IntroductionIntroduction
Central Question: What was the Watergate scandal and what is its significance in history?
On the night of June 17, 1972, four Cubans and a former CIA agent were arrested while attempting to burglarize the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington. Their goal was to acquire potentially damaging information about Nixon’s political opponents in the 1972 presidential election. Once news of the arrests was made public, Nixon and his staff immediately sought to distance themselves from the incident, while they privately implemented an extensive cover-up plan to hide their involvement and connections with the five men accused in the crime. Ultimately, investigative accounts and court mandates forced Nixon to hand over incriminating evidence. Faced with the real possibility of impeachment, Nixon chose to leave office; thereby, becoming the first president in the history of the United States to resign from power.
Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Examine events that influenced the decision to break into DNC headquarters.
- Describe the Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation from office.
The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: US History 11 Objectives: 16 & 16.1.
This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R9, W 1b, W4, W6, W8, & W9.
Photograph Citation:
The Crisis that Destroyed Nixon as President. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web.
15 July 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.
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