Adam+-+RN+-+SP09

Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913-April 22, 1994) Political Party: Republican Terms: (January 9, 1969 - August 9, 1974) VP’s: Spiro T. Agnew (1969-1973) Gerald R. Ford (1973-1974)

For some notably controversial reasons, Richard Nixon gets a lot of flack for being president, but surprisingly enough he accomplished many things while in office and fulfilled his job almost completely. He strengthened political ties with other countries, all the while extracting the U.S. from other conflicts (Vietnam), and he managed to stimulate the economy and presented the only balanced budget anytime between 1961 and 1998. During his presidency, Nixon also promoted and enforced civil rights and desegregation during a tumultuous time in American history, on top of landing the United States on the moon. Richard Nixon was a great president even though there was a bit of scandal and he was forced to resign, he still definitely deserves at least an A. Yes, an A! Nixon’s main goal in his presidency was improving the affairs of other countries – most importantly, Vietnam. He accomplished the goal with ending the war in Vietnam through the process of “Vietnamization”, a gradual extraction of American troops and replacement of Vietnamese troops. Moreover, President Nixon helped other countries not even completely related to the U.S. and helped handle a cease fire during the Indo-Pakistini War. Also, he improved relations with China due to his personal meetings with Mao Zedong and Chou En-lai, and more impersonally the immergence of ping pong diplomacy. Nixon also improved relations with the Soviet Union, encouraging less violent measures in war with the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and encouraging the complete peace in Vietnam through the Soviets withdrawal of support of North Vietnam. Overall, Nixon directly assisted four different countries during his presidency for the better and ultimately changed the course of world history several times! During Nixon's presidency, Congress was mostly democratic. However, they were able to develop many different laws such as the SALT agreement despite their differences. They also ratified the 26th amendment and provided peace to China with the New China Policy. The one thing that had the most positive impact during Nixon’s time in office was his pulling out of American soldiers from Vietnam. Inside the U.S. the majority of the populace did not completely understand the reasoning of Vietnam anyway, and there were many protests held consequently. He recognized it was the wrong time to be involved with such a costly war, and listened to the people. He backed out of Vietnam gradually and competently, with more than enough grace to justify the absence of America’s involvement. By far the worst thing that occurred during Nixon’s presidency was the Watergate Scandal. Nixon was worried for the upcoming election and wasn’t quite sure if he was going to win or not (which is somewhat understandable). Using CREEP, the National Democratic Headquarters was tapped and bugged, and on one fateful night ransacked for extra information for the election. The Watergate scandal eventually led to Nixon’s resignation. Nixon definitely left his mark on America. He most notably influenced future generations with the 26th amendment. This changed the voting age from 21 to 18, and the ripples from this law can still be felt today. Nixon also set the bar for the President’s job as an ambassador and he completely rejuvenated the President’s role in world culture. By far, the United States was a lot better off after Nixon’s presidency had concluded. He had grown into a major player on the world political stage and he completely changed some countries outlook on affairs. He ended wars, stopped wars from starting, and improved relations with countries so war wasn’t even an option. While improving foreign affairs, he improved domestic affairs and bolstered the economy. On top of that, he advocated for Civil Rights and led social reform within the U.S. ** AND ****, once it seemed like improving the United States and its relations to other countries on Earth wasn’t enough, he then moved on to the MOON. **Yes, Richard Nixon did resign because he spied on some people, but seriously, he accomplished a considerable amount and was a great president. He deserves an A.

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