Richard Nixon’s time as president quickly became one of the most debated and controversial times in American history. An incident of burglary involving the president rose to national exposure in what became known as the Watergate scandal. At first, Nixon and his administration stood behind a curtain of lies in order to save their reputations. However, evidence revealed crimes committed by the president in which led to Supreme Court involvement. Eventually, resignation was the only option for Nixon to avoid impeachment and further embarrassment. The Supreme Court case: United States v. Nixon (1974) resulted in multiple negative effects on the people of the United States such as a lasting distrust in American government, numerous failed attempts at financial reform, and a decreasing voter turnout.
Initially, the Watergate scandal was uncovered to the public on June 18, 1972, with the headline story of the Washington Post informing the public of a burglary in the Watergate office complex (Fisher 1). Once it was learned that one of the burglars had received a $25,000 check from Nixon’s reelection campaign, “Bug Suspect Got Campaign Funds” was written across newspapers nationwide (Fisher 2). Questions arose from the people surrounding relations between the suspected burglar, James Mccord, and Nixon’s reelection …show more content…
A lack of trust from the American people hurts the ability for government institutions to do their job because they are continually defending their validity and lawfulness (“Distrustful Americans still” 3). Without faith in government, voters give government officials little assistance in doing their jobs successfully (“Distrustful Americans still” 4). By learning from Watergate and reforming politics, the government can be set back on the right path with the people (“Distrustful Americans still”
Initially, the Watergate scandal was uncovered to the public on June 18, 1972, with the headline story of the Washington Post informing the public of a burglary in the Watergate office complex (Fisher 1). Once it was learned that one of the burglars had received a $25,000 check from Nixon’s reelection campaign, “Bug Suspect Got Campaign Funds” was written across newspapers nationwide (Fisher 2). Questions arose from the people surrounding relations between the suspected burglar, James Mccord, and Nixon’s reelection …show more content…
A lack of trust from the American people hurts the ability for government institutions to do their job because they are continually defending their validity and lawfulness (“Distrustful Americans still” 3). Without faith in government, voters give government officials little assistance in doing their jobs successfully (“Distrustful Americans still” 4). By learning from Watergate and reforming politics, the government can be set back on the right path with the people (“Distrustful Americans still”