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Richard Nixon January 9, 1913 - April 22, 1994 Spiro Agnew (1969–1973) Gerald Ford (1973–1974) When Nixon is mentioned in conversation he generally has a bad reputation. This is because the American people forgot about the many good things he did as soon as the Watergate scandal hit the fan. Nixon was a grand president in his foreign diplomacy and social reforms. He was racing against the clock with the Vietnam War as to not allowit to become “Nixon’s War” (which it did). However, the sketchy manor in which he conducted himself is enough to lower his grade. These combined aspects lead to the conclusion of Nixon deserving a B-.
 * Dates of Term:** January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
 * Party:** Republican
 * Vice Presidents:**

Going into the presidency, one of Nixon’s main goals was to deal with the pressing issue of Vietnam. He had a plan to turn over responsibility for defending South Vietnam to the South Vietnamese with the help of the US besides armed forces, in a process called “Vietnamization”. He was on his way to ending the American’s stay in Asia, by withdrawing 25,000 soldiers in his first year in office. He also planned to address the growing tension between the communist powers of China and Russia, which he helped to ease. Another major element to Nixon’s presidency was injecting federal money into the economy, in the form of government benefits such as welfare, food stamps, and health care. He succeeded and was seen as another “New Dealer” for his obvious determination in promoting social reform.

Congress and Nixon made a great team and passed a flurry of legislation. One element of the “last liberal president’s” legislation focused on environmental reforms. This included the creation of agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Air Administration, amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1967, and the passing of legislation which included the Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act. He also desired a healthcare overhaul, including a call for more Health Maintenance Organizations, expansion of the food stamps program, and increases in social Security and Medicare.

The most positive aspect of Richard Nixon’s presidency would be when he displayed his skills as a negotiator and moved America forward in leaps on the international relations front. Nixon took a risk with even beginning to refer to China by its official name, The People’s Republic of China, but he recognized the fact that good relations with China would help him in the long run. He also believed that by developing better relationships with China and Russia, he would have an easier time dealing with Northern Vietnam. Even the seemingly silly gesture of the US being invited to play table tennis was a step in the right direction. in addition to putting the US on good terms with China, Nixon also ushered in a period of détente, or relaxed tensions, with the Soviet Union. He was the first president to ever visit Moscow. The Soviet Union agreed to a Strategic Arms Limitation and Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty. It is for these accomplishments that Nixon should be respected and appreciated as opposed to being condemned.

The most negative aspect, which left a scar on the way future generations think of him, was his tendency to be sketchy. It seemed as though, for a president, two times is two times too many to be caught sneaking behind the American people’s back. The first example of this was when Nixon was bombing Cambodia and Laos, without informing the public of this decision. This began in March of 1969 and the people would not find out until April of 1970. A whole year of bombing happened without anyone being informed unless they were directly involved. One cannot discuss Nixon’s sketchy tendencies without mentioning the Watergate Scandal. Nixon and his “Plumbers” were trying to cover-up any sort of leaks from Nixon’s other sketchy behaviors. To do this there was an incident which included a break in which Nixon was aware of. Along with the unconstitutional creation of a secret police force which was involved in the incident, Nixon made an attempt to lie and withhold evidence by claiming he had “lost” the tapes. There is a reason this is what Nixon is known for and it has unfortunately overshadowed many of his positive decisions. Respectably, Nixon decided to resign following this situation.

One thing that would be extremely influential that Nixon established is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Formed by Nixon in 1970, this agency is still around and helping the country to move forward and protect our natural world. The EPA puts regulations on things such as air and water pollution, and educates the public about the dangers of pollution. One thing that everyone benefits from is the clean drinking water standard established by the EPA back in 1977. The EPA also, in a major way in the 1980’s, oversees cleanups of oil spills and preservation of our nation’s natural beauty.

In conclusion, the country itself was nothing but better off especially with its revamped legislation and improved foreign relations. The Nixon presidency did have the negative effect of leading the people not to fully trust their president and left a sort of paranoia behind when he left. These two things combine, the positives outweigh the negatives and Nixon receives a B-.

Works Cited: "American President: Richard Milhous Nixon." //Miller// //Center// //of Public Affairs//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010. <[]>. "Richard M. Nixon | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010. <[]>. "Timeline | EPA History | US EPA." //US Environmental Protection Agency//. Web. 27 May 2010. .