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Richard M. Nixon January 9, 1913- April 22, 1994 Terms: 1969-1973 and 1973-1974 (retired) VP per term: Spiro Agnew (1969-1973) and Gerald Ford (1973-1974) Republican

Richard Nixon came into the presidency confident of his abilities and ready to take on any challenges. He was able to establish many improvements in the United States, and also improve relations with many foreign countries. In 1974, however, on the wake of the Watergate Scandal and threat of being impeached, Nixon resigned. Despite Nixon’s many wonderful contributions to his country, the fact that he was involved such a complex scandal and didn’t own up to being involved gives him the grade of a B-.

In his goals, Nixon promised peace in Vietnam and an improved economy, which he managed to hold up to fairly well. At the start of his presidency, Nixon began gradually removing troops from Vietnam. Though the Communists ended up winning, by the end of the war the South Vietnamese had to start fighting on their own. So while it was nowhere “peaceful”, it was still a pretty straightforward and simple withdrawal of the U.S. Meanwhile, the economy that fell into Nixon’s hands was slowly down falling. With tax cuts, low budget spending, and improved social programs, however, the economy started to improve. Unemployment rates started dropping again as well as looming inflation. So while Nixon’s goals weren’t met to the fullest extent, they were still executed to the best of his ability.

Throughout the years, Nixon’s relationship with Congress varied. In the beginning of his term, unemployment was rising as was inflation. In 1971, though, Nixon and his economic advisors came out with the New Economic Policy. This offered temporary relief until oil prices started rising in 1972. Meanwhile, Nixon took on a new conservationist role in passing legislation. In 1970 he created OSHA which lead to the formation of the EPA, made adjustments to the 1967 Clean Air Act, and passed the Endangered Species Act (1973) and Safe Drinking Water Act (1974). Nixon was also very proactive in improving welfare programs for the poor, such as Food Stamps. In this blizzard of legislation passing and Nixon’s relationship with Congress doing pretty well, the Watergate scandal happened. Unfortunately after all was said and done for Nixon, he only had approval from 18 senators and faced impeachment. It’s safe to say in the end, Nixon and Congress were not doing well together.

Nixon’s positive impact from his presidency without a doubt lies in handling of foreign affairs. One of his first actions as president was to start gradually withdrawing troops from Vietnam. In 1969, 543000 troops were present in Vietnam, but by 1972 only 25000 remained. Also in 1972, Nixon took a surprise trip to Bejing, China. In this trip, known as “a journey for peace”, he took the first step in establishing firm diplomatic relations-these would become an asset in later years and presidencies. As a final act of improving foreign relations, Nixon induced a detente with the Soviet Union. Agreements such as SALT in 1972 ultimately led to the end of the Cold War, which had been threatening the U.S. for many years. These relations made a great improvement in foreign policy, as well as lessened tensions and a more relaxed atmosphere within the world.

By far, the most negative impact from Nixon’s presidency came from the Watergate Scandal. After five members of CREEP broke into the Democratic National Headquarters and were caught trying to tap the election of 1972, Nixon was looked as a suspect. Still, he denied having any involvement. Following the election, however, it was found that a section of a phone call from Nixon had mysteriously disappeared. After many attempts, Nixon finally released the tapes and his approval rating dropped enormously. With the threat of impeachment looming over his head, Nixon decided to resign from his presidency one year after being reelected, handing it over to Gerald Ford.

The legacy Nixon left is a long list, but the thing that probably most impacted future generations would have to be improving relations with China and the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. In the years following Nixon’s trip to China, trade and diplomatic solutions came to new heights. Without China and its trade, the United States would be lost since it is such an enormous part of maintaining the economy. Also, the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam was an extremely smart move. Although many lives had been lost, as the result of any war, it was still important because it gave warning to the Vietnamese to start fighting their own war without the enormous help of U.S. troops. Without the withdrawal, the U.S. could have still been pulled in to other unnecessary conflicts between countries.

At the outcome of Nixon’s presidency, it is clear that he brought a lot to the U.S., which clearly states that the country was in fact better of with him as a president. He was able to sort of pull off his goals of creating peace in Vietnam and improving the U.S. economy, and while his relationship with Congress was sketchy it was mostly related to the Watergate scandal. Nixon’s real victories within his presidency lie in the improvements in foreign relations and foreign affairs, especially in China. These victories, even with the Watergate scandal, are able to keep up Nixon’s grade, and once again he deserves a B for his presidency.

Works Cited

"American President: Richard Milhous Nixon." Miller Center of Public Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010. .

Degregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents). 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.