Post on 10-Mar-2021
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Nixon, Ford and Carter
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Election of 1968
• Nixon’s Strategy =
Democratic Candidate
Former V.P. under LBJ
Agreed in a meeting with Senator Strom Thurmond
Independent Candidate
Former Governor of Ala.
Republican Candidate
V.P. under Eisenhower
Appoint only conservatives to the Supreme Court
Oppose court ordered busing in the south
Choose a Southern Politician for Vice President
Former Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew
Southern Strategy
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Domestic Policies
• Southern Strategy included:
Slowing down desegregation in the south
Reversing some of LBJ’s Civil Rights policies
• Set Out to Restore Law and Order:
Targeted Anti-War Protestors who caused civil unrest
Prosecuted hard line Militants who incited riots and rebellion
Enforced laws against Draft Evaders and Military Deserters
Replaced retiring
Liberal Chief Justice
Earl Warren with
Conservative Judge
Warren Burger
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Domestic Policies
• New Federalism:
Dismantling several older Federal Programs
Returning power and authority to state level
Congress passed several Revenue Sharing Bills
Giving states more federal funds and power to help the people
Requiring states to comply with guidelines to obtain funds
Ultimately giving the federal government more power over states
• Sought to Reform Welfare System
Eliminate people claiming welfare checks instead of finding a job
1969 – Proposed a new Family Assistance Plan
Guaranteed a Yearly Grant to supplement current income
1970 – Passed in the House of Representative, but defeated in the Senate
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Foreign Policy
• Ambitious Agenda required strong leadership
Appointed Henry Kissinger as National Security Advisor and Chief Diplomat for Negotiations
Both believed that negotiations with USSR and China was a better policy than aggressive maneuvering
Took on a realistic approach to anti-communist policies
Rejected the old Bipolar world (two superpowers) to a Multipolar one
Dedicated to reducing Cold War tensions by building better relations
New Policy became known as Detente
1972: A Year for Change in World Diplomacy
Feb 1972: Nixon’s Trip to Beijing, China
May 1972: Nixon’s Trip to Moscow, Russia
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Foreign Policy Feb 1972: Nixon’s Trip to Beijing, China
May 1972: Nixon’s Trip to Moscow, Russia
Met with Mao Zedong
Agreed to establish “More Normal” relations
Increase of trade between U.S. and China
Resolve dispute over Taiwan
Hoped to persuade Soviets to agree on a meeting
Met with Leonid Brezhnev
Soviet invitation to a high level “Summit” meeting
Signed agreement to reduce Nuclear Weapons stockpiles
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)
Increase Trade & Information
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Presidential Election of 1972
Democratic Candidate
Senator from S.D.
Independent Candidate
Paralyzed by Assassin
Republican Candidate
Incumbent President
Concerns about re-election caused Nixon’s campaign staff to engage in subversive tactics
He had struggled in two previous elections (JFK 1960 / Calif 1962)
Continuing Race Riots and Anti-War Protests affected voters
Paranoid about opponents trying to undermine his Presidency
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Presidential Election of 1972
• Watergate Scandal: Efforts to steal information from the Democratic Party Headquarters in Washington, DC
5 Men broke into offices at Watergate Hotel complex
Attempted to steal info and install telephone wire taps
Security Guard detected the intruders and Police arrested them
• Media alerted to possible connection to the President
Administrative officials destroyed evidence
Advisors asked CIA to block FBI investigation
White House denied President’s involvement
Nov 1972:
President Nixon won Re-Election
Jun 1973:
Watergate Burglars Went on Trial
Nixon, Ford and Carter
1973: The Year for Presidential Disaster
• Jun 1973: Watergate Burglars went on Trial
Burglar James McCord (former CIA) agreed to testify to the Grand Jury
Numerous other campaign officials agreed to testify after McCord
White House Counsel, John Dean, incriminated the U.S. Attorney General:
John Mitchell ordered the break in
White House Aide, Alexander Butterfield, incriminated the President:
President Nixon ordered taping system installed in the Oval Office
Senate Investigators ordered the tapes to be released Nixon Refused
Nixon, Ford and Carter
1973: The Year for Presidential Disaster
• Oct 1973: Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox took the President to Court over the Tapes
Nixon had Cox fired and the new Attorney General resigned
• Fall 1973: Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned over bribery scandal during his Governorship of Maryland
House Republican Majority Leader, Gerald Ford, became the new Vice President
• Apr 1974: House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Nixon due to misconduct
• 9 Aug 1974: President Richard M. Nixon chose to resign the office of President
Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Ford Struggles
• Sep 1974: President Gerald Ford granted Nixon a “full, free, and absolute pardon”
Criticism damaged the president’s credibility with the American voters
• By 1975: Americans and President struggled with the oil shortages and inflation
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had an embargo against the U.S. due to its support of Israel
• 1975-1976: President Ford’s attempts to resolve economic problems failed
• President Ford kept Henry Kissinger on as Secretary of State
• July-Aug 1975: President signed the Helsinki Accords
Agreement to improve East-West relations and continue Détente with the Communist Bloc
Nixon, Ford and Carter
1976 Presidential Election
Democratic Candidate
Former Governor of GA
Republican Candidate
Incumbent President
Rising Inflation and Unemployment
Political Turmoil in Developing Nations
Declining Détente with Communists
Concerns of American Voters included:
Strong Religious beliefs
Dedicated to being Honest and Truthful
Promised to restore morality to politics
Promised to restore integrity to office
Criticized by Media
“Return to Basic American Virtues”
Need for a Strong National Defense
Reconciliation with the Communist Bloc
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Economic Policy
• Several different policies failed to reduce inflation
• Proposed a National Energy Program to get American’s to voluntarily conserve oil and fuel consumption
• 1977: Persuaded Congress to create a Department of Energy to monitor and regulate the safety and use of all Nuclear Power
• 1979: Middle East Crisis caused a second major fuel shortage in America
Foreign Policy
• 1977: Appointed Congressman Andrew Young as first African-American Ambassador to the United Nations
• 1978: Signed a resolution guaranteeing the return of the Panama Canal to the Panamanians in 1999
• 1978-1979: Negotiated the historic Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel
Ending 30 years of hostilities between them
Nixon, Ford and Carter
Foreign Policy
• Jan 1979: Iranian Revolution forced the Shah to flee
• Nov 1979: Revolutionaries stormed the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Hostages
Efforts to negotiate with the Ayatollah Khomeini to release of the hostages failed
• Dec 1979: Soviet Military forces invaded Afghanistan
U.S. imposed a grain embargo against the Soviet Union
U.S. Boycotted the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow
• 20 Jan 1981: Iranian Hostages were released on the day President Carter left office