...The mention of Richard Nixon’s presidency is invariably connected to the Watergate scandal, because of its effect on the public’s view of the presidency and government. It is hard to forget one of the most massive instances of government corruption and dishonesty that stemmed from the president himself. Nixon was known as a politician that would do whatever it takes to achieve his political goals and eliminate his competition. He came into the presidency when the U.S. was in a time of cultural and political conflict, so he appealed to a silent majority in order to win votes. Despite Nixon’s success in foreign and environmental affairs, his presidency was overshadowed by his domestic policies and the Watergate scandal. Emerging from the 1960’s, the Nixon’s era was characterized by conflicting political and social movements and deteriorating economic and environmental conditions. Nixon was elected because of his image as a steady Republican candidate amid disarray within the Democratic party. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek reelection, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s campaign was ruined by protests. In addition,...
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...campaigning to get the votes necessary to win the state. Some believe that the public makes the decision for president long before the campaigns even start, and others believe that the campaigns are necessary to gain votes for a president. A campaign in itself is not necessary to influence the public's decision. The focus is not whether the campaign has the influential power to change people's opinion, but the focus is on the actual individual who is voting. The individual has the power to choose whether to let the campaign influence his or her opinion or to make the decision before the campaign. There are both cases when the individual makes a decision for president before the campaign starts and when the individual makes a decision for president because of the influence of the campaign. Campaigns do matter in a democratic society and they are important to a certain extent for those who actually follow the campaigns, but they are not as important for everyone. Not anyone can just run for president. There are certain qualifications that a person must have to become president. He or she must prove the nation that he or she is able to lead a nation. The, " qualities of the candidate are extremely important influences on how people vote" (Fiorina and Peterson 302). Campaigns are a way to prove one's qualifications. Campaigns are important to a democratic society because they provide information for the nation about the candidate. Robert Dole is an example of how campaigns show one's qualifications...
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...Impact of US Foreign Policy on the Vietnam War The Vietnam War is one of the most talked about wars in history. It began in 1959 and did not end until 1975. These years saw protests, conflicts, casualties, and confusion for the United States, as well as the terms of three presidents: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. When U.S. involvement in the war began under Kennedy, it was originally put out as a plan for the United States to only aid the South Vietnamese, but, after his assassination, Johnson was put in charge. The path that the war took under Johnson was filled with controversy and large numbers of casualties. When Johnson did not run for a second term, Nixon was left in charge to ultimately turn things around. Soon, all of the American troops were removed from Vietnam, and the war slowly began to come to a close. But what was it about Nixon’s foreign policy that was so much more successful than Johnson’s? Was Nixon’s policy more closely related to Kennedy’s successful strategy than Johnson’s was, and, if so, why didn’t Johnson do a better job modeling his policy after Kennedy? These are all questions that political scientists still look at today as a way to solve the many questions that are still being posed about the war. I have looked deeply into these questions, and found answers through researching the history of Vietnam as well as the three presidents. As I read about each event that unfolded, it became clear to me why there were such...
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...Outline John F. Kennedy vs. Nixon Thesis Statement: John F. Kennedy and Nixon were both very popular presidents of the United States of America. They both had tremendous influences on history that can never be forgotten. Intro: 1. Both first elected in Congress 1946 2. Both had unorthodox view points 3. Nixon- conservative Republican, Kennedy- conservative Body: I. Friendship - Both in navy - Nixon agreed with Kennedy on issues. - Kennedy-play boy wealthy and charming, Nixon was poor. II. Campaign - Kennedy won the Great debate - Kennedy won do to his looks - saved the country from nuclear destruction - Nixon supporters not happy, heard the plan to assassinate Vietnam president. III. Nixon presidency - Nixon president 1968 - Nixon kept the countries reputation in the world - Met with a Chinese leader, built china- America relations IV. Both supported the space program - Kennedy focused on traveling to the moon - Nixon approved 5 year long program with Soviet Union - Both pushed integration in schools. V. Nixon Watergate Scandal - “deep throat” revealed Nixon used aid to commit crimes. - Nixon having secret alliances, tarnished reputation - Nixon rejected to leave office, resigned VI. Kennedy presidency - Fatal end, assassinated in Dallas - Oswald killed him, than killed by Jack Ruby - FOX news poll showed there was cover up with Kennedy’s assassination - “Zapruder” film approached, “Magic Bullet theory” ...
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...their group’s discussion item. Answer sheets should also identify student’s class and section. Discussion items to be turned in should restate the discussion item and identify the chapter under review. All answer sheets should be typed double-spaced with standard 1” margins on all perimeters. All segment discussion items MUST be received before the end of class on each segment review date. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE. 1. (A) Why was Richard Nixon NOT considered to be a ‘true’ conservative? (B) What constitutes a “Block Grant” as proposed by President Nixon? (C) What were the essential elements in Nixon’s proposed Family Assistance Plan and what were the legislative results? (D) What was Nixon’s Philadelphia plan? (a) Against the wishes and recommendation of the myopic conservative leadership in the late sixties Nixon expanded the welfare state and moved to improve relations with the Soviet Union but most of all he also opened up a dialogue with China. Instead of shrinking the federal bureaucracy as they hoped he would do Nixon infuriated his conservative base by creating a host of new federal agencies such as the Environmental protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board. He further alienated conservatives with his support for the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Air Act. (b) A block grant is a large sum of money granted by the national government to a regional government with only general...
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...7.01 Timeline I learned that the 1970's was dominated by President Richard Nixon and Watergate which caused him to resign. There was an issue with red dye no.2 which they thought could cause cancer so they stopped using it. I also learned that the year of the bicentennial means the 200 anniversary of a nation (or anything) and of course the end of the Vietnam war which had caused so much protesting and pain to so many people. 1970 - At Kent State University, National Guardsmen fire into a crowd killing four student antiwar demonstrators on Monday, May 4, 1970. The guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis. Some of the students who were shot had been protesting against the American invasion of Cambodia, which President Richard Nixon announced in a television address on April 30. Other students who were shot had been walking nearby or observing the protest from a distance. There was a significant national response to the shootings: hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools closed throughout the United States due to a student strike of four million students, and the event further affected the public opinion—at an already socially contentious time—over the role of the United States in the Vietnam War. 1971- The Year the Pentagon Papers are released - pentagon papers - A classified study of the Vietnam War that was carried out by the Department of Defense. An...
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...an all time low (Wilberding 30). The My Lai Massacre took place in My Lai, a village located in the Quang Ngai province (Morelock 60). The My Lai Massacre involved the Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, Lieutenant William L. Calley Jr., Ron Ridenour, and the hundreds of villagers in My Lai. The Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry was the set of approximately 100 armed American troops ordered to investigate My Lai. The group was led by Captain Ernest Medina ("My Lai murders" 70), although Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was in charge of these troops at the time of the events (Wilberding 31). Ron Ridenhour was a discharged combat infantryman who had heard the stories about My Lai, and wrote letters detailing these stories to President Nixon, congressmen, the State Department, and the Pentagon (Ridenour). This helped present the public with the atrocities over a year after they happened. It also led to the courts-martial cases. Different sources present different numbers, but roughly 347 to 504 Vietnamese unarmed civilians inhabited My Lai and were murdered by the American soldiers at My Lai. Very few, if any, were able to escape (Morelock 60). The specifics of what happened during the massacre have been documented through stories of those who witnessed the murders. The village contained mainly old men, women, and children, although the American soldiers expected Viet Cong soldiers. Captain Medina sent the over one hundred soldiers into the village, known as “Pinkville,” on a...
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...accomplished great feats, and overcame many hard-ships. The movie Hoffa portrayed Jimmy Hoffa as a man working for the Teamsters. He was a hard working worker and devoted himself for the better of the workers, the truck drivers, whom were being treated terribly and paid scarcely. The Teamsters was a union for these truck drivers, helping them to get better rights and more pay. Jimmy Hoffa was illustrated as a heroic leader in Hoffa. He determinedly led millions of truck drivers to better rights, no matter what Jimmy Hoffa had to do. Nevertheless, his fight was not solely for the truckers, or even teamsters, but indeed for himself to, as he told Bobby, a trucker whom he befriended. “Hoffa” traces the labor leader's thirty years of violent influence. The story is told in several flashback sequences, opening in 1975, as Bobby Ciaro and Jimmy Hoffa are awaiting a meeting. Ciaro reminisces of when he and Hoffa first met in 1938. Jimmy Hoffa approaches a parked truck, inside of which driver Ciaro is taking a nap. Hoffa talks to him about the benefits of joining the Teamsters. He gives Ciaro a business card, on which he has written: "Give this man whatever he needs." A few days later, Ciaro reports to work to find Hoffa attempting to organize the workers. Hoffa blurts out about their ride together and Ciaro is fired. He later accosts Hoffa with a knife, but is persuaded to drop it at gunpoint by Hoffa's associate Billy Flynn. Jimmy offers Ciaro an opportunity for work and he joins the...
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...American Perspective On The Vietnam War My grandfather is a Vietnam War veteran. That alone drove me toward choosing this topic for this research paper. A few months ago, my grandfather had let me read his manuscript that he wrote when he had gotten home from his twelve year service for the United States. This novel he wrote is increasing my interest in the Vietnam War each page I turn. People often ask me whenever we’re talking about the war, which side I’m positioned on. I say that we shouldn’t have “helped” in the war. Because in my opinion, we could have done better for the country if we would have kept our noses out if the excitement but as for people like my grandfather, he opposes that perspective. I do have a firm grip on both paradigms of the war but as you can tell, I want a world with no war possible but honestly, who doesn’t? I guess you can call me a dreamer. But I know I’m not the only one. I thank John Lennon and my Mother for that lesson. I love my mother and my grandfather just as much. But, like I said, because of that, I know and understand two, very different opinions or viewpoints of the Vietnam War. My Mom is somewhat a flower child from when she was just a teenager. That all began because she never really got along with my Grandfather all that well. My Grandfather (my mom’s step dad) was the stereotypical; stern but fair, strict yet loving, harsh yet respectful step-father. Due to that reason my Mom was a rebel to the degree of a flour child. She is always...
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...Henry Kissinger Adee L. Shekar Nova Southeastern University Henry Kissinger The year 1923 was not a fortunate time to be born in Eastern Europe into a middle-class Jewish family. Adolf Hitler was busy launching propaganda campaigns and Nazism was quickly on the rise. It was on May 27 when Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. Although the country had been previously known for being more accepting of religious minority groups, the Bavarian Jew, like many other German Jews, were beginning to feel the ostracizing affects of Hitler’s campaign. By the time Heinz was ten years old, Adolf Hitler was in power. Two years later, the Nuremberg Laws were put into effect. In addition to denying the Jewish people citizen, the laws did not allow them to marry gentiles and they could not hold teaching jobs in state-run schools. This was a significant blow for the Kissinger family; Heinz’s father, Louis, was a respected schoolmaster in the city of Furth. Now out of a job and faced with an increasing number of hardships, the Kissinger family left their native country of Germany in 1938 and made their way to the United States. It was during this move that Heinz became known as Henry. The Kissinger family’s move to Manhattan, New York allowed Henry to thrive and flourish in a society that, although not totally free from prejudices, was based upon the ideas of equal opportunity and freedom...
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...Q 15DBQ 15: The Resurgence of Conservatism, 1964-2005 Liberals had dominated American society for most of the 1900s. The 1960s was widely known for being the age of counterculture, social reforms, and liberals. The era witnessed many advancements like racial equality such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a strong advancement in political liberalism, and a significant increase in the power and influence of government-funded social programs as a result of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society reforms. Beginning with the election of Nixon, however, followed a gradual return to conservatism whether religiously, politically, or economically. The resurgence of conservatism in American politics and government in the years 1964-2005, was caused in reaction to 1960s liberal political, economic, and social policies as well as the rise of religious political groups and the controversy over the Vietnam War. The government's political and economic policies contributed to the rise of conservatism. Most notable of the federal reforms were initiated by liberal Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson and his Great Society schemes. His "War on Poverty" speech, delivered on March 16, 1964, called for a war on poverty to give people a second chance by spending millions on education, job training, housing, and healthcare. Johnson's intention was in some ways a conservative one. He wanted to give people a hand-up, not a hand-out and make them dependent on the money earned from taxing the more fortunate (Document...
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...The Nixon Doctrine of 1969 Kerri Richards POL 300 November 11, 2012 Revision made 12/9/12 The Nixon Doctrine was an American foreign policy set forth by President Nixon in 1969. It was also known as the Guam Doctrine for the country in which it was announced. The strategy of the Nixon Doctrine allowed Nixon to devise a way for the United States to exit that very unpopular conflict, the Vietnam War. It also stated that the United States would provide aid to its allies in times of need. A reassessment of American foreign policy, and a move to the era of negotiation was a must. Nixon needed to first extricate the country’s forces from Vietnam. Secondly, the country needed to ease the overall tension in Berlin and the Middle East. Thirdly, according to domestic ideological demands, and due to the increasingly threatening possibility of a surprise attack, nuclear arms controls had to be carried out. Removing these problems would remedy the damage done in such a period. The problem was to figure out how. The existent schools of diplomacy did not suggest a favorable method. Nixon’s foreign policy advisors decided not to stick on preceding principles or theories, but adhere to only one basic priority, National Interest. This doctrine tried to adjust the degree of U.S. intervention in various regions by adopting three criteria in its diplomatic decision: - The United States would keep its treaty commitments - The United States would "provide a shield if a nuclear power...
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...The Cold War and U. S. Diplomacy of Dwight Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower originated from a family of Swiss descent. He was born October 14, 1890 in Denison Texas, however soon thereafter moved to Abilene Kansas, due to his father’s job at a local creamery. Coming from a poor family, he was the third of seven sons.to the distress of his mother, a devout Mennonite and pacifist, young Ike (as he was known) Eisenhower learned the virtue of hard work as a child. During high school he was more interested in athletics than academics, graduating sixty-first out of 165. After his high school career he attended WestPoint. He was stationed in Texas as a second lieutenant and graduated in 1915 at the bottom half of his class. Eisenhower married Mamie Doud in 1916, whom he met at WestPoint. The couple had two sons, one of which died as an infant from scarlet fever, the other following the footsteps of his father. During his military campaign he devised many successful battle strategies ensuring the United States world power status in North Africa, Normandy and along the German border. As a president he developed America’s nuclear arsenal, began the Interstate highway system, ended the Korean War, and contained communism throughout the world, gaining strong support as a general and a president. During WWI Eisenhower served as a tank instructor, continuing his slow march towards the top of military rankings. Between the years of 1922 and 1924, Eisenhower was awakened by a special interest...
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...Political leaders of the United States were, at one time, thought of as essential members to our society. Naturally political leaders are those who represent, satisfy, and help the needs of the people. However our trust in our the government has drastically declined. People lost faith and trust in the government as a result of national secrets hidden and scandals that occurred right under our noses. One of the biggest scandals that further caused the mistrust of the government by the people was the Watergate scandal. The Watergate scandal had a great impact on public opinion. It changed the way people looked at the presidency, politics, and Congress. It also changed the media's view. Media gained a huge influence on American politics and the U.S would forever remember the first President that resigned. The Watergate scandal became one of the world's biggest controversy. Understanding the crime goes into the dynamics and results of the scandal....
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...One Million Dead for Naught The involvement of U.S. military forces in the Vietnam Conflict was neither justifiable nor demonstrative of sound judgment by the American government. Many books, magazines, and other forms of commentary on the Vietnam War have surfaced in the half century since the war’s end. Historian and author Stanley Karnow suggests that such publications generally attempt to make sense of the horrific “war that nobody won” (Karnow 9). It is a subject that will continue endlessly to divide historians and others as they attempt to draw lessons from the conflict that might then be used to justify, condemn, or promote America’s involvement in modern day Vietnams. Because of the magnitude of complexities surrounding the war, some may find it difficult to formulate an unwavering opinion about the war’s causes and effects. According to Robert McNamara, who served as Secretary of Defense for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, mankind has often struggled to find solutions to even simple problems related to the unification of values and ideologies spanning diverse cultures (McNamara 323). In order to fairly judge why the American government put our troops in the jungles, swamps, and fields of Vietnam, one might first closely examine why our government claims to have committed our troops to Vietnam. One of the reasons most adamantly advanced by our government to justify a full scale assault on the Vietcong of North Vietnam was an incident that is said to have occurred...
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