#91    The Embattled Presidency

Last Update: April 13, 2017

OK PASS Objectives

Scandals in the White House

Public Records Act

product of the “open government” climate brought about by distrust of government accountability and by misuse of government power during the civil rights and Vietnam protest era.

Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns admits to tax evasion.

Content Standard 6:

H. Evaluate the impact of political scandals (e.g., Iran-Contra, and the Clinton impeachment) on federal law, national policies, and political behavior.

Watergate Affair  

 

Republicans illegally broke into the Democratic headquarters in Washington D.C. (Watergate Hotel)

1.  7 men were involved in the burglary and served jail time

       2.  President Nixon resigned  because of his involvement of a cover up  

        3.   Vice Pres, who became Pres, Gerald Ford pardoned him of any crime.


Watch State Criminal System Court Case 8min video :

H. Evaluate the impact of political scandals

 

Ford Administration

Gerald R. Ford has served as a congressman from Michigan for 25 years.

   1.  He accepted President Nixon's nomination as Spiro Agnew's replacement as Vice-President.

   2.  August 9, 1974 Ford became President after Nixon resigned after the watergate affair

Nelson Rockefeller becomes Ford's appointed VP

Watch President Ford 5 min video

 

3. President Ford pardoned Nixon of all Watergate crimes.

4.Ford did not work well with Congress, vetoed 84 bills and 16 were 2/3 rds override by the House and Senate.

5.  Fall of Saigon,  Ford orders the evacuation of South Vietnam.  Communists quickly overtook South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Fall of Saigon 5.5 min video

Watch Vietnam War 35 Years Later: Oliver North on Fox 4.5min video

C. Evaluate the causes and long term foreign and domestic consequences of United States’ military commitments in Southeast Asia, including the Vietnam War student protests; expanded television coverage of the war; and the War Powers Act).

 

Watch Vietnam War Beginning to End 22 min video

 

Photo Credits:

Ford: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/images/sites/ford.jpg

Nixon: http://www.danford.net/nixon.jpg

Fall of Saigon: http://www.temple.edu/history/images/SaigonFall.jpg

Agnew http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t052/T052499A.jpg