The Watergate Scandal Of America - 1743 Words

Throughout the years there have been many political scandals in the U.S. These include affairs, not paying taxes, utilizing state resources for personal gain, invading privacy and many others. These scandals cause people to lose trust in their representatives and their country in general. For instance a major scandal in America that greatly weakened the public trust was the Watergate Scandal. Richard Nixon, the 37th president, had been discovered to have a hand in the burglary at the Watergate Complex in which the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters was set up. After the break-in the Republican president Nixon denied any involvement in this robbery and initially refused to provide the tapes recorded in the President’s office†¦show more content†¦In July of 1974 the Supreme Court demanded that Nixon turn over the tapes which revealed his involvement in the coverup and led to his resignation.1 This scandal committed by the leader of the great American nation caused changes politically and to the public’s trust of their government. The Watergate Scandal caused many changes. One major change that scholars believe is the increase of Congress attention on the activities of the President and an increase in its efforts in combating policy suggested by the President that they do not agree with.2 Another change caused by the Scandal is the decrease of trust in politicians by Americans at large. The reason for this is obvious, imagine you are voting and supporting a politician to get something done that will aid you in supporting yourself and your family. Now imagine that same politician that had such a vibrant personality who seemed to be helping, was found to have been taking all the money you and others had donated to aid his campaign, in order to put himself in a better socio economic situation. This is how the American public felt in response to this betrayal by their president. Polls taken in 1958 and 1964 showed the almost all of American citizens trusted their voted officials to perform their job in a way that was benefiting of someone representing in a democratic system however after the Vietnam war and the government’s inability to maintain control a seen with race riots and many protests, a poll taken in 1966