Nixon's presidency is primarily associated with the Watergate Scandal. Describe Nixon's accomplishments.
Despite Nixon's legal troubles with Watergate that ultimately tarnished his legacy, he was actually a very accomplished president. He extricated American troops from Vietnam through Vietnamization, which meant that America would supply aid to South Vietnam, but South Vietnam would have to supply most of the troops to fight the North. While this ultimately failed, Nixon ended American military involvement in a very unpopular war. Nixon is also known for his environmentalism by lowering speed limits on highways to 55 miles per hour and he instituted the first Earth Day. Nixon also expanded funding to the National Endowment for the Arts, increased federal funding for cancer research, and created OSHA to protect workers. Nixon opened up trade talks with Communist China--actually there is a famous photo of Nixon standing on the Great Wall of China surrounded by Chinese dignitaries. Nixon took advantage of a rift between China and the Soviet Union and while China would not be called a true ally, it was definitely a viable trading partner.
Comments
Post a Comment