Although Nixon was remembered as a terrible president, he was one of the most popular. He won his first elections with good margins, and won his second election by such a large amount, that it is only second to Reagan;'s election.
The Good
Nixon did a great amount of good during his presidency. Some of these actions were ending the Vietnam war, forming good relations with China, and talked to the leader of the USSR.
Nixon was the president who ended the Vietnam war. Although it was the only war we lost and it was most likely going to be a loss for the U.S., a lot of the blame was on him for being president as it happened.
Nixon was the president who ended the Vietnam war. Although it was the only war we lost and it was most likely going to be a loss for the U.S., a lot of the blame was on him for being president as it happened.
Nixon also bettered the relations between the U.S. and China. In the meeting he had with the Chinese leader, he offered them a spot in the UN and opened up trades between the U.S. and China.
Another thing Nixon did that lead to something better was meet with the leader of the USSR. This led to the beginning of a nuclear disarmament and light trades between the U.S. and USSR. They also agreed to help each other with future space exploration.
Nixon's Downfall
When he was reelected, Nixon was one of the most favored presidents. Right before he was reelected however, 5 men were caught breaking into the hotel Watergate that the Democratic party used as a headquarters in Washington DC. They were caught tapping the wires so that they could listen in on what the democrats were saying. As it turned out, the leader of these 5 people was on Nixon's reelection committee. Nixon covered it up for the election, but afterwards, the senate began to investigate the crime. Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigns due to tax evasion and bribery and soon after, Nixon's personal council, John Dean, tells the senate that he is guilty. This prompts Nixon's famous line that he said to the public, "I am not a crook".
After this, Nixon is asked to hand over the recordings from him in his office, but he refuses to do so. Eventually, he gives up the recordings, but 17 minutes of them are gone without explanation. The senate began to write impeachment papers, but Nixon resigned first and was succeeded by Gerald Ford. Because of this one small thing, many of the great things Nixon did have been forgotten. |