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Watergate Scandal Impact

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When five men were caught bugging and stealing from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the Watergate Hotel and Complex on June 17, 1972, the burglary was reported briefly and soon forgotten amidst other headlining news. Months later, the Watergate Burglary exploded when ties were found between the break-in and Richard Nixon’s Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP) (Bernstein). Thus began the Watergate Scandal: the bugging and burglary at the Watergate Complex, the cover-up ordered by President Nixon himself, and the Watergate trials which revealed patterns of ethical misconduct within the Nixon administration. The scandal’s traditional timeline ranges from the break-in at the Watergate Complex, Washington D.C. in June of 1972 …show more content…

in Hillstrom 3). The Watergate Scandal was a pivotal event in U.S. history and created a constitutional disaster, resulting in the first and only presidential resignation (Olson 1). The political climate and scandals affiliated with the Watergate break-in caused a cultural revolution in the United States. Watergate strengthened the the power of the press and media in American society. The Watergate Scandal changed the culture of American civilians. Lastly, the Watergate Scandal forced the political system change its ethical code.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been investigating the Watergate burglary for less than a month, when Nixon ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to shut down the investigation. Despite this being an obstruction of justice and an impeachable crime, the Watergate investigation did not reach much publicity, which is why it was so radical for amateur Washington Post journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward to continue the investigation. With the help of former FBI agent Mark Felt— then known as “Deep Throat”—, Woodward and Bernstein discovered money given to Nixon’s re-election campaign that …show more content…

Nixon is one of numerous public figures that turned to selfish and excessive means for winning. His desired success and attempted preservation of public ignorance through bribery, burglary, spying, and forgery reflects the culture of the American people themselves (Royster 257). Watergate, however, helped create more ethical standards for politics and therefore society as a whole (Dean). After Watergate, more than 40 percent of scandal-tainted politicians did not survive, whether it be through loss, retirement, or resignation (Basinger 395). This statistic depicts an improvement in societal and electorate standards and judgement for a specific

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Rhetorical Analysis: in Barbara Jordan’s “Statement on the Articles of Impeachment” In 1976, the first African American Congresswoman took the podium to address the political problems in the U.S. She used every form of document in the constitution to prove that things can change if they were followed accordingly. This courageous woman, Barbara Jordan, wrote “Statements on the Articles of Impeachment”, delivered July 25, 1974 to the House Judiciary Committee and argued that if the President was to participate in anything suspicious and kept the person safe, he may be impeached. Jordan builds her credibility with the evidence of Richard Nixon’s activity with several things beyond out of order; during her speech she was forcefully optimistic

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To make things worse, “one and one third million dollars of the pre- April 7 contribution came from persons Nixon latter appointed as U.S. Ambassadors.” (36) The Section of CREEP which spear headed the break-in was the group in charge of gathering and leaking information about critics of the Nixon administration. The man who headed this operation was Gordon Liddy. Liddy’s original plan consisted of break-ins, kidnappings, wiretapping, prostitutes, and mugging.

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On the domestic aspect, citizens were beginning a new chapter in which they did not trust the government. Stemming back to Lyndon B Johnson and the Credibility Gap of the Vietnam War, the most recent, most devastating attitude change surrounded the Watergate Scandal and the aftermath. During Nixon’s presidency, he was attempting to bug the Democratic Party headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel. While his henchmen were placing the bugs, they were caught, thus causing a huge controversy amongst Americans. Although Nixon attempted to cover up his ties to the break in, it eventually came out that he ordered it to be done.

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During the post-9/11 period, the government passed policies against foreigners, especially those who had connections with Arab, to secure the nation from terrorism. The abuse of power is more likely to be accepted when it comes with a “reasonable explanation.” On the other hand, when Nixon used the government power to cover the truth of Watergate, his action was no different than corruption, therefore not being recognized by the public. Moreover, the impact of the Watergate Scandal was deep and enduring- it stated the necessity of openness and honesty in

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Instead of going along with the Watergate Scandal Richard Nixon could have stepped up like a good president and stop the situation. Also, instead of giving them hush money, he could have made them tell the police or he could have went to the police himself and told them what was happening. There are so many solution that Richard Nixon could have done and he wouldn’t have been impeached ,but it happened and now he can’t take it back. Nixon can’t even redo his wrong and neither can the

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