The Nixon Presidency - WIP

What political party was Nixon?

Who did Nixon choose as his running mate? (Vice President)

Who was Nixon running against in the Presidential Election?

By the early 1960s many felt that Nixon was a spent political force. He had lost the 1960 Presidential race to Kennedy, and also lost the 1962 gubernatorial (governor) race in [blank_start]California[blank_end] to Pat Brown. He left politics for a brief period before returning in 1964 to campaign for [blank_start]Barry Goldwater[blank_end], despite believing he couldn't win.

The Democrats entered the 1968 election divided - they were mostly divided over the issue of [blank_start]Vietnam[blank_end]. There were also notable riots in the aftermath of Johnson's [blank_start]civil rights[blank_end] legislation, and his social policy had been criticised. Johnson won the first primary narrowly over [blank_start]Eugene McCarthy[blank_end], however announced he would not be running for nomination.

Bobby Kennedy emerged as the Democratic frontrunner, but was assassinated when he won the California primary. Who killed him?

The motivation behind Bobby Kennedy's assassination was American support for Israel.

The Democrats held their convention in [blank_start]August[blank_end] in Chicago. Hubert Humphrey had won the nomination and mayor [blank_start]Richard Daley[blank_end] was determined that the convention would occur smoothly. This led to an increased police presence. Around [blank_start]10,000[blank_end] protesters went to Chicago, they were from a variety of groups including Yippies (the Youth International Party) and [blank_start]Anti-War groups[blank_end]. They were determined to shut down the convention and police attempted to break up a protest rally on [blank_start]August 28th[blank_end]. The resulting images were broadcast across the nation and were damaging to the Democrats.

Nixon rose to a double digit lead in the polls after the Democratic convention protests.

Nixon debated with Humphrey on television, and came across as having the upper hand.

What was Nixon's promise regarding Vietnam?

Which of the following were Nixon's promises and policies?

Nixon deliberately targeted his campaign at appealing to "Middle America" - those who earned $5000-15000 a year.

The group that Nixon called the [blank_start]silent majority[blank_end] were the typical "Middle America" that he targeted his campaign at. They were the Americans who were not poor, but existed fairly close to the poverty line, and who felt they were being taxed too heavily.

Nixon recognised the increasing importance of the "sun belt." This was the region from North Carolina to [blank_start]California[blank_end]. The north-east had typically been the powerhouse of the US (states like New York and Washington) however the 40s and 50s saw the population of the sun belt [blank_start]double[blank_end]. Nixon therefore decided to appeal to voters in this area in particular for a number of reasons.

On what grounds did Nixon appeal to voters in the sun belt?

Nixon repeated his strategy from the 1960 election, campaigning in every state.

Nixon's vice-president Spiro Agnew had a media profile that was not great, making him a surprising choice.

The key figure in foreign policy was [blank_start]Henry Kissinger[blank_end].

Nixon saw foreign policy as the most interesting and important presidential task.

How many federal judges did Nixon appoint?

Nixon's true personality can be characterised as paranoid, vindictive and cynical.

What were Nixon's main domestic policy aims?

Nixon agreed with Johnson that the Great Society programme was of great use to American society.

How did Nixon back up his Great Society related rhetoric with action?

Nixon wanted to reform the welfare system. Opinion polls showed [blank_start]80%[blank_end] of Americans believed those on welfare could get a job if they wanted. Nixon wanted to extend the Food Stamps programme and renamed the [blank_start]Family Assistance Programme (FAP)[blank_end]

The FAP wanted to replace programmes such as food stamps with cash payments to those in need.

Why was the FAP programme criticised?

The Bill (FAP) passed through Congress in 1972.

What was the 1971 Child Development Act and was it successful?

Nixon vetoed the Child Development Act because he thought it smacked of Communism.

Did spending on welfare rise or fall under Nixon?

The Nixon years saw the introduction of Supplementary Security Income (SSI.) This provided guaranteed [blank_start]income for the elderly/disabled.[blank_end] The Nixon years also saw an increase in social security, [blank_start]Medicare and Medicaid[blank_end] benefits.

Which of these were real Acts passed under Nixon?

When Nixon became President, the relationship between the federal government and the civil rights movement was fractured.

The [blank_start]Kerner[blank_end] Report (1968) had stressed the need to prevent de facto economic segregation from replacing de jure segregation in the South.

De facto segregation = [blank_start]"segregation of the heart"[blank_end] De jure segregation = [blank_start]segregation by law.[blank_end]

The Black Power movement thrived under Nixon.

For what reasons did the Black Panthers in particular decline?

Liberal sympathy for the Black Power movement was limited following the ghetto riots [blank_start]1964-68[blank_end]

SNCC and CORE began expelling white members.

Which of the two organisations ceased to exist in 1973?

[blank_start]Busing[blank_end] became the new focus of the civil rights campaign.

Busing involved sending students from one neighbourhood to a school in a different area to prevent the [blank_start]de facto[blank_end] segregation of schools

The [blank_start]North[blank_end] was a particular area of focus for the busing campaign.

Why was the North the area of focus for the busing campaign?

In which of these rulings in 1971 did the Supreme Court state that busing could be used to achieve a racial balance in schools?

Opinion polls showed busing was supported 2 to 1 by Americans.

Nixon attempted to rally behind the busing campaign and motivate people to support it.

He wanted to pass a constitutional amendment [blank_start]preventing busing[blank_end] but this was rejected by Congress. However, he was able to appoint a number of [blank_start]conservative[blank_end] judges and this had an impact.

In [blank_start]Milliken v Bradley[blank_end] ([blank_start]1974[blank_end]) the court ruled to stop busing in Detroit on the basis that it shouldn’t cross school district boundaries. This did much to allow de facto segregation to continue.

Nixon supported busing, both privately and publicly.

Nixon's main successes came with the introduction of the first federal [blank_start]affirmative action[blank_end] programme, despite Nixon calling it [blank_start]reverse discrimination[blank_end]. [blank_start]The Philadelphia Plan[blank_end] was put into place in [blank_start]Philadelphia[blank_end] in 1970, and it required government contractors to hire minority workers until targets were reached.

What was the Supreme Court ruling that upheld The Philadelphia Plan?

Which of these were other developments made on civil rights under Nixon?

Which of these were part of Nixon and Kissinger's strategy to minimise anti-war protest at home?

Celebrity involvement in anti-war protest boosted its profile.

The actress Jane Fonda visited the Vietcong in 1972 and earned the nickname [blank_start]Hanoi Jane.[blank_end]

Student protest was at the forefront of anti-war protest. Student numbers had been expanding throughout the 1960s and many were keen to get involved. Significant student protest included... Radical students blowing up buildings at the [blank_start]University of Colorado[blank_end] because black students' scholarships were frozen Students at [blank_start]San Diego[blank_end] set fire to banks a pro [blank_start]Black Panthers[blank_end] demonstration set [blank_start]Yale[blank_end] Law School library books on fire.

On the 4th May 1970 at which university were four students shot dead by the National Guard?

Americans were overwhelmingly sympathetic to student protestors.

Nixon was sympathetic to student protestors.

Withdrawing troops from Vietnam reduced protest but Nixon was determined to reduce protest further. He threatened to end federal scholarships/loans for [blank_start]convicted student criminals[blank_end]. He ordered surveillance of [blank_start]disruptive groups[blank_end] Prosecuting protestors - in spring 1970, [blank_start]10,000[blank_end] were arrested in Washington. Nixon and Agnew constantly called them traitors.

Feminists such as Gloria [blank_start]Steinem[blank_end] stressed how little the Nixon administration had done for women and tried to persuade his wife, [blank_start]Pat[blank_end] Nixon, to campaign for their cause.

Feminist protest tended to get lost in the larger picture of anti-war protest.