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Lesson

The Resignation of Richard Nixon

Guiding question

Did President Gerald Ford best preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution by pardoning Richard Nixon?

Duration
50 min
Grade
9–12
Published
Jul 2, 2021
Richard Nixon Departs on Army One after Resignation
Shortly before Richard Nixon was re-elected President in 1972, individuals connected with his re-election campaign were arrested while breaking into Democratic Party Headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington DC. Nixon was re- elected by an overwhelming margin, but questions surrounding his knowledge of the break-in, and his attempt to cover it up would not go away. During these investigations, Nixon’s Vice President, Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign on unrelated corruption charges. According to the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, the President must nominate a new Vice President when that office becomes vacant, and both houses of Congress must approve that Vice President. Because few in Congress believed that Nixon’s presidency would survive, key members of Congress told Nixon to nominate as Vice President a distinguished Republican Member of Congress, Gerald Ford. After Nixon’s resignation, Ford was sworn in as President and made the extremely unpopular decision of issuing Nixon a full pardon “for all offences against the United States.”

Objectives:

Students will:

  • Understand the sequence of events by which Gerald Ford became President.
  • Assess the legitimacy of Gerald Ford’s presidency.
  • Evaluate the legitimacy and wisdom of President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon.

Materials

  • Handout A: The Resignation of President Nixon
  • Handout B: Memo to President Ford

Lesson Components

ActivityHandout A: The Resignation of Richard Nixon
ActivityHandout B: Memo to President Ford (The Resignation of Richard Nixon)
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Lesson plan

50 minClick a phase to open it

More Information

To create a context for this lesson, students complete Constitutional Connection: Presidents and the Transfer of Power.

Standards

Check whether this resource aligns with your state’s standards →

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