The following clip is of Pres. Richard Nixon resigning as President in 1974. You will watch the clip, it is only 4 minutes long, and write your opinion of his. What did you think of the speech? Should he have resigned? A, C, D Blocks should write 3 to 4 sentences. B Block should write 6 sentences. This should be done for class on Tuesday, May 4th, so we can talk about it. This counts as a homework assignment.
I think that Nixon's leaving office was the best option for both himself and the rest of the nation. After the Watergate scandle, not many people had trust in him anymore or the government for that matter. Many people were probably thankful for him leaving office since he was seen as so distrustful.
ReplyDeletei think he should have resigned. he lied under oath and he lied to the american people. i think his choice was the right one which was to resign.
ReplyDeleteby desiree sylvester
I completely agree with his choice to resign. He would never have gotten anything passed, four out of every five people believed he played a part in watergate. No one trusted him and eveyrone thought he was a crook. How oculd he go on with being a president. His reasons are well founded. America needed someone who oculd get the job done and somone who was well liked. Unfortunately both of the next two presidents severely hurt themselves by their first actions as president. I also do not liek the man. He looks like an arrogant pompous man sitting there thinking that he is above the law and can do what ever he wants. I agree with his resignation but feel he should have admitted to it then gotten pardoned. Everyone knows he did. Why couldn't he just admit it. I hate him.....
ReplyDeleteKevin
I agree with Nixon's choice to resign as president. After the watergate scandal, the american people lost trust in him. Many officials lost trust in him also so he would never get any new laws passed to improve the society. President Nixon could no longer carry on as the president if he wished to. Resigning from the president would make Nixon the first person to ever do that which is pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Nixon resigning was the best option. He lied to the government and the citizens. Many people thought he was involved in Watergate. His speech hid the real reason as to why he resigned.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Richard Nixon made the right decision by resigning. The rest of his presidency would have been a waste of time because no one would have trusted him anymore. It is almost impossible to get anything done when the American public doesn't trust the president. Nixon saved himself and America the embaressment of having the president put on trial for taking part in a robbery.It would have made the US look very bad at a time when we were just restoring life to its natural order. So, whiel i don't respect him for what he did, i think he made the right decision in resigning.
ReplyDelete-John D
I agree with Nixon's resignation. Not that he had much of a choice everyone knew he had somethin to do with Watergate. He wouldn't be able to ave anything he wanted passed with a good majority of cogress against him. Also he is President and he broke the law, he shouldn't even have the chance to resing he shoul be kicked out. I don't like how in his speech he continues to try and sound innocent like he wishes he could stay in office but he must do what's best for the U.S. Clearly a krook for President wouldn't be for the good of th people.
ReplyDeleteLauren R
I definitely believe that Nixon's choice to resign was the best option. The entire U.S. was outraged about Watergate, and the involvement of the government. If Nixon chose to continue on with his presidency he wouldn't be able to rely on the support of his fellow Americans, because most of them now were against him. The people of America were betrayed and lied to, and they had no one else to blame but their own president. A president should be somebody Americans look up to, not look down upon. For these reasons I believe it was a good move on Nixon's part to resign.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it was Nixon's best option to resign from presidency. Although his achievements as president were admirable, Nixon's involvement in the Watergate Scandal tarnished his past accomplishments. Nixon lost the trust of both government officials and United States citizens. If he didn't resign, chances are, he would have been the first U.S. president to be impeached. Also, staying in office would prove to be pointless, because none of his laws would be passed. Basically, Nixon had no choice but to resign. He was unfavorable by everyone.
ReplyDeleteSoooo, I think Nixon's decision to resign was the best choice he could have made. He realized that with the Watergate Scandal he was in the wrong, and even if he wanted to resign Americans lost a lot of trust in him. He knew that he was not going to get the votes, so he decided to leave before it looked like he didn't get the votes. Also, President Nixon was the first person to resign, which makes him a legend.. holla!
ReplyDelete-Kelsey
Nixon made a very wise decision when he decided to resign from presidency. With his involvement in the Watergate scandal, he lost the trust of the nation. Without this trust and support he could not perform as well for the country. If he had not resigned then he would have had to face the embarrassment of being the first and only president to be impeached. I think that his decision was the best way to attempt the mending of the scandal.
ReplyDeleteshannon hennessy
It was definitely the right choice for Nixon to resign. No one trusted him anymore; that included the people and the rest of the government. He made a mistake and wasn't brave enough to own up to it so he ran from it. If he stayed as president, he would have been impeached.
ReplyDelete- Chelsey
he should of resigned because he lied to his state. he lied to everyone. The u.s. president was doing illegal things behind everyones back. and he should of got punished but for some reason ford gave him a pardon. But its a good thing that Nixon resigned.
ReplyDeleteBilly Bishop
Kelley:
ReplyDeleteI think that his choice to resign was a good decision. If he ran for president again he probably wouldn't win because people did not trust him anymore. I agree with his decision and think that it was best for us to have a new president
In my opinion, Nixon's decision to resign from the Presidency personifies who he is as a person. Not only did he make a mistake, but he failed to claim responsibility, like the President of the United States (or any person with character) should. If he truly was innocent, his reason for resignation would have lost meaning. Even if four out of five Americans disapproved of you, and didn't believe that you weren't involved in Watergate, it would be your Presidential duty to prove your innocence. As Americans we have the right to question our president in such a way; and he as the President had full right to prove his innocence. If he was in fact guilty, then he should have faced his punishment as a man, and a president. Yet he did neither: he resigned from the Presidency and was pardoned. Without any doubt, Nixon proved through his choices that he wasn't a man of integrity, and therefore unfit for President of the United States of America. Was his resignation the right choice if he was unfit for the job? I'm not completely sure.
ReplyDeleteI frankly do not think Nixon Should have Resigned. He only used that so he could escape a fate he ultimately deserved. From clear facts, its obvious Nixon had something to do with Watergate, and rather than sit down and take the Punishment, he chickens out and Resigns. So no, i do not agree at all with him resigning.
ReplyDeleteI think that he made the right choice. He definitely did the right thing and kind of owned up. He seemed like he was fit for the job, but people didn't trust him. He used good words and was clear about what he wanted. By: Pat Calnan
ReplyDeleteI agree with President Nixon's decision to resign. He needed the support of Congress and the people of the United States to do anything important. After Watergate, he had neither.
ReplyDelete-Joey B.
Nixon's desicion to resign as President of the United States was in the country's best interest and almost his best interest. While his resignation clearly was the best choice for citizens of the United States, he obviously could have salvaged his reputation with a formal admission and apology. This shows that he is indeed intelligent, but it also shows that he had no balls. Even if more American's believed he was not involved in the Watergate scandal than did not believe, as the President of the United States he was more than obligated to tell the truth. While his desicion to step down was appreciated and praised, the lack of honesty and genuity in my opinion outweighs the good in this situation.
ReplyDeleteShannon Morton
ReplyDeleteI definatly agree with President Nixon's decision. All evidence was pointed against him. It would look better in the future. For example if someone who was unaware of the watergate inncident saw he resigned they would most likely suspect it was becuase of health or family issues. Resigning was the best thing for him to do because he was participating in illegal activities. The country could not be lead by a criminal who lied. It was the most acceptable decision for him to choose after his illegal actions. This proved to the US that no matter where you stand in socail standings you will still be punished for your actions.
I think it was a smart choice for Nixon to resign. This is because after the watergate scandal no one really trusted him. He lied about being involved in the whole thing and he should have just admitted his involvement. I also think that if he did not resign he would not have accomplished much after the scandal occured.
ReplyDelete-Lauren W
The Watergate scandal gave Nixon a bad reputation and he just made a mistake by thinking he could get away with it. He was a really good president and this was his mistake. In my opinion, if it wasn't for what happened he most likely would have been President again.
ReplyDeleteI thought he rambled on about the same thing for three minutes. Not once did he say what took place and what role he played in the watergate scandle. The one thing he said in the speech tht was somewhat reasonable was that it is the "people's interest".
ReplyDeleteI agree with John Jameson. I believe that Nixon's resignation was the best deicision for the nation, but it showed that he was a weak person. In his speech he claimed that he wasn't a quitter, but thats exactly what he was. It was the right decision though because he knew that he no longer had the support of the congress or the people, ane he knew that he would not be able to be an effective president on his own without them. However, I did appreciate how he put the needs of American first. I think that was a very professional & responsible thing to do.
ReplyDelete-Tara
Yes, i think Nixon should have resigned. He definitely dug himself a whole with the Watergate incident. I think he made a smart move resigning and it worked out well for him because he was pardoned anyways. Clean get away.
ReplyDeleteI agree with nixon resigning from presidency. i beleieve it was probably the best choice and the right thing to do. After the watergate scandal, the government and the people turned thier backs on him. he lost all trust from everybody because the facts lead up to him. i also think that if he stayed as president for the rest of his term he wouldnt have gotten anything done or made anymore good choices for america. -p.s. hey F-BARB =)
ReplyDeleteI do believe that he should have resigned. Nixon is clearly lying under oath, seeing as though there was so much evidence against him. Refusing to give up the tapes was a big mistake, and he probably realized the seriousness of the matter once he actually had to hand them over. He only resigned because he was going to be impeached anyway. If he had just taken the role of President of the United States seriously, he wouldn't have thought he should go snooping around. Paranoia clearly was his downfall, but if he was going to do what he did just because he thought it was protecting his presidency, he wasn't worthy of being in the position in the first place.
ReplyDelete-Lindsay L
sorry this is late, i had to use a school comp cause my internet's down at home.
ReplyDeleteI think Nixon's decision to resign was the best option because hardly any of the nation wanted him there anyway. After the watergate scandal no one trusted him, which would make it hard to run a country without the support of his country. I believe there were others more worthy of having the presidency than him.
I believe that it was a good idea for nixon to resign. I say this because Nixon lied under oath and he lied to all of the American people. He was the president of the United States, the people trusted him to do the right thing and he did not.And after people became suspicious over him being a crook, people began to distrust him, four out of every five people believed that he was lying so he had no chance at passing anything, because how can a criminal be trusted in the white house? So in my opinion he did the right thing, if i were him I would have done the same thing, i would rather resign as president thaN be the first president impeached by the people.
ReplyDeleteI think it was smart for Nixon to have resigned since he recieved a bad reputation from the watergate scandal and then all the white house tapes. He knew he was going to get impeached if he didn't resign so I think he made the right choice
ReplyDeleteAnd this is late because i sent it on my phone this morning during c block but it didn't send haha
-Ray P