Richard Nixon's presidency and political legacy

¶ … Nixon before the presidency

Military

Congress & Senate seat

Vice Presidency

The election

1972 election and illegal activity

Pardon and Conclusion

Richard Nixon holds the distinction of being the only United States president to resign the office. Had he not done so, in all likelihood he would have been impeached and forced out of the White House. While in office President Nixon performed a myriad of activities which were at the very least immoral, but often also illegal. What started out as a regime supposedly dedicated to exploration, expansion, and a pledge to end the Vietnam War ended in shame and disgrace. Before Nixon, Americans more or less bought into the words of the politicians in the country. Although there were instances of corruption and distrust, these were considered to be in the minority. It was felt that most politicians wanted to help their constituents and do right by the population who live in this nation. Obviously this is not the case today. All politicians are questioned and doubted in their motives and actions. Through his nefarious choices, President Nixon forever shaped the way Americans think about their president and the government in general.

Before his presidency, Nixon was a fairly honest politician. He was born, went to college, and entered the military. While in the Navy he was honored several times for meritorious service and eventually retired with the rank of lieutenant commander (Black 62). After World War II, Nixon began a political career which was dedicated to promoting American idealism and in the suppression of Communism around the world, helping ensure that the United States retained its interest in this campaign. Further, as both a House Representative as Senator, Richard Nixon supported Civil Rights, rallied for statehood for both Hawaii and Alaska, and worked to provide aid for other countries that needed disaster relief. At the same time, he assisted in the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and helped in the investigation against alleged spy Alger Hiss (Stacks). By the time he took the office of Vice President to Dwight David Eisenhower in 1952, Nixon was largely regarded as a man who supported the American Dream and American prosperity. According to Nixon biographer Irwin Gellman, "Eisenhower radically altered the role of his running mate by presenting him with critical assignments in both foreign and domestic affairs once he assumed his office. The Vice President welcomed the president's initiatives and worked energetically to accomplish White House objectives. Because of the collaboration between these two leaders, Nixon deserves the title, 'the first modern vice president'" (Gellman 102). Unlike many Vice Presidents who held office in the nearly two centuries before, Eisenhower tasked Nixon with many large-scale projects particularly to do with international relations which helped pave the way for his own candidacy in later years.

While running both against Kennedy and then later against Humphrey and Wallace, Nixon was highly aggressive indicating that his desire to obtain the White House superceded anything else in his life. Nixon capitalized on post-war conservatism to create policies which would appeal to the conservatives and maintain his position of power, allowing him to be reelected in 1972 (Roark). Growing concern about moral decay, along with grassroots campaigns against taxes and racial change led to the emergence of the movement. Nixon created policies which decreased taxes and led to punishment for what were moral as opposed to legal transgressions. To appease women, he made no public opposition to Roe v. Wade (Wicker). The Southern strategy was to appeal to the antipathy to black protests and the fight for civil rights.

Finally, Nixon broke the law when it came time for the 1972 election. Nixon violated the constitution in the Watergate scandal by accepting illegal campaign funds, sabotaging Democratic candidates, and trying to illegally silence anyone who criticized the Vietnam War (Roark). He had his reelection campaign workers break into the Democratic Party headquarters in order to spy on his political opposition George McGovern and then tried to cover up the link between the thieves and the White House. In addition to this, Nixon used the power of the White House to intimidate enemies both at home and abroad. He kept tape recordings of all conversations that took place in the Oval Office for the purpose of coercion and blackmail of high government officials. Everything he did while in office was suspected to be dubious because of what came out. Ultimately, this illegal activity was discovered and Nixon's crimes brought to light.

However, Nixon never made either a full confession or a real apology to the American people. On September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford granted Nixon a full pardon. In response Nixon released a statement where he said:

I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy. Nor words can describe the depth of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency, a nation I so deeply love, and an institution I so greatly respect (Black 990).