Transcript The Age of Limits

The Nixon
Administration
President Richard M. Nixon tried to steer
the country in a conservative direction and
away from federal control.
Presentation created by Robert L. Martinez
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Nixon tried to instill a sense of order
into a nation still divided over the
continuing Vietnam War.
Man on the Moon
On July 20, 1969, one of America’s longheld dreams became a reality. Nearly 10
years after John F. Kennedy challenged
American to put a person on the moon,
astronaut Neil Armstrong climbed down
the ladder of his lunar module and stepped
onto the surface of the moon.
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The Twenty-sixth Amendment was
ratified in 1971, extending voting
rights to 18 years or older. The draft
of 18 year olds had a large influence
on the passing of this amendment.
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Nixon’s agenda was to decrease the
size and influence of the federal
government. Nixon believed that
Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society
programs, had given the federal
government too much responsibility.
Nixon’s plan, known as New
Federalism, was to distribute a portion
of federal power to state and local
governments. Under revenue sharing,
state and local governments could
spend their federal dollars however
they saw fit within certain limitations.
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At first Nixon cooperated with Congress,
which Democrats controlled. Soon he
refused to spend money voted by Congress
on programs that he did not like. The
Supreme Court ruled this action
unconstitutional.
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Beginning a policy of law and order,
Nixon enlisted the CIA and IRS to
harass his political “enemies” –
liberals and dissidents.
Nixon hoped to bolster his political
support, especially in the South, to
ensure his re-election. He tried to slow
school integration, but the Supreme
Court ordered the administration to
move more quickly. He also named
conservatives to fill vacancies in the
Supreme Court.
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Nixon attempted to stop the integration of
schools through busing. In 1971, the
Supreme Court ruled in CharlotteMecklenburg Board of Education that
school districts may bus students to other
schools to end the pattern of all-black and
all-white schools.
“ I’m not against any individual child. I am not a racist,
no matter what those high-and-mighty suburban
liberals with their picket signs say. I just won’t have my
children bused to some ….slum school, and I don’t want
children from God knows where coming over here.”
- A South Boston mother quoted in The School Bus Controversy, 1970-75.
Stagnation
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A stagnant economy trouble the country.
By 1973, the inflation rate had doubled,
and the unemployment rate was up 50%.
The causes were high spending on the
Vietnam War, growing foreign
competition, and the difficulty of finding
jobs for millions of new workers.
Another problem was reduced
supply of and higher prices for oil
and gasoline. Nixon’s efforts to
lower prices did not work.
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During the 60s, America received
much of its petroleum from the oilproducing Middle East. Many of these
countries belonged to a cartel called
OPEC. During the 60s, OPEC
gradually raised oil prices.
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In 1973, the Yom Kippur War broke
out, with Israel against Egypt and
Syria. When the United States sent
massive military aid to Israel, its
longtime ally, the Arab OPEC nations
responded by cutting off all oil sales
to the United States.
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When OPEC resumed selling its oil to
the United States in 1974, the price
had quadrupled. This sharp rise in oil
prices only worsened the problem of
inflation.
Henry Kissinger
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The architect of Nixon’s foreign policy was
his adviser for national security affairs,
Henry Kissinger. Kissinger introduced
realpolitik, stating that foreign policy
should be based on consideration of a
nation’s power, not its philosophy or
beliefs.
Detente
Nixon and Kissinger introduced
détente, a policy aimed at easing
Cold War tensions.
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End of the
Vietnam War
 The president de-escalated
America’s involvement in Vietnam
and oversaw peace negotiations with
North Vietnam.
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In 1972, he visited Communist China.
This reversed past U.S. policy, which
had refused to formally recognize the
Communist rulers there.
SALT
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Three months later, Nixon went to the
Soviet Union. These moves were widely
popular. With the Soviets, he signed
the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty
(SALT), which limited nuclear weapons.
Nixon Re-elected
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Foreign policy triumphs helped Nixon
easily win re-election.
Watergate
Nixon’s Downfall
President Nixon’s involvement in the
Watergate scandal forced him to resign
from office.
The Watergate scandal was caused
by an illegal break-in and attempts to
block the investigation of it. The
affair tested the idea that no one, not
even the president, is above the law.
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Nixon campaign aides were
determined to win his re-election by
any means necessary. They hired 5
men to raid & wiretap the Democratic
party offices in a Washington, D.C.,
complex called Watergate.
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Wire Taps
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Hoping to photograph files and place
taps on phones, the men were
caught. Rather than forcing those
involved to resign, the administration
tried to hide the link to the White
House.
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After Nixon’s re-election, the cover-up
began to unravel. One of the burglars
said that the White House was involved.
Soon 3 top Nixon aides, who had been
involved, resigned. In Senate hearings,
televised live, one of them said that
Nixon had known of the cover-up.
White House Tapes
When it was revealed that White
House meetings had been tape
recorded, the Senate committee
demanded the tapes. Nixon refused
to turn them over. Court battles over
the tapes lasted a year.
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In March 1974, a grand jury charged 7
Nixon aides with obstruction of justice and
perjury, or lying under oath. Nixon
released more than 1,250 pages of taped
conversations, but withheld conversations
on some key dates.
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Impeachment
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In July 1974, the Supreme Court ordered
the White House to release the tapes.
Three days later a House committee voted
to impeach President Nixon. If the full
House of Representatives approved, Nixon
would go to trial in the Senate. If judged
guilty there, he would be removed from
office.
Nixon Resigns
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When the tapes were finally released, it
was clear that Nixon had known of the
cover-up. On August 8, 1974, he resigned
but defiantly refused to admit guilt.
Accidental President
Gerald Ford
Vice President Gerald Ford, a career
Congressional leader from Michigan
ascends to the position of President of the
United States, after never have been
elected to national office.
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