Watergate

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." These words have never been truer than when applying them to Richard Nixon's behavior during his presidency.

Nixon's political career was admirable. He smoothed relations with China, negotiated peace with the North Vietnamese, and won presidential re-election by a landslide in 1972. However, Nixon's attitude toward presidential power led to a series of illegal actions and a cover up resulting in his resignation two years later. The Watergate Scandal is a defining part of American history.

As Congress investigated what occurred at the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex, several facts came to light: most of the burglars were ex-CIA and FBI, and they were paid with money from Nixon's re-election campaign. Nixon not only knew about and sanctioned the break-in, he deliberately attempted to cover it up. Nixon also placed recording devices throughout the White House and secretly taped his conversations with other members of the government. Congress subpoenaed the tapes, but Nixon refused to release them on the grounds of "executive privilege." Only after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered him to surrender them did Nixon comply. When they were finally heard, 18 minutes of conversation was missing, and it became clear that people in the highest seats of power, including Nixon, saw themselves "as above the law".

The Watergate Scandal dramatically transformed the way Americans view politicians, government and power. It taught the American people that those in power should never be allowed to rule absolutely, because power without the proper checks and balances too easily leads to dishonesty and corruption.