HIS CH 24-1A NIXON

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HIS CH 24-1A NIXON

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Richard Nixon came to the office of President vowing to help heal the deep divisions and social conflicts of the 1960’s. He wanted to bring America together. In some ways he did help to heal the divisions of the 1960’s and in other ways he did not.

It was November of 1968 and Richard M. Nixon had just been elected president of the United States . President-elect Nixon asked Henry Kissinger to be his special adviser on foreign affairs . Kissinger did not particularly like Nixon, but he accepted, telling a surprised colleague, "I'm working for the presidency, not for Richard Nixon personally." However, in time the two men grew to be trusting colleagues . At the beginning of Nixon's second term in 1972, as the United States struggled to achieve an honorable peace in Vietnam, Kissinger finally came to respect Nixon for his vision and the two men did a great deal to promote world peace. They ended the Vietnam War and laid the foundation for the end of the cold war.

Nixon and Kissinger ended America's involvement in Vietnam. As the war wound down, the nation seemed to enter an era of limits . There were limits to U.S . power, as the nation's military had not been able to save South Vietnam from becoming Communist . Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs seemed limited in their ability to eliminate poverty. And as the 1970s progressed, there seemed to be limits to the economic prosperity that the nation had experienced since World War II .

Into this era stepped a president who believed that there were also limits to what the federal government could accomplish. President Nixon would take action to reduce the power of the federal .government (the U.S. government) and reverse the liberal policies of Lyndon Johnson. At the same time, he would seek to restore America's prestige and influence on the world stage-prestige that had been hit hard by the Vietnam experience .

Richard Nixon

Henry Kissinger

What job did Henry Kissinger do for Richard Nixon?

a.	Secretary of the Treasury	c.	Presidential Secretary
b.	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff	d.	Special advisor on foreign affairs

Which president ended the Vietnam War?

a.	Lyndon Johnson	c.	Henry Kissinger
b.	Richard Nixon	d.	John Kennedy

Which statement is true?

a.	Richard Nixon tried to expand the Great Society programs started by President Johnson	d.	Richard Nixon worked to make the U.S. government bigger
b.	Richard Nixon realized there were limits on what the government could do and tried to limit the growth of Great Society programs	e.	None of these statements are true
c.	Richard Nixon did not care about domestic policies

Which statement is true?

a.	The United States was able to prevent Vietnam from uniting under communism	d.	none of these statements are true
b.	The United States was able to prevent South Vietnam from becoming communist	e.	all of these statements are true
c.	In spite of the efforts of the United States, all of Vietnam became communist

Nixon's New Conservatism

A liberal can be described as someone who is in favor of a bigger central government. A conservative is someone who favors a smaller central government with more power going to the states and local communities. President Richard M. Nixon entered office determined to turn America in a more conservative direction . Toward that end, he decreased the power of the federal government, dismantled a number of Great Society programs, and tried to instill a sense of order into a nation still divided over the continuing Vietnam War.

Richard Nixon was a _____ while Lyndon Johnson was a _____ .

a.	conservative - liberal	c.	liberal - liberal
b.	liberal - conservative	d.	conservative - conservative

Conservatives think the Federal (U.S.) government should be

a.	bigger	c.	about the same size
b.	smaller	d.	not an issue for conservatives

NEW FEDERALISM'S TWO FACES

In the end, Nixon's New Federalism enhanced several key federal programs as it dismantled others . Nixon was a Republican and the Congress was controlled by the Democrats. With the House and Senate in the hands of Democratic majorities, Nixon initially sought compromise on Capitol Hill as he attempted to move ahead with his New Federalism program. For example, Nixon supported a number of measures to increase federal spending for some social programs. Without fanfare, the Nixon administration increased Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid payments and made food stamps more accessible. Nixon also supported subsidized housing for low- and middle-income families, and he expanded the nation's job Corps program. Because he performed these actions quietly, he did not receive much credit for these attempts to help the poor.

However, the spirit of compromise between Congress and the White House soon deteriorated. Confronted by laws that he opposed, Nixon turned to a little-used presidential practice called impoundment. Nixon impounded, or refused to spend money for programs he opposed, thus holding up their implementation . By 1973, Nixon had impounded almost $15 billion, affecting more than 100 federal programs, including those for health, housing, and education.

The federal courts eventually ordered the release of the impounded funds. They ruled that presidential impoundment was unconstitutional and that only Congress had the authority to decide how federal funds should be spent. However, in 1973 Nixon did use his presidential authority to abolish the Office of Economic Opportunity, a cornerstone of Johnson's antipoverty program.

The white house (the president) and the congress. Two branches of government that are sometimes in conflict with each other over issues

The White House (President)

The Capital Building
(Congress)

Which statement is true

a.	Nixon tried to compromise with congress by expanding many social welfare programs	c.	Nixon did not need to compromise with congress because he was a Republican and the Republicans controlled congress
b.	Nixon made no attempt to compromise with congress	d.	Nixon was a Democrat and the congress was controlled by the Republicans

Why didn’t Nixon receive credit for his attempts to increase social welfare programs and help the poor?

a.	Nixon did not do anything to help the poor	c.	Nixon worked quietly to help the poor
b.	Nixon was not good on TV	d.	None of these are true

When congress passed laws that President Nixon did not agree with, he just refused to spend the money so the laws never went into effect. What was this tactic called?

a.	rescission	c.	filibuster
b.	impoundment	d.	veto

LAW-AND-ORDER POLITICS

As President Nixon fought with Congress, he also battled the more liberal elements of society, including the antiwar movement. Nixon had been elected in 1968 on a dual promise to end the war in Vietnam and mend the divisiveness within America that the war had created. Throughout his first term, Nixon aggressively moved to fulfill both these pledges. The president de-escalated America's involvement in Vietnam and oversaw peace negotiations with North Vietnam. At the same time, he began the "law and order" policies that he had promised his "silent majority"-those middle-class Americans who wanted order restored to a country beset by urban riots and antiwar demonstrations .

To accomplish this goal, Nixon used the full resources of his office-sometimes illegally. The FBI illegally wiretapped numerous left-wing individuals and organizations. The FBI also infiltrated the ranks of the Students for a Democratic Society and radical African-American groups in an effort to spread conflict within the organizations.

Vice President Spiro Agnew

In addition, the CIA investigated and compiled documents on thousands of American dissidents-people who objected to the government's policies . The administration even used the Internal Revenue Service to audit the tax returns of antiwar and civil rights activists. Viewing his opponents as personal assailants, Nixon began building an "enemies list" of prominent Americans whom the administration would harass . Remarked a top White House official, "anyone who opposes us, we'll destroy."

Nixon also enlisted the help of his combative vice-president, Spiro T. Agnew. In the fall of 1969, Nixon sent Agnew on a public speaking tour to attack the opposition . The vice-president repeatedly denounced the antiwar protesters and then turned his scorn on those who controlled the media, whom he viewed as liberal cheerleaders for the antiwar movement. Known for his colorful quotes, Agnew lashed out at the media and liberals as "an effete [weak] corps of impudent snobs," and "nattering nabobs of negativism ."

10.

What two promises did Nixon make when he became president?

a.	Continue the Great Society programs of the Johnson administration and end the war in Vietnam	c.	End the war in Vietnam and build-up the American military
b.	Make the government bigger and heal the problems in American society.	d.	End the war in Vietnam and heal the divisions in American Society by bringing the people together.

11.

Who was the “silent majority?”

a.	the majority of Americans who did not protest the war or riot, and wanted law and order in American society.	c.	the majority of the Anti-war movement who wanted to take a more violent approach in their protests
b.	the majority of the civil rights movement who wanted the movement to be more confrontational (violent)	d.	the young people in America

12.

Nixon set out to infiltrate, undermine and destroy the anti-war movement in America. Which government agency did he use to achieve this goal?

a.	CIA	d.	all of these agencies
b.	FBI	e.	none of these agencies
c.	IRS

13.

Nixon believed that the liberal news media (TV, Newspapers and magazines) were supporting the anti-war movement. What did Nixon do to combat the liberal news media?

a.	He remained quiet on the issue	c.	He tried to jail the major liberal publishers
b.	Sent Vice President Agnew to attack the liberal media.	d.	He tried to make friends with the liberal media

Nixon's Southern Strategy

Even as President Nixon worked to steer the country along a more conservative course, he had his eyes on the 1972 presidential election. Nixon had won a slim majority in 1968-less than one percent of the popular vote . Shortly after entering the White House, he began working to forge a new conservative coalition to build on his support. In one approach, known as the Southern strategy, Nixon tried to attract Southern conservative Democrats by appealing to their unhappiness with federal desegregation policies and a liberal Supreme Court.

14.

In the Southern Strategy, Nixon tried to get unhappy Southern Democrats to turn Republican so he would get more votes in the next election in 1972. What were the Southern Conservative Democrats unhappy about?

a.	too much welfare	c.	desegregation and liberal Federal courts
b.	the Vietnam war	d.	segregation and voting rights

A NEW SOUTH

Since Reconstruction, the South had been a Democratic stronghold . But by 1968 many white Southern Democrats had grown disillusioned with their party. In their eyes, the party champion of the Great Society and civil rights-had grown too liberal. -`This conservative backlash first surfaced in the 1968 election, when thousands of Southern Democrats helped former Alabama governor George Wallace, a conservative segregationist running as an independent, carry five Southern states and capture 13.5 percent of the popular vote.

Nixon wanted these voters . By winning over the Wallace voters and other discontented Democrats, the president and his fellow Republicans hoped not only to keep the White House but also to recapture a majority in Congress .

NIXON SLOWS INTEGRATION

To attract white voters in the South, President Nixon decided on a policy of slowing the country's desegregation efforts . In September of 1969, shortly after being elected president, Nixon made clear his views on civil rights ."There are those who want instant integration and those who want segregation forever. I believe we need to have a middle course between those two extremes," he said.

15.

What was Nixon’s view on racial integration?

a.	He believed we should have integration but it should move more slowly.	c.	He believed we should have integration right away.
b.	He was against racial integration	d.	He believed that the civil rights movement was part of a communist plot

16.

The southern Democrats who became unhappy with the Democrat party because of the liberal direction of the government became known as the ______

a.	Great Society	c.	civil rights movement
b.	Johnson Democrats	d.	conservative backlash

Throughout his first term, President Nixon worked to reverse several civil rights policies. In 1969, he ordered the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) to delay desegregation plans for school districts in South Carolina and Mississippi . Nixon's actions violated the Supreme Court's second Brown v. Board of Education ruling-which called for the desegregation of schools "with all deliberate speed." In response to an NAACP suit, the high court ordered Nixon to abide by the second Brown ruling . The president did so and by 1972, nearly 90 percent of children in the South attended desegregated schools, up from about 20 percent in 1969.

Nixon also opposed the extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act had added nearly one million African Americans to the voting rolls. Despite the president's opposition, Congress voted to extend the act.

17.

Which statement is true?

a.	Nixon supported almost all of the civil rights goals of the NAACP	c.	Nixon thought the civil rights movement was part of a communist plot
b.	Nixon tried to delay the enforcement of civil rights laws to attract Southern white voters to the Republican party	d.	Nixon tried to delay the encforcement of civil rights laws to attract Southern white voters to the Democrat party

18.

In the 1960’s less than 20% of African American kids in the south attended integrated schools. By 1972 _____ of African American kids attended integrated schools in the south.

a.	50%	c.	75%
b.	60%	d.	90%

19.

How many African Americans were added to the voting roles by the Voting Rights Act in the early seventies?

a.	about 1 million	c.	about 10 million
b.	about 5 million	d.	90% of African Americans

President Nixon then attempted to thwart yet another civil rights initiative-the integration of schools through busing. In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education that school districts may bus students to other schools to end the pattern of all-black or all-white educational institutions . Busing meant removing students from their home schools and sending them across town to other schools in order to integrate. White students and parents in cities such as Boston and Detroit angrily protested busing. They did not want their children removed from their neighborhood schools and sent to inner-city schools across town. South Boston became the scene for many protests that were televised across the country. Busing was very unpopular with the American people.

Nixon also opposed integration through busing and went on national television to urge Congress to halt the practice . While busing continued in some cities, Nixon had made his position clear to the country-and to the South

20.

Which statement is true?

a.	Bussing meant transferring students from their home schools to schools in other parts of the city	d.	all of these statements are false
b.	The purpose of bussing was to integrate schools that were “all white” or “all black”	e.	all of these statements are true
c.	The Supreme court ordered bussing, in spite of the fact that most Americans opposed it.

21.

Nixon’s position on bussing made him ______ in the south.

a.	popular	c.	neutral on busing
b.	unpopular	d.	none of these statements are true

22.

Liberals were _____ of bussing, while conservatives were _____ busing.

a.	against - in favor of	c.	against -- neutral on
b.	in favor - against	d.	neutral on - against

23.

Only the south was opposed to bussing. The north accepted it.

true

false