Rick Perlstein Nixonland Analysis

Rick Perlstein Nixonland takes us back to the 1960’s and 1970’s in America, during the time of Richard Nixon. Through times of riots happening in Los Angeles which were the Watts riots to America being divided within. Richard Nixon did not have an easy life with family hardships, and the death of two brothers it was not easy for Nixon. At school Nixon was a very good at debating which he became the Debate Team president, and the only way to his father’s attention which Perlstein wrote “the surest way to Frank’s heart was through the skill at argumentation”(Perlstein, Rick). While in school he created the club the Orthogonians which was the rejected students to the Franklins which was an elite group of students. During his final years as president …show more content…
With the debate team, and a very good argumentative person did not help him in the 1960’s debate against John F. Kennedy on September 26th. Before the debate Nixon was getting over a sickness, and his appearance was pale and sickly, but Kennedy was well rested, sun kissed from the California sun after campaigning, and prepared. Throughout the debate on TV and radio many people thought Nixon had won the debate, and those who watched thought Kennedy did because of his strong, young appearance. During 1972 when Nixon was running for re-election, and America was facing the Vietnam War there was a break in the Democratic National Committee that was located in the Watergate building. Throughout the investigation, evidence soon surfaced that Nixon was involved, and that the burglars were part of Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect. It all came down on Nixon when he tried his best to cover up the evidence with hush money to the burglars, tried to have the CIA look into the FBI which is abusing his presidential power and obstruction of justice. Even though he kept telling the people he was not involved, until the Supreme Court forced him to turn over the tapes that he had, it was over