Richard Nixon and the Election of 1969
Richard Nixon, was born on January 9th, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California. Fifty-six years after he was born he became the 37th president of the United States. In the election Nixon only defeated the democratic candidate, Hubert Humphrey, by about 500,000 in the popular vote. Nixon is considered one of the most controversial politicians of the twentieth century. He used his political experience, his background, the communist scare of the late forties and early fifties, and some other factors to become the President of the United States.
When people are deciding whom they will vote for an important factor they look at is the candidates’ educational background. Nixon grew up in a southern California Quaker family. He was stressed about the importance of hard work and integrity. He was always a good student in school and had the chance to apply to Harvard and Yale. He had to turn down the offer though because of a family illness which caused him to stay closer to home. He decided to attend Whittner College, where he graduated second in his class. He went on to attend law school at Duke University where he graduated third in his class. It is important to have a good education because you will look much more competent in the eyes of the people voting for you. By receiving and doing very well in his education Nixon got the support he would later need to become President.
Another very important factor was Nixon’s previous experience in politics. After graduating from Duke University, Nixon joined the navy during World War II. After returning from the war Nixon jumped right into politics. He answered a Republican Party call in the newspaper. They were looking for someone to run against the five-term Democratic Congressman Jerry Voorhis. John Ehrlichman once said of Richard Nixon, “He is like a race horse specially trained to run a particular race and no good for pulling wagons. He’s for running the race to be president, and that’s what he lived for (Matusow 1).” That just gives you an idea about Nixon’s attitude. He would do whatever it took in order to win. The style of Nixon’s first campaign for congressman set the tone for the early part of his political career. An example would be that while running against Voorhis he accused him of being a communist. He even had campaign workers make calls to voter...
... middle of paper ...
... by Robert Finch, “He wasn’t nearly as attractive, physically, as some of the other candidates, but he was so intense; he was a strong personality. You regarded him as a comer, someone who would be effective and successful in political activity. I was impressed by his obvious political skills, his intelligence, and his drive (Strober 31).” This definitely sounds like some qualities that would make a good president and the public agreed by electing him President.
Nixon although considered one of the most controversial politicians used his political experience, his background and the communist scare of the late forties and early fifties to become President. It took Nixon about four years but eventually he put an end to the Vietnam War. He promised the American people that when he took office his highest priority would be putting an end to the horrible war. He did what he promised and deserves credit for that. Although things did not always work out for him he came back from the events a smarter man. He used his knowledge to win the election. It takes a smart man to learn from his mistakes and Nixon did that. That is why he deserved to be President of the United States.
The "Checkers Speech" saved Nixon's career, what was left of it.. Eisenhower kept him on the ticket just because of his looks and he went on to serve eight years as Vice President. He wanted to win by a lot. In 1960 Nixon ran for President, losing a close race to John F. Kennedy. The smell of hope. He was paranoid. Two years later he lost a bitter race for Governor of California to Pat Brown and retired from politics, telling the press, "There is always next year. He was paranoid.
Indeed, when it came time for Nixon to back a nominee in 1948, his support went to the more centrist Thomas E. Dewey, and not to the conservative Taft. Kennedy decided to go into politics mainly because of the influence of his father. Joe Kennedy, Jr. was killed in the European arena of World War II and so the political ambitions of the family got placed on the shoulders of John. Nixon, however, got involved in politics by chance. While celebrating the end of the war in New York, he received a telegram from an old family friend indicating that they needed someone to run against the Democrat Jerry Voorhis.
Some historians believe that this changed the course of history, and that we can never truly trust the government again. While others believe that Nixon didn’t make the right decisions, this should not change the way the people look at our government. The government and the people need to maintain strong trust. The opposing argument believes that Richard Nixon made a turning point in history that allowed the people to turn against the government. Nobody can trust a government where the president himself does something against the law.
On January 20, 1969 our 37th president, Richard Milhous Nixon, was sworn into Presidency. His main focus as president was to pull forces out of Vietnam in order to end the War that began in 1961. Nixon began this process by pulling 75,000 troops out of Vietnam in the first year he was president. Nixon also worked to improve US relations with China as well as with the Soviet Union. He was the first president to visit China. He also imposed a wage price freeze to combat inflation that was replaced by a system of wage price controls, to be later removed. Nixon?s term as President will forever be remembered due to his resignation from presidency over the Watergate scandal.
The 1970's was a difficult time period in American history filled with chaos, domestic and international crises, and very poor presidential leadership. Richard Nixon was president during the early years of the seventies and he was far from popular in the eyes of the American people. With inflation rapidly rising, Nixon soon became unfavorable, and with the controversy surrounding his actions concerning the Watergate Crisis, he was impeached and forced to resign. His Vice President, Gerald R. Ford, soon took his place in the White House. However, Ford was unable to handle the crippling events taking place in the United States; his approval dropped drastically within months, and like Nixon he lost support of the American people. When the 1976 presidential election came around, the American people needed a new hero whom they could trust and who could pull the nation out of its current state of misery. To fill this position, American chose to elect James Earl Carter, Jr., Governor from Georgia. Jimmy Carter began his presidency in the bright glow of public support built on his promise of bringing honesty and morality back to politics; but unable to successfully deal with conflicts beyond his control concerning domestic and foreign affairs, his term as President ended behind a dark cloud of public disapproval.
Richard Milhouse Nixon was born of a Quaker family on January 9,1913 in Yorba Linda, California. He graduated second in his class from local Whittier College in 1934 and later graduated third in his class from Duke University Law School. From there Nixon joined a law firm, and then briefly worked for the tire-rationing section of the Office of Price Administration, in Washington, D.C. Eight months into World War II, he enlisted in the Navy and moved to the Pacific to become a supply ...
The reason why I agree with him is because Nixon’s character is not the best. Yes, he had great experience because he was a congressman, US senator and vice president. Nevertheless, he still failed as president. He did not really have a view of the world. His obsession for power had blinded him; he believed he was on top of the law because he was president.
This book of memoirs should be intended to anybody who is interested in becoming a good politician. In conclusion, the ways that he lived his life were different then most, especially in the "arena". His lessons throughout his own life showed that he went through everything early and late in life the hardest way possible, even in college. He did what he had to do, to finish and become the best he could have with the conditions given to him. Nixon could have quit, but he didn't and pulled through and lived his life one step at a time, broken and angered. The most important thing is that he kept strong and mentally stable at all times, which made him the great politician he was.
At first, he was a strong supporter of the Vietnam War but then became a strong opponent. The Department of Defense continued to lie to the people about the hype about the war. The government continued to say that the war was under control. The Pentagon Papers already have statistics on the Vietnam War. As soon as Nixon saw the paper, he went to his Attorney General right away to stop the printing of the New York Times newspaper. Daniel Ellsberg knew that he would get arrested for making copies of the papers.
The years leading up to the 1972 election were filled with new political tactics. Going into the election year, President Nixon seemed like he could never lose the second term election after successfully negotiating with Vietnam, Beijing, and Russia to improve international relations (Emery 4). Raising international toughness made Nixon seem like the most worthy person to stay president. Fred Emery analyses in his novel Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon, the president was also setting up the first summit meeting in history with Soviet Union Presidents (3). There seemed to be nothing capable of holding the seemingly responsible man back. However, this assurance came with massive consequences. The absolute certainty that Nixon would be reelected fueled the lies and abuse of power by the Nixon government (Emery 195). As the outlook of landslide winnings took over the White House, the moral reasoning, “the end justifies the means” became more prevalent. Nixon was obsessed with winning and being successful. Under his command his staff did whatever possible to ...
Barack received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and then worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago. This helped him gain a lot of confidence and responsibility. He had many plans and goals to make the community better. He achieved his goals and this was just the beginning of a successful path in his life. He decided to attend Harvard Law School, which helped him bring change for himself, his family, and especially to his community. Also in that school he also gained the knowledge and power of becoming a leader that he wanted to become.
As most people know the president ,congressmen, and a lot more people have all started of as a candidate.The reason they were chosen was because of their hard work and good knowledge.Most candidate have years and years of college before they run for a job and that is a something that is very important to have.Having the proper education affects how you are going to do your job.The amount of effort and time you put in your work. If there was a situation in the job they applied for they have to know what to do and ways to solve the problem.They do have some jobs that provide training but it is good to have already know what to do and be prepared.The candidate should know a know a little
Nixon showed hubris, which is also known as egotistical behavior or exhibiting too much pride. He thought that he deserved to be reelected as president, even if in order for this to occur he had to behave in an unethical manner. The Watergate Scandal proved that Nixon was confident in his ability to pull off a major crime, although he was caught. This event also shows prideful behavior because he thought he could control the law and the election, even if he wasn’t the rightful winner.
In conclusion President Nixon had some ups and downs like most Presidents. He was the first modern President that brought out globalized criticism, and where the White House conflicts became the household problems. If anyone wonders where America stands, or even how we got here, Nixonland will be a good place to start.
So how does this former leader of the free world compare to Macbeth? Before they achieved their positions of power to govern or rule all, both Nixon and Macbeth spent many years being heavily respected amongst their peers. Nixon spent many years as a respected congressman and Macbeth as a soldier and Thane of Glamis. They used the way people viewed them to their advantage to gain a position of power. Nixon used his experience to get him elected president. Macbeth was made Thane of Cawdor and eventually king. Once they both ascended to their respected roles they did whatever it took to protect themselves from any possible threats. Nixon cheated by trying to steal opponents campaign secrets thus giving him an unfair advantage.