Richard Nixon and the Imperial Presidency, 1968-1976 APUSH
Lecture 9C Mrs. Kray
Slide 2
Who was Richard Nixon? Vice President during Eisenhower
administration Ran for president in 1960 and lost to JFK Reputation
as a tough politician & enemy of communism Dirty tricks; Tricky
Dick Kitchen debate w/Khrushchev Low self-esteem
Slide 3
Election of 1968 Democratic party in chaos RFK assassinated,
riot outside the nominating convention; party torn apart by Vietnam
Hubert Humphrey was the nominee Republicans nominate Nixon Promised
to bring Americans together and restore stability after tumultuous
1968 Peace with honor in Vietnam Appealed to the silent
majority
Slide 4
Election Results Nixon Wins! George Wallace and the American
Independent Party Long-time champion of segregation and states
rights Appealed to Americans who were upset by the violence and
civil disobedience associated with antiwar and civil rights
demonstrations Won 5 states in the South and received strong
support in some Northern states
Slide 5
FOREIGN POLICY: THE FINAL DAYS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
Slide 6
A New Policy in Vietnam: Peace with Honor & Vietnamization
Nixon wanted to reduce domestic opposition to the war to give
himself more political maneuverability Supported new lottery system
for the draft Vietnamization Train and equip the South Vietnamese
army so they could replace American troops and take on more of the
fighting burden 1969 First U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam
begin
Slide 7
Escalation in Vietnam, 1970 1969: Nixon begins secret bombings
of North Vietnamese bases in Cambodia Destabilized Cambodia Spring
1970: U.S. supports coup detat in Cambodia April 1970: Nixon
announces he is sending troops across the border into Cambodia to
clear out enemy bases Antiwar movement reignites -- march on
Washington; demonstrations on college campuses Nov. 1970: Congress
repealed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution President no longer has a blank
check in Vietnam
Slide 8
Kent State Massacre May 4, 1970 Four killed an nine injured
when National Guard opened fire on antiwar demonstrators.
Slide 9
The Pentagon Papers, 1971 Leaked by former Defense official
Daniel Ellsberg Nixon now concerned about leaks Revealed government
dishonesty in reporting progress of the war and our motives for
fighting the war Publicly the government claimed war was fought to
protect S. Vietnam Revealed war was also a way to protect American
prestige and our reputation around the world
Slide 10
U.S. Army Nears Exhaustion Signs of decay within the military
Desertion, drug addiction, racial hostilities, refusal to obey
orders, fragging My Lai Massacre, 1971 Sign of this decay U.S. army
massacre of more than 300 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians
Slide 11
The Paris Peace Accords, Jan. 1974 By 1971, nearly two-thirds
of Americans were urging withdrawal from Vietnam The war dragged on
for another 3 years Paris Peace Accords Negotiated by National
Security Advisor Henry Kissinger Immediate ceasefire American POWs
would be handed over South Vietnams government would continue to
operate North Vietnams army would remain in the South Peace with
Honor?
Slide 12
The Legacy of Vietnam The Price for the United States War had
cost $150 billion; 55,000 killed; 300,000 injured Blow to our
confidence and self-esteem Middle-class vs. working-class Hawks vs.
doves Loss of trust in government credibility gap grows The Price
in Indochina Genocide in Cambodia: Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge kill
1 out 3 Cambodians Vietnam ravaged by decades of war: economy in
ruins, remained one of the poorest and most politically oppressive
nations in the world
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FOREIGN POLICY: THE COLD WAR THAWS
Slide 14
A New Cold War Policy: Detente Cold War Background U.S. and
USSR locked in Cold War since end of WWII Series of confrontations
between U.S. and Soviets: Berlin Airlift, Berlin Wall, Cuban
Missile Crisis, etc. U.S. never formally recognized Communist China
Nixon and NSA Henry Kissinger believed U.S. needed a new and more
flexible foreign policy Communism is not a monolith Dtente called
for a relaxation of tensions between the U.S. and the Communist
World Henry Kissinger, National Security Advisor then Secretary of
State
Slide 15
Dtente and China 1971: Kissinger goes on a secret trip to
Communist China to lay the groundwork for Nixon to go 1972: Nixon
stuns the world by traveling to China Wanted to normalize relations
between the two countries Visit erased much of Americas deep
animosity towards Communist China Sought to exploit rift between
China and USSR
Slide 16
Dtente and the Soviet Union 1972: Nixon first American
president to visit Moscow SALT I Treaty, 1972 Treaty came out of
the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Limited the number of
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched
missiles each superpower could have in its arsenal Also expanded
trade between the two superpowers
Slide 17
The Nixon Doctrine The 3 rd World remained the most volatile
and dangerous source of international tension U.S. would
participate in the defense and development of allies and friends
but would leave the basic responsibility for the future of those
friends to the nations themselves What the Nixon Doctrine meant in
practice: Less interest in contributing to 3 rd world development a
growing contempt for the UN where less-developed nations were
gaining influence through their sheer numbers increasing support to
authoritarian regimes attempting to withstand radical challenges
from within
Slide 18
DOMESTIC POLICY: NEW FEDERALISM
Slide 19
Dismantling the Great Society Nixon wanted to restore balance
to government Great Society programs had led to a dramatic increase
in federal influence and federal spending Wanted to reduce the size
and influence of the federal government Many of his policies were a
response to the demands of his own constituency, conservative,
middle class people whom he liked to call the silent majority New
Federalism Plan for distributing a portion of federal power to
state and local governments Under a program called revenue sharing,
state and local governments could spend their federal dollars
however they saw fit, within certain limits Difficult economic
circumstances limited Nixons success with these programs
Slide 20
Nixon Battles the Warren Court Liberal rulings of the Warren
Court had angered the silent majority who felt balance of power had
shifted away from middle class & law and order. Engel v. Vitale
(1962) ruled that prayers in public schools were unconstitutional
Roth v. United States (1957) sharply limited the authority of local
governments to curb pornography Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Court
confirmed the obligation of authorities to inform a criminal
suspect of his or her rights Baker v. Carr (1964) required state
legislatures to apportion electoral districts more fairly one man,
one vote increased voting power of minorities & cities Nixon
wanted to use his judicial appointments to create a more
conservative court
Slide 21
The Burger Court 1969: Chief Justice Earl Warren retired Nixon
replaced him with a conservative, Warren Burger Nixon also made
three other Supreme Court appoints Burger Court not as conservative
as Nixon had hoped for Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenberg Board of
Education (1971) ruled in favor of using forced busing to achieve
racial balance in schools Furman v. Georgia (1972) restricted death
penalty Roe v. Wade (1973) legalized abortion Bakke v. Board of
California Regents (1978) upheld priniciple of affirmative action
but established strict new guidelines for such programs in the
future
Slide 22
An Economy in Trouble For three decades (1940s, 50s, 60s) U.S.
economy had grown at an amazing rate U.S. economy in the 1970s
struggled Biggest problem was soaring inflation Caused by deficit
spending, rising energy costs (OPEC) 2 nd problem was a decline in
manufacturing jobs Aging infrastructure in factories made us less
efficient, facing more competition from countries like Japan that
had rebuilt themselves after WWII, American labor costs are high
Manufacturing jobs shipped out of America, never to return Nixon
tried many things to deal with these issues, none were
successful
Slide 23
Election of 1972: Nixons Southern Strategy Nixon noticed George
Wallaces success as a 3 rd party candidate in Election of 1968
American Independent Party Nixon used policies to court the votes
of white Southerners to get them to shift their allegiance from
Democrat to Republican Played on their racial prejudice wouldnt
openly support civil rights, opposed forced busing Played on their
fears of a loss of law and order appointed conservatives to Supreme
Court; talked about the silent majority Strategy was a success
Slide 24
Election Results Nixon wins in a landslide The Solid South is
now solidly Republican
Slide 25
Watergate: The Downfall of a President The Imperial Presidency
Public expectations of the president had increased dramatically
since WWII; yet the constraints placed on the authority of the
office by Congress, the courts, interest groups, the media and
elsewhere had grown as well In response, a succession of presidents
had sought new methods for the exercise of power, often stretching
the law Facing a Democratic Congress hostile to his goals, Nixon
attempted to find ways to circumvent the legislature whenever
possible Nixon considered any challenge to his policies a threat to
national security Operated within a rigid, even autocratic staff
structure He became mired in a pattern of illegalities and abuses
of power
Slide 26
The Watergate Break-In & Cover- Up June 1972: 5 men are
arrested for breaking in to the Democratic National Committees
headquarters in the Watergate Hotel Some of those arrested have
connections with Nixons Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP)
An investigation by Congress follows It is discovered that the
break-in was ordered by members of Nixons inner circle Question
becomes what did president know and when did he know it? Discovery:
all conversations in the White House were recorded Saturday Night
Massacre Nixon v. United States, 1974 Nixon refused to hand over
tapes, cites executive privilege Supreme Court rules President is
not above the law, must had over tapes
Slide 27
Nixon Resigns, 1974 Tapes reveal Nixon did not order break- in
but he helped cover it up.
Slide 28
The Fall of Saigon, 1975 1974 Paris accords collapsed Civil War
erupts in Vietnam March 1975 N. Vietnamese launched full- scale
offensive against the south S. Vietnam appealed to the U.S. for
further assistance Congress refused April 1975 Communist forces
marched into Saigon S. Vietnamese officials and staff at the U.S.
embassy flee