Learn Our History Today: On January 9, 1913, United States President Richard M. Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California. Getting his start in politics immediately following World War II, Richard Nixon joined the Republican Party where he was known for his extremely anti-communist stance. He ran for a seat in the House of Representatives against Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas, and Nixon continuously alleged and hinted at Douglas’ possible pro-red stance. Although he ended up winning the election he earned an everlasting nickname for his underhandedness, “tricky dick.” During his time in the senate, Nixon gained national prominence for his continued anti-communist activities, most notably for his involvement with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), during which he relentlessly grilled possible communists on a variety of issues. His relentless combating of communism soon gained Nixon support nation-wide, so much so that Dwight D. Eisenhower choose him as his running mate in the 1952 election. Nixon would go on to serve as Vice-President for eight years before campaigning for the Presidency himself in 1960. Although he narrowly lost to John F. Kennedy, Nixon would eventually be elected as Commander-in-Chief in 1968. Nixon’s presidency would be marked by increased environmental awareness and better international relations, but its real legacy is that of the Watergate Scandal. This debacle came about when a group of men hired by Nixon for the sole purpose of discrediting political opponents were caught while burglarizing the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. Nixon desperately tried to hide his involvement and cover up the crime, but the press began to discover more and more details incriminating Nixon. Soon the Senate appointed a committee to investigate the Watergate affair, and this committee discovered the existence of oval office recordings of Nixon’s conversations, all of which proved to be damning evidence against Nixon. Now having the newly discovered tapes, Congress began to start the impeachment progress. However, before it was completed, Richard Nixon, hoping to avoid the shame and humiliation impeachment would bring, resigned the presidency, officially leaving office on August 9, 1974.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 16:13:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015