Richard Nixon :: essays research papers

Richard Milhouse Nixon was a very prominent politician in the mid 1900’s. His solid upbringing and vicious campaign tactics led to many political wins. It also led to many political enemies. Much of the public thought of him as a great American president until his down fall in March of 1973. I think that Richard Nixon was a good president, but in the end went to far.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard Nixon grew up in a small town in California. His dad operated and owned a grocery store where Nixon spent most of his time working. The town that he lived in was very religious and even prohibited alcohol. Nixon’s classmates thought of him as a cocky yet bright student. When Nixon was in high school his older brother died. This is the time when Nixon felt he had to prove something to his mother. Nixon’s first political campaign race was for senior class president. He lost. This was one of only two political loses ever dealt to Nixon in his whole political career. Nixon, after high school, was offered a scholarship to Harvard, but couldn’t go because family illness. Nixon went to college and later law school and became a known Republican in his area. Nixon was now going to run for public office.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nixon’s first stab at political office was when he ran for the Republican seat in the House of Representatives against Jerry Voorhis. Nixon started his dirty campaigning in this election when he made suggestions that Jerry Voorhis might be a Communist. This is where I feel Nixon went to far. In a public election you let the people decide whether or not Jerry Voorhis is a Communist. That is why the people have the right to vote. If you use the name-calling tactic you are completely going against the reason public elections are held. Nixon won his seat in the House of Representatives. While he was in the House he was on the Un-American Activities Commission. This “commission'; specialized in the hunting down of Communists in America. This is one of the sickest displays of American paranoia I can even think about. These people on the commission would scare, coax, and make people say that their neighbors, colleagues, and sometimes-even relatives were Commu nists and then they would put the people whose name they got in black books. These black books would assure that the person couldn’t get a job or get a loan or even friends.