The entrance to the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C
Event Summary
- On June 17, 1972, agents working for then President Nixon were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in attempts to wire-tap the building in order to gain an advantage over his opponent George McGovern.
- This scandal was exposed, ultimately resulting in an impeachment trial and Supreme Court case in 1974 in which Nixon was tried for obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
- After his reputation was tarnished, Nixon resigned before he was impeached, making him the only president ever to have resigned from office.
- Nixon was later pardoned by his successor Gerald Ford, preventing him from receiving punishment for any of his actions.
Nixon's White House Tapes
Files from 1971 to 1973 from the Nixon Presidential Library
The Secret White House Tapes on Watergate, from the Miller Center, University of Virginia
CROSS-LINK: The Presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Carter
The Watergate Scandal
President Nixon Defends His Office on Watergate Charges from FedFlix.
Link here for the Washington Post coverage of the Watergate Scandal.
- Click here to read the transcript of Nixon's resignation speech following the scandal.
Nixon and Haldeman Smoking Gun Oral Office Conversation (June 23, 1972
Richard Nixon Resigns as President, August 9, 1974
In 1972 in Washington, D.C., a burglary occurred, which ended up having immense national significance.
It was on this date that five people broke into the Democratic National Headquarters to bug their telephones and find any “dirt” that they could.
These men called the ‘Plumbers’, a group of former FBI agents and former CIA agents among others.
The group had strong Republican ties and they broke into the Watergate Hotel.
What Was Watergate? Here are 14 Facts That Explain Everything
. W. Mark Felt, Watergate Deep Throat, Dies at 95
Link here for a PBS learning plan on Watergate
- Link here for a lesson plan on Watergate using the film All the President's Men
- Great Interactive Website that you could use with your students on the Watergate Scandal (primary source docs. & Overview of Watergate)
U.S. v. Nixon Supreme Court Case (1974)
- Nixon had taped many of his conversations with the Plumbers and others. When asked for the tapes, Nixon refused to deliver them sighting executive privilege.
What You Need to Know About Executive Privilege, Politifact (May 8, 2019)
- This would be taken all the way to the Supreme Court in 1974 in United States v. Nixon.
- In a unanimous decision, the court stated that Nixon had to hand over the tapes. In doing so, the court upheld its decision of Marbury v Madison, which gave the court the powers of Judicial Review and could, therefore, interpret the powers of the President under the U.S. Constitution. Link to John Marshall and Marbury v. Madison
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