Determination was a driving factor in Richard Nixon’s political ambition. His determination was triggered by tragedy and defeat. Nixon was unwavering in his belief that he could overcome his disadvantages and “be of some good for the people.” Richard Nixon was born in a rural California town and grew up “around the people he would one day call the forgotten Americans and the silent majority.” The people that Nixon watched in his youth were the bastions of Nixon’s campaigns and policy principles. It could be argued that Nixon’s political drive was to create a nation where men like his father, a man that Nixon described as a “common man,” would have an easier time. Nixon’s political base directly mirrored the residents of Nixon’s hometown; they …show more content…
Though Nixon was able to regain the trust of Eisenhower and his supporters, the “secret fund” foreshadows Nixon’s determination to use any means necessary to gain power, even if it means betraying the beliefs that his political platform was built upon, “Law and …show more content…
Nixon originally lost to John F. Kennedy, and following President Kennedy’s assassination and President Johnson’s decline in popularity from his decision to enter the Vietnam War, Nixon reentered the presidential ring. Nixon’s platform was as the alternative to the protestors and counter culture. He reinforced that he was the only candidate that stood for American values and patriotism. Nixon played on the American people’s fear and anger. He believed that he was the only candidate that could restore “law and order” to America. Conservatives connected to Nixon’s humble beginnings and his hostility toward intellectuals, liberals and socialists. Nixon ended up winning the 1968 presidential election against Hubert Humphrey, and in his inauguration speech, he reinforced that he and his supporters “helped make the world safe for mankind.” His bequest as president was to create a generation of peace following a decade of crime and