U.S. History / Unit 9: Civil Rights and a Changing Nation
9.7 Nixon, Watergate and the 1970s
Notes
- Richard Nixon (1969 to 1974) pursued détente (easing tensions): he visited China (1972) and signed the SALT I arms agreement with the Soviets.
- Watergate: in 1972, men tied to Nixon's reelection campaign broke into Democratic headquarters at the Watergate complex. Nixon tried to cover up the White House's role.
- White House tapes revealed the cover-up. In ***United States v. Nixon* (1974)** the Supreme Court ordered him to turn over the tapes.
- Facing likely impeachment, Nixon resigned in August 1974, the only president to do so. Gerald Ford became president and pardoned him.
- Watergate showed that checks and balances worked, but it deepened public distrust of government.
- Jimmy Carter (1977 to 1981) brokered the Camp David Accords (1978) between Egypt and Israel. The economy suffered from stagflation (high inflation plus unemployment) and energy shortages. In the Iran hostage crisis (1979 to 1981), 52 Americans were held for 444 days.
Practice
Why did President Nixon resign in 1974?
The tapes proved his role in the cover-up.
In United States v. Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court ruled that:
Executive privilege does not override evidence needed in a criminal investigation.
Nixon's 1972 visit to China and the SALT I agreement are examples of:
Détente meant easing Cold War tensions through diplomacy.
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