Original PromptSHOULD FORD PARDON NIXON?
US History/Mr. Pellegrino
Watergate was an extremely controversial period in our nation’s history. It lasted over two years, and was the most serious political scandal up to that point in modern American history.
But President Nixon’s resignation did not put an end to the controversy. Nixon’s vice president, Gerald Ford, became president, and very quickly a new question gripped the American public:
Should President Ford pardon Richard Nixon for any crimes he ma...
This learning resource focuses on the Watergate scandal, a significant event in American history that led to President Nixon's resignation in 1974. It details the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and Nixon's subsequent attempts to conceal his involvement. After Nixon's resignation, Vice President Gerald Ford was faced with the difficult decision of whether to pardon Nixon. The resource outlines key factors for Ford’s consideration, including Nixon’s health, the constitutional power to pardon, the potential length of a trial, and national healing. It also presents public opinion data from an NBC poll regarding support for a pardon, which shows a majority of Americans opposed the idea. Students are tasked with analyzing historical evidence to justify a recommendation on the pardon and to consider the implications of their decision on the nation.