Why is this a Turning Point in History?
This year's National History Day theme is Turning Points in History. The Watergate Scandal exposed the fact that corruption was present in our nation's political system. The media played a significant role in the unraveling of what has come to be known as one of the most important political issues of that time. The media provided the public with everything that was going on, which stripped the government of any claims to innocence and ignorance of the corrupt ways of politics in our nation. The Watergate Scandal was a defining moment in the history of the United States. It caused the first and only Presidential resignation in American history, and it changed how people viewed politics then and now.
We can see the effects that the Watergate Scandal has had on politics and other aspects of general lifestyles in the United States. Since the Scandal, the lives of politicians, especially of the President's are no longer considered private. It lead to the belief that the nation has the right to be informed of their leaders actions and its effects on the public. The people began to pay more attention to the actions and responses of their political leaders. The Scandal serves as an example, which urges politicians to be more weary of what they do and say. In other words the Watergate Scandal created a model of transparency for the U.S. Now the people have the right and the means to know everything possible about their government and its leaders.
We can see the effects that the Watergate Scandal has had on politics and other aspects of general lifestyles in the United States. Since the Scandal, the lives of politicians, especially of the President's are no longer considered private. It lead to the belief that the nation has the right to be informed of their leaders actions and its effects on the public. The people began to pay more attention to the actions and responses of their political leaders. The Scandal serves as an example, which urges politicians to be more weary of what they do and say. In other words the Watergate Scandal created a model of transparency for the U.S. Now the people have the right and the means to know everything possible about their government and its leaders.
|
"Watergate showed more strengths in our system than weaknesses... The whole country did take part in quite a genuine sense in passing judgment on Richard Nixon." |