Dick's Resignation
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History August 5 - 11.
Once upon a time, America cared about how the president conducted himself. In presidential campaigns, candidates can be hard-hitting in their attacks, but the people tended to decipher what they thought was acceptable and what was not.
In June and July 1974, the country marched toward an outcome in which the president's remaining in office would become unattainable. Just two years before, President Nixon had coasted to victory, defeating George McGovern in such a manner that it would have been foolish to try to do anything illegal that could jeopardize it.
And that was precisely what happened.
On August 7, 1974, the Watergate tapes were released, and Nixon's tenure as president was over. The recordings revealed that Nixon knew immediately the situation surrounding the Watergate break-in and was determined to subvert the investigation.
Nixon lost his support in Congress, and impeachment was on the table, which meant he was likely to become the first president to be removed from office.
So, instead, he decided to become the first and only president to resign and announced in a speech from the Oval Office on August 8, 1974. Vice President Gerald Ford was coronated president on August 9, 1974, becoming the first president never elected into executive office.
Nixon handed his resignation to then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, which to me doesn’t make sense unless I’m missing some detail in an official document that spells this out. If it were up to me, when the next president needs to resign, they should call the Speaker of the House and hand them an official letter.
The speech Nixon delivered was just shy of 1,800 words. It did not make the top 100 speeches that changed the world. He used his time to tell everyone everything he thought he did that was okay while avoiding the unpleasant stuff. In the end, Dick left in disgrace.
When I think about Nixon, I think about how the country endured. The United States carried on when Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were assassinated while in office, and we carried on when Harrison, Taylor, Harding, and FDR passed away.
With Nixon, it was the most straightforward transition because it was scheduled. I can’t imagine how crazy a time it was back then, but 50 years later, it appears we are right back to crazy time, and I remain confident we shall ensure once again.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
1. Cleveland installed the first electric traffic light on August 5, 1914. With automobiles dominating American streets, the need for regulation increased. Based on a design by James Hodge, an electric traffic stop was installed on Euclid and 105th Street in the East Cleveland neighborhood called Doan’s Corner, named after settler Nathaniel Doan. The lights lessened congestion and were adopted throughout the country. Red meant to stop, green meant to go, and eventually, yellow became a part of the fixture, which meant good luck.
2. Congress created the Department of War on August 7, 1789. The cabinet-level agency was created to operate and maintain the newly created Army of the United States. President George Washington named former Revolutionary War General Henry Knox the first Secretary. The Department would eventually become the Department of Defense in 1947 and is today the world’s largest employer. Along with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, no woman has served as its Secretary.
3. The United States seized Guam on August 10, 1944. Japan captured the Western Pacific island in the First Battle of Guam in 1941. Beginning in July 1944, the United States invaded the island and, after recapturing it, created bases that we used to launch attacks on mainland Japan, bringing World War II to a close.
It’s birthday week for Anonymous, which means I will need to hustle to finish all things related to the following presidential election ranking on time because I will spend multiple days celebrating the best person in my life.
Thank you for stopping by and supporting Okay History. Have a great week, and see you on Friday!
Okay,
Chris
“Good luck”? I thought it was “Floor it!” HBTY for Anonymous!