Why Did The Watergate Scandal

Throughout history, political leaders of the United States were, at one time, thought of as vital pioneers of our progressive society. As president, they vow to take the responsibility to represent America and its people with integrity. Unfortunately, over the years, our trust in our executive legislatures has radically deteriorated. This shift within public and governmental assurance has echoed all throughout history, but peaks at the height of an unexpected scandal. The 1970’s began on a path of disparity and hesitation due to the radical events and assassinations that shaped America’s mentality in the 1960’s. In a nation divided, Richard M. Nixon stepped in as 37th president in 1969 with a mission to resolve the trailing aftermath of the

President Nixon not only abused his powers as president of the United States, but he also completely disregarded the Constitution and the oath of office of the President of the United States. President Nixon is most famous for his involvement in the infamous Watergate scandal, which took place on June 17th, 1972 (Timeline). Nixon hired six burglars to break into the Democratic National Committee’s offices, which were located inside the Watergate office, complex in Washington. The burglars’ mission was to plant audio transmitters, but they were arrested after being discovered by an on duty watchman (Bodenner). President Nixon vehemently denied any involvement by White House staff or Nixon administration members. Nixon also implemented

When Nixon won his second term burglars broke into the Democratic Campaign Headquarters in Washington’s Watergate Complex. Tracks were found leading to government officials. The Nixon administration denied having the opponent building be broken into, but it was soon found that he did. Nixon was recording conversations in the Oval Office. Nixon was told to give up the tapes but he did not. He thought that he was the president and he was above the constitution. American democracy was made to not have a king, but Nixon thought he was the king, he thought he was above the law. The decision was taken to court and it was ruled 8-0 against Nixon and he had to give up the tapes.

This erosion of public trust was exemplified by the Watergate scandal, which unfolded in the early 1970s and sent shockwaves throughout the country. The scandal revealed the extent of political corruption and malfeasance within the highest levels of government, including the Nixon administration. Document 4 by Jimmy Carter, “Crisis of Confidence” 1979 claims “Our people are losing faith,. We were sure our was a nation of the ballot, not the bullet, until the murders of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr”, “We respected the presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate.” This clearly shows that the citizens no longer had trust and respect toward the government.

During the early 1970’s, a scandal took place at the hands of former president, Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon wanted to ensure that he got the chance to get reelected. He took extreme measures to do so, one of those extreme measures included espionage. On June 17, 1972, five burglars were taken down to the police station after breaking into the Watergate complex buildings in Washington, D.C. The five burglars; James McCord, Virgilio Gonzalez, Frank Sturgis, Eugenio Martinez, and Bernard Baker. “These five men broke into Headquarters for the Democratic National Committee, which was located in the Watergate hotel. This triggered the entire scandal and eventually led to Nixon’s demise.”

On June 17, 1972, inverstigators discovered that burglars hand intruded the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. This burglary became known as the Watergate Scandal, in which, five member of Richard Nixons reelection campain broke into the Watergate Complex and stole many classified documents. The five memebers also wire tapped all of the phones within the complex to help gather extra classified information. Nixon denied any involvement in the burglary, but however, investigators began to uncover evidence that would soon link him to the scandal.

When the “Watergate Seven” broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office Complex, none of them could have imagined the scandal which would soon erupt. Following the initial break-in on July 17, 1972, a cover up was initiated by the Nixon administration to hide the fact that the burglary was ordered by Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP). After two years of investigations and trials, Nixon's cover up blew up and he was indicated for obstruction of justice. In the end, Nixon chose to resign as president instead of facing impeachment. Although the Nixon administration endeavored to cover up its involvement in the Watergate burglary, political investigators were able to uncover the White House's

In June of 1972 a break-in at the Watergate Hotel would begin the unraveling of Nixon’s presidency. Burglars were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters and attempting to wiretap the phones. While it has never been proven that Nixon had prior knowledge of the break-in, his efforts at trying to cover it up, attempted bribes and efforts to impede an FBI investigation sealed his fate with the Judiciary Committee and, eventually, in the court of public opinion. Prior to the Watergate scandal, most of the country’s political dissention was directed at the Vietnam War. And even if people were divided on the issue of the war, at least they felt they weren’t being lied to about it. That all changed with Watergate. At the beginning of the Watergate trials, official polls would show that many people viewed the breach of trust as “business as usual” in Washington. But, by the end of the summer of 1973, the numbers would swing away from Nixon’s favor and the American people would be left with a fractured confidence in him and his cohorts. The hearings lasted from

Early in the morrow of June 17, 1972, several burglars were apprehend within the duty of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), placed in the Watergate construction in Washington, D.C. This was no mealy pillage: The prowlers were united to President Richard Nixon’s reelection electioneer, and they had been caught while exertion to wiretap telephone and slang concealed precept. While historians are not infallible whether Nixon knew around the Watergate spying transformation before it occur, he took footprint to protect it up afterwards, raising “allay chink” for the burglars, severe to delay the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from investigation the rape, dismantle token and fuel uncooperative stanza members. In August 1974, after his party in the Watergate combination had lastly appear to skylight, the heady philosophical. His successor, Gerald Ford, presently remit Nixon for all the crimes he “attached or may have attached” while in discharge. Although Nixon was never continue, the Watergate slander shift American government constantly, controlling many Americans to investigation their leap and guess more accurately throughout the superintendence.

The final straw that caused the full downfall of the Nixon administration, and with it the hope in the U.S. government, was the “Watergate scandal”. This showed deceit of illegal activity. Where a president went to the maximum extent to cover up and hide his wrongdoings. Many in his administration were tried and arrested. This showed a face of American government never seen before. Nixon resigned after that. In his speech of farewell he attempts to restore some of America's hope; he states when speaking about the white house, “this is the best house”, “this house has a great heart”(President Nixon’s farewell, Reader pg. 240). The discontent, fear, anger and disillusion that the American people had experienced for their government culminated

In his first couple of months in the oval office, Richard Nixon positively impacted the nation. As did most previous presidents do, Nixon had put himself right into action making sure he could build up and maintain and good reputation in office. But soon after completing his first term, disaster struck just as reelection was coming up. Nixon had destroyed his reputation, and by doing so showed the people how easy it was to be successful at a point and then lose it all due to one event, Watergate. Paul H. Elovitz, who teaches at Farleigh Dickinson University and is a founding faculty member of Ramapo College of New Jersey, begins to break down Nixon’s scenario. Elovitz comments, “Among his successes were the recognition of China, ending

June 17th, 1972 would be a day America would never forget--it was the start of one of the largest scandals in our government. Richard Nixon was president of the United States and the people trusted him. However this trust would be betrayed, as he got involved in something now known as the Watergate Scandal. This was an interesting time in history because it was a large cover up by the Republican Party. Also, how different people reacted to this event was fascinating because some people were so blind to the truth, that they stuck behind Nixon even once tapes and other credible evidence against him was produced. In this paper I will describe the events of Watergate and the publics opinion and reactions to this lengthy Scandal that corrupted

The transgressions uncovered during the Watergate break-in investigation discouraged Americans by shattering their belief in Presidential infallibility. As Richard Nixon’s chief-of-staff, H.R. Haldeman, said, “…comes a very clear thing: you can’t trust the government; you can’t believe what they say; and you can’t rely on their judgment; and the – the implicit infallibility of presidents, which has been an accepted thing in America, is badly hurt by this, because it shows that people do things the President wants to do even though it’s wrong, and the President can be wrong.” These words expressed the sentiment of most Americans following Watergate and the publicity surrounding the investigation and President Nixon’s subsequent resignation.

Everyday citizens often live unaware of their government’s inner workings. The knowing of political espionage is often too heavy of a subject to be inducted in conversation. True, prima facie, modest twists and turns of information may not be considered substantial, but this inconsideration leaves much to be uncontrolled. It is easy for political leaders to become power crazed, to not realize the massive implications that come of their actions. Only after all is said and done do the people actually realize their government is an opaque mask of deception. The Watergate Scandal substantially impacted Americans’ trust in their government.

President Richard M. Nixon’s administration had to face many international and domestic challenges in the United States between 1968 and 1974, some positive and some negative. His achievements in expanding peaceful relationships with both China and the Soviet Union are contrastingly different with his continuation of the Vietnam War. In the end, Nixon’s scandals and abuse of presidential power caught up to him, and his administration did much to corrode America’s faith in the government.