Table of Contents:  What is Watergate ? What is Watergate ?  June 17, 1972 June 17, 1972  Creep Creep  The 5 The 5  November of 1972 November of 1972  January May 1973 January May 1973  Saturday Night Massacre Saturday Night Massacre  “I am not a crook” “I am not a crook”  July 24, 1974 July 24, 1974  July 27, 1974 July 27, 1974  August 8, 1974 August 8, 1974  Brief Quiz Brief Quiz

What is Watergate? "Watergate" is a general term used to describe a complex web of political scandals between 1972 and The word specifically refers to the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. »Main MenuMain Menu

Watergate hotel on June 17, 1972 Police arrest 5 men at 2:30 AM who had broken into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters They were attempting to “bug the telephones of Democratic leaders & obtain political documents outlining the Democrats’ campaign strategy” »Main MenuMain Menu

CREEP The five “burglars” were employees of the Committee to re-elect the President (known as CREEP) The 5 men were dubbed “plumbers” because they were ordered by Nixon to “plug leaks” to the press Main Menu

“The five” All five men would be charged with attempted burglary – Bernard Baker – Virgilio Gonzales – James McCord – Eugenio Martinez – Frank Strugis Main Menu

November of 1972 Nixon was re-elected President in one of the largest landslides in American history He won over 60% of the votes and 49 of the 50 states Clearly, America was either not bothered, or not aware of Nixon’s behavior Main Menu Main Menu

January 1973 – May 1973 January – former Nixon aides Gordon Liddy and James McCord are convicted of burglary and conspiracy His personal lawyer, Attorney General, White House Chief of Staff, and domestic advisor Ehrlichman all mysteriously resigned or were forced to resign May – The Senate Watergate Committee begins nationally televising the trial hearings for Watergate Main Menu

“The smoking-gun tapes” Since 1971, Nixon had been recording all conversations that took place in the oval office and the tapes were now in the possession of the President. In July of 1973, the government asked Nixon to turn over the tapes and he refuses He felt he had the right to refuse, since other Presidents had refused to turn over certain documents The more he resisted, the more his popularity declined Main Menu

Saturday Night Massacre October 1973 – Nixon fires Archibald Cox because Cox and the Senate had Subpoenaed the tapes. Two more people close to the president resign on the same night Cox is fired Public outrage Main MenuMain Menu

“I am not a crook” November 17, 1973 – Nixon declares famous “I am not a crook” December – 18 ½ minutes missing from one of the subpoenaed tapes and the White House says it was “an accident” The President was not forced to turn over all of the tapes for evidence He still withheld the most damaging of the tapes. Instead the President turned over 1,200 pages of supposed conversations on the withheld tapes Main Menu

July 24, 1974 July 24, 1974 – – The Supreme Court rules that the Presidents executive priviledges were overruled and he must turn over the tapes before the end of the year. – One week later, he did. Main Menu

July 27, 1974 The House Judiciary Committee votes to pass the first three articles of impeachment The President was charged with obstruction of justice Main Menu

August 8, 1974 Richard Nixon becomes the first president to resign in the U.S. Gerald Ford becomes the new President Main Menu

Question 1 1)Between what years did the Watergate scandal occur? A B C Main Menu

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5

Main Menu Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5

Question 2 True or False President Nixon was one of “the five” men arrested at the Watergate Hotel on June 17, TrueFalseTrueFalse Main Menu

Question 3 True or False President Gerald Ford won the presidency in one of the biggest landslides in history. TrueFalseTrueFalse Main Menu

Question 4 4) What were the five men who broke into the Watergate Hotel nicknamed? A. “Plumbers”“Plumbers” B. “CREEP”“CREEP” C. A & BA & B Main Menu

Question 5 Who was the first person to resign from the presidency? A. Bill ClintonBill Clinton B. Richard NixonRichard Nixon C. FDRFDR Main Menu

In Conclusion… President Nixon was an excellent president to some, but unfortunately many are left remembering just the lies & deception »Main MenuMain Menu

References: Farnsworth, Malcolm. “Watergate: The Scandal that Brought Down Richard Nixon.” 22 Oct Mankiewicz, Frank. U.S. vs. Richard M. Nixon. New York: New York Times Book Company, McCarty, Mary. The Mask of State: Watergate Portraits. New York: Harcourt Brace Janovich, Olson, Keith W. Watergate: The Presidential Scandal that Shook America. Kansas: University Press of Kansas, Phillips, Charles. “A Day to Remember”. American History. October Vol. 39 Issue 4, p Smith, Franklin B. The Assassination of President Nixon. Vermont: Academy Books, »Main MenuMain Menu