Winning Back the Hearts of the American People

In 1974 the United States were in a crisis involving their president, Richard Nixon. It was learned that President Nixon and members of his administration had broken into the Democratic National Committee headquarters and preformed illegal activities, such as bugging offices. This act alone was bad enough, but Nixon and his administration’s attempt at covering it up only made it worse. When evidence was found that President Nixon definitely played a part in the scandal, it was almost certain that the House of Representative and Senate would impeach him. Being aware of this near certainty, Nixon decided to resign as president of the United States. When addressing the country on his decision, he wanted people to remember him for all the good he did as a president, rather than the downfalls. He also wanted to convince the American people that all the actions he made were for the benefit of the country.

            I believe that President Nixon did a good job at getting his points of successes he had across to the American people, and he did so in a very convincing way. In the end, however, it was not successful because there was nothing he could say that would make the people forget of the illegal activities he participated in and the way he let down the nation. He was able to remind people of all the success he had as president, even though it did not fully distract from his recent wrong doings. He talks of his success with countries abroad, and his involvement with things such as ending the war in Vietnam, opening the door to China, and making improvements with relations in the Middle East. These statements are successful in reminding the American people of all the success Nixon had as president, and make them feel gratitude toward him. In the end, however, these reminders were not enough to make people forget of Nixon’s involvement in illegal activities.

            In his speech, Nixon also tells the American people of his love for the nation, and that he puts the needs of the United States before himself or his family, saying, “the interests of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations” (Nixon). He also goes on to state that he “always tried to do what was best for the Nation” (Nixon) as he served his country. This makes the reader feel that Nixon’s decision to break the law was seen in his eyes as the best decision for the country. If he believed that breaking the law was what was best for the country, then the American people begin to doubt all of his other arguments, feeling that his judgment might be skewed. This not only takes away his appeal of emotion to the audience, but also takes away the credibility that he established earlier.