism from the public for pardoning Nixon. Some people had even suggested that a bargain had been made between Nixon and Ford before he had left office

Ford

Helsinki Accords› Ford generally followed Nixon’s

approach, working for détente› In 1975, Ford, the Soviet Union, and

about 30 other nations signed the Helsinki Accords

› In signing the agreement, the countries pledged to cooperate economically, respect existing national boundaries, and promote human rights

Documents

Nixon and Ford