Since the nineteen fifties, Americans have slowly begun to lose trust in the government. According to the Pew Research Center, eighty percent of Americans do not trust the government (Reynolds). Many events have led to a decline in trust in the government, but the three most important events will be further discussed. Americans have grown disillusioned with the federal and state governments due to the Vietnam war, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the Watergate Scandal. On March 8, 1965, America entered the Vietnam war, a pointless war with no known enemy. During the Vietnam war, Americans started to become less patriotic (Lecture). People did not volunteer to go to war anymore like they did during WWII. Vietnam was perceived as a
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Kennedy on November 22, 1963 provoked utter chaos in America. When Kennedy was president, trust in the government was at seventy-six percent, according to the article What We Lost with JFK: Trust in Our Government (Daily Kos). The largest number of voters in American history was in 1960 (The JFK Assassination and the Origin of Distrust in Government). Today, people do not care enough to vote for the candidates. People are very uneducated about politics and think the government is continuously lying to them. The article, The JFK Assassination and the Origin of Distrust in Government, states the public’s loss of confidence in the government “[started] with the ambush at Dealey Plaza” and has continued to decline (JFK Countercoup). His death caused several Americans to lose trust in the government because his assassination arose many conspiracy theories. This was a major time when people started to question the government and what they were hiding. His assassination was a major aspect to the decline in …show more content…
Kennedy, and the Watergate Scandal have caused Americans to grow disillusioned with the federal and state governments. Vietnam was a war with an unknown enemy, which Americans should have never entered. Thousands of men died without a reason to fight. The assassination of John F. Kennedy caused panic and mourning. After his assassination, trust in the government plummeted. One of the most important factors of the decline in trust was Nixon’s presidency and the Watergate Scandal. Richard Nixon continuously lied to Americans and tried to cover up his misconduct. These three events have immensely impacted America’s trust in the
Kennedy on November 22, 1963 provoked utter chaos in America. When Kennedy was president, trust in the government was at seventy-six percent, according to the article What We Lost with JFK: Trust in Our Government (Daily Kos). The largest number of voters in American history was in 1960 (The JFK Assassination and the Origin of Distrust in Government). Today, people do not care enough to vote for the candidates. People are very uneducated about politics and think the government is continuously lying to them. The article, The JFK Assassination and the Origin of Distrust in Government, states the public’s loss of confidence in the government “[started] with the ambush at Dealey Plaza” and has continued to decline (JFK Countercoup). His death caused several Americans to lose trust in the government because his assassination arose many conspiracy theories. This was a major time when people started to question the government and what they were hiding. His assassination was a major aspect to the decline in …show more content…
Kennedy, and the Watergate Scandal have caused Americans to grow disillusioned with the federal and state governments. Vietnam was a war with an unknown enemy, which Americans should have never entered. Thousands of men died without a reason to fight. The assassination of John F. Kennedy caused panic and mourning. After his assassination, trust in the government plummeted. One of the most important factors of the decline in trust was Nixon’s presidency and the Watergate Scandal. Richard Nixon continuously lied to Americans and tried to cover up his misconduct. These three events have immensely impacted America’s trust in the