On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned from his post as President of the United States in the face of impeachment due to his suspected crimes in the Watergate scandal. In his place Gerald Ford, his unelected Vice President chosen after the resignation of the previous VP, assumed the Presidency, the only President not elected as President or Vice President. Ford had a short, difficult term, hampered by an economic recession and his pardon of Nixon, and subsequently lost the next presidential election to Jimmy Carter. Carter had a steady, but somewhat unsuccessful term, especially hampered by the Iran hostage crisis, and lost his reelection campaign to Ronald Reagan.
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Ford Pardons Nixon - On September 8, 1974, less than a month after he was sworn in, Ford gave a full presidential pardon to Richard Nixon, his predecessor that many felt had committed crimes during the Watergate Scandal. This controversial move was widely criticized, with some seeing it as a “corrupt bargain” between the former President and Vice President, and caused Ford to lose all credibility that he had had at the time. Ford was eventually called to testify before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the subject of the pardon, making him the first sitting President since Abraham Lincoln to testify before Congress. It was seen by many as a major cause of Ford’s defeat in his reelection campaign.
Tags: Political, Social, Legal
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Iran Hostage Crisis - On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed and took over the American Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. Negotiations continued for 5 months between the Carter Administration and the Iranian government, with the Iranians demanding the return of the Shah for trial. Eventually, President Carter ordered a military operation called Operation Eagle Claw, one of Delta Force’s first missions, that sought to rescue the hostages. The operation was aborted by Carter after three out of the eight helicopters sent to the first staging area were rendered inoperable, and during the withdrawal, one helicopter crashed into a transport aircraft. The ensuing fire killed eight soldiers and destroyed both aircraft. The fiasco caused by the failed operation damaged American prestige and was seen as a major cause of Carter’s failed reelection campaign. The hostages were released 444 days after the start of the crisis after the death of the former Shah and the start of the Iran-Iraq War , minutes after the end of Carter’s term.
Tags: Political, War, Popular Culture (Argo)
Artifact:
10) Time Magazine - Sep. 1974 (Magazine Cover)
11) Time Magazine - May 1980 (Magazine Cover)
10) Time Magazine - Sep. 1974 (Magazine Cover)
11) Time Magazine - May 1980 (Magazine Cover)