Soviet Union - Constituting America

1972, Richard Nixon Defeats George McGovern: Watergate

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, David B. Kopel 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1972 Richard Nixon Defeats George McGovern Watergate, David B. Kopel, Vietnam War

Guest Essayist: Professor David Kopel

During the 1972 election, incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon won an astoundingly large margin, garnering 520 electoral votes. Despite his huge advantages during the election, President Nixon and his campaign operatives engaged in unethical and illegal activities during the campaign. The ultimate victim of Nixon’s crimes turned out to be Nixon himself, as he was forced to resign in 1974 after his misdeeds were uncovered. The unraveling of Nixon’s criminal conspiracies led to reforms for good government.

1972, Richard Nixon: Thirty-Seventh President of the United States

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Juliette Turner 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 1972 Richard Nixon Thirty-Seventh President of the United States, Juliette Turner

Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

Richard M. Nixon: Thirty-Seventh President of the United States

Nickname: Red Hunter

Terms in Office: 1969-1973; 1973-1974

Fast Stats

Born January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California
Parents: Francis Antony and Hannah Milhous Nixon
Died April 22, 1994, in New York, New York; age 81
Age upon Start of First Term: 56; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 60
Age upon Start of Second Term: 60; Age upon Conclusion of Second Term: 61
Religious Affiliation: Quaker
Political Party: Republican
Height: 5 feet 11.5 inches
Vice President: Spiro T. Agnew (1969-1973) and Gerald R. Ford (1973-1974)

Bottom Line:

Most of Nixon’s successes came from international policy: his treaty with the Soviet Union, his negotiation to open trade with the People’s Republic of China, and his attempts to conclude the Vietnam War. In 174, a year into his second term, Nixon resigned to avoid the humiliation of impeachment after the infamous Watergate Scandal.

1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower Defeats Aldai Stevenson

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, James Legee 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower Defeats Aldai Stevenson, Cold War, Communism, James Legee, New Deal, Progressive

Guest Essayist: James Legee

The election of 1956 saw Adlai Stevenson again tasked with the unenviable duty of an electoral contest against Dwight D. Eisenhower, which, it will come as no surprise, did not end in Stevenson’s favor. Eisenhower is well known to students of history and government, Stevenson, a one-term governor of Illinois, barely garners a mention in most books on the Cold War. Despite his loss, Stevenson was an important bridge between the New Deal policies of the Roosevelt administration and the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson. He articulated a progressive platform that would guide the Democratic Party for the coming decades in regards to domestic policy. Electoral defeat is quite common for ideologues and intellectuals on both ends of the ideological spectrum, but part and parcel with his intellectual bend came a truly unique rhetoric for the role of government in society.

1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower Defeats Adlai Stevenson: Communism And Civil Liberties

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Horace Cooper 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower Defeats Adlai Stevenson Communism And Civil Liberties, Communism, Horace Cooper, Socialism, Supreme Court, World War II

Guest Essayist: Horace Cooper

Communism and Civil Liberties: The Election of 1952

The election of 1952 brought about the first GOP presidential victory in more than 20 years. It came about at a time while many in America were weary from World War II, and they were very apprehensive about the potential for subversion by the Soviet Union and its radical Marxist ideology.

1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt Defeats Thomas Dewey: Constitutional Implications Of Roosevelt’s Liberal Internationalism, United Nations

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Tony Williams 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt Defeats Thomas Dewey Constitutional Implications Of Roosevelt’s Liberal Internationalism United Nations, Bill of Rights, Communism, Great Depression, New Deal, Progressive, Tony Williams, World War II

Guest Essayist: Tony Williams

Global War and Peace: The 1944 Election

In his 1944 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered a “Second Bill of Rights” that redefined the rights of the founding bill of rights. This radical pronouncement promised economic security and “positive rights” guaranteed by the federal government.

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