Nixon Persuasive Essay

Richard Nixon was born in 1913 in Yorba Linda, California, the second of five sons of Francis Anthony Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon. The Nixons were Scots-Irish and the Milhouses, of Irish and English descent, were members of the Society of Friends, more commonly known as Quakers. He was the President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. Richard Nixon was the only president to resign from office. Nixon was correct in resigning from his presidency due to the Watergate scandal and the inflation of the economy.

When Nixon was in his second term the economy began to have severe inflation. The economy became inflated because of massive grain sales to the USSR the previous summer and the need to devalue the dollar a second time in February 1973. Nixon tried to relax the inflation by cutting government purchasing on domestic social programs, such as education, urban renewal, and antipoverty programs, but not military spending which Congress wanted. Congress became angry with Nixon when Nixon impounded funds arranged by Congress for the programs and vetoed new social legislation. The people also became angry when they found out that the programs they needed were being cut.

The Watergate scandal drove Nixon out the window. In March 1973 questions had arisen in the trial of burglars who had broken into the Democratic Nation Committee at the Watergate complex in Washington. Washington post reporters as well as persistent questioning by the US District Court Judge John J. Sirica showed that a huge blanket had hid the truth of the burglars' activities. When indications that the burglars were linked to high government officials and the president's closest aides, a Senate committee investigation unraveled the truth that the Watergate incident was just one of many scandals, including four years of political espionage and sabotage by Nixon loyalists.

The people became outraged at Nixon and the number of scandals that were turing up. Nixon knew for the good of the country he would have to resign. The only other choice was impeachment. Nixon took the classy way out of the situation and took a dive. On October 20, 1973 Nixon resigned as what was known as the "Saturday Massacre".

Nixon's resignation was for the good of the country and would have been horrid if he would have tried to fight it all. But luckily he didn't, and did what was need for the people.

Nixon Quick Facts