Watergate Scandal Worksheets
Do you want to save dozens of hours in time? Get your evenings and weekends back? Be able to teach about the Watergate Scandal to your students?
Our worksheet bundle includes a fact file and printable worksheets and student activities. Perfect for both the classroom and homeschooling!
Resource Examples
Click any of the example images below to view a larger version.
Fact File
Student Activities
Table of Contents
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
Summary
- Background and Context
- Watergate Break-in
- The Cover-Up
- Media’s Role
- Legal Proceedings and the Tapes
- Resignation and Aftermath
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about the Watergate Scandal!
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States during the early 1970s, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex and ultimately revealed a series of illegal activities and abuses of power by the Nixon administration.
The scandal involved a range of illicit activities, including political espionage, sabotage of opponents, and the use of government agencies to harass and intimidate political enemies. The subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration ultimately led to widespread public distrust and a constitutional crisis that culminated in Nixon's resignation in 1974.
Nixon explaining release of edited transcripts
Background and Context
- The Watergate scandal has its roots in a series of political manoeuvres that started shortly after Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States on 20 January 1969. In the early 1970s, amidst a climate of political and social unrest, President Nixon and his administration sought to consolidate power and protect their political interests through secret activities.
- In February 1971, Nixon directed the installation of a secret recording system to capture all discussions in the Oval Office, his Executive Office Building workspace, and his Camp David location, along with certain telephones in these areas.
- Following the unauthorised disclosure of the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg, which began to be published by The New York Times on 13 June 1971, President Nixon felt a need to prevent future leaks. The papers revealed that the administration had systematically lied to the public and Congress about the Vietnam War.
- In July 1971, David Young and Egil "Bud" Krogh drafted a memo suggesting the creation of the group that would become the “White House Plumbers," specifically tasked with stopping or responding to leaks of classified information from the Pentagon Papers.
- This group, led by E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, broke into the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, Lewis Fielding, in an unsuccessful attempt to acquire damaging information on Ellsberg and thereby discredit the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers.
- In addition to these aggressive tactics against the leaks, the administration also set up Nixon's Enemies List. This list targeted political opponents; however, it's unclear how personally involved Nixon was in the list’s creation or execution.
- The lack of fresh covert assignments had the Plumbers, who were then working with the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP), increasingly agitated by early 1972. Disenchanted with the CRP's rejection of their suggested schemes, G. Gordon Liddy and Hunt escalated their concerns to senior White House figures like Charles Colson and likely Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, urging for more direct involvement and new operations.
- This agitation and push for more aggressive measures from the highest levels of the Nixon administration are considered to have set the stage for the subsequent Watergate break-ins. As the Plumbers sought out new assignments, their actions became more audacious and politically riskier. The White House's involvement in directing and pressuring the CRP to sanction new illicit activities reveals the extent of the administration's willingness to engage in questionable practices to protect its position.
Pentagon Papers featured on Time magazine
Watergate Break-in
- As one of the Plumbers, G. Gordon Liddy was sent to the CRP, where he got Attorney General John Mitchell's blessing for an extensive espionage scheme against the Democratic Party. James McCord recruited Alfred C. Baldwin III, an ex-FBI agent, to supervise the electronic eavesdropping. Baldwin disguised as personal security for Martha Mitchell while stationed in Washington before relocating to a Howard Johnson's motel conveniently adjacent to the Watergate Complex. Here, his role evolved to active surveillance from a vantage point overlooking the DNC offices.
- The initial break-in attempt took place on 28 May 1972, followed by the installation of wiretaps on two DNC telephones by McCord and his team. The secret operation seemed to proceed unnoticed until the night of 17 June, when Frank Wills, a security guard at the Watergate Complex, uncovered taped locks on several doors linking the underground car park to the offices above. Intrigued and suspicious after the tape reappeared following its removal, Wills wasted no time in alerting the police. Officers adept at undercover operations responded to the call.
- This intervention led to the arrest of Virgilio Gonzalez, Bernard Barker, Eugenio Martínez, Frank Sturgis, and James McCord inside the DNC office. They were charged with attempted burglary and attempting to intercept telephone and other communications.
The Cover-Up
- Barker and Martínez's address books had the name of E. Howard Hunt, which the FBI found within hours of the burglars' arrest. Officials in the Nixon administration expressed alarm over Hunt and Liddy's involvement in the White House Plumbers. Despite John Ehrlichman's denial, John Dean would later admit to participating in the destruction of evidence from Hunt's White House safe along with L. Patrick Grey.
- Initially, President Nixon had doubts about the implications of the break-in, but he ultimately instructed Haldeman to involve the CIA in preventing the FBI's investigation into the financial backing for the burglary. Such measures emphasise the administration's attempts to obstruct justice.
- The drama became more personal when Martha Mitchell, the wife of John N. Mitchell, revealed that she knew about her husband's association with McCord, another Watergate burglar. Alert to the threat of Martha potentially sharing her information with the media, John Mitchell had security detail guards ensure she could not communicate with the press. McCord, who described her as having been "basically kidnapped," corroborated Helen Thomas' account of her captivity and subsequent escape attempts from a California hotel.
- In the cover-up's financial domain, The Washington Post reported that a $25,000 check meant for Nixon's 1972 re-election bid allegedly ended up in the bank account of one of the individuals held in connection with the Watergate break-in. Investigators discovered that a total of $86,000, believed by donors to support the president's reelection, was directed to the burglars.
- A review of Barker's company bank records showed a transaction linked to the CRP. Despite the FBI clearing Barker's bank of misconduct, the funds' connection to CRP members raised suspicions. Judge John Sirica became suspicious of a larger conspiracy involving the government, given the direct link between five Watergate burglars and the CRP. This discovery sparked questions about the Nixon administration’s attempts to manipulate political information.
Media’s Role
- Leading media outlets like The Washington Post, Time, and The New York Times extensively detailed the involvement of the Nixon administration and Nixon's reelection campaign in the Watergate scandal.
Senate Watergate Committee
- The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were instrumental in unveiling potential knowledge and attempts to conceal the break-in by entities such as the White House, FBI, CIA, and Justice Department. Interviews with Judy Hoback Miller, the bookkeeper for Nixon's reelection campaign, revealed evidence of financial wrongdoing and the intentional destruction of records.
- Moreover, an anonymous informant known as "Deep Throat" provided essential information to Woodward on 20 June 1972. It wouldn't be until thirty years afterwards that the secret informant was identified as Mark Felt, the FBI's deputy director at the time.
- Despite the big revelations, most of the media focused on other election-related subjects and didn't fully understand the scope of the scandal. After the Post revealed that payments from a secret fund were made to Haldeman, newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and The Philadelphia Inquirer chose not to circulate the information.
- Furthermore, instead of acknowledging other damaging reports featured in Time and the New York Times, the White House directed efforts to undermine the Post's credibility. This administrative response was a deliberate strategy to challenge the truth of the allegations and discredit the integrity of the journalists exposing them.
Legal Proceedings and the Tapes
- Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor appointed to oversee the Watergate scandal, played a crucial role in obtaining evidence and holding the administration accountable for its actions, which would eventually lead to President Nixon's resignation.
- The Watergate break-in trial began on 8 January 1973, with the individuals involved being found guilty and sentenced to prison terms. As the crisis escalated, Nixon concluded that to reduce his own incrimination, he needed to sever ties with key advisors.
- He changed his cover-up strategy in May and June of that year, calling for the resignation of H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and his White House Counsel, John Dean.
- After his dismissal, Dean cooperated with Watergate Prosecutors, and testified about Nixon's involvement in the cover-up. On 30 April, after the resignation of Haldeman and Ehrlichman, Nixon delivered his first primetime address to the nation on Watergate, stressing his innocence.
- The Senate Watergate Committee, by a unanimous vote, held televised hearings from 18 May to 7 August, revealing testimonies from Dean and other former administration officials. Nixon's refusal to release the tapes, and the subsequent discovery of the taping equipment, dramatically altered the course of the investigation.
- Alexander Butterfield, a former presidential appointments secretary, meets with Senate investigators and discloses the presence of a comprehensive secret taping system in the White House. During his testimony before the Senate Committee in a televised broadcast, he reveals that Nixon had been recording all conversations and phone calls in his offices since 1971.
- On 20 October, during what became known as the "Saturday Night Massacre," Nixon instructed Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. Richardson resigned rather than comply, as did Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after being given the same order.
- Eventually, Solicitor General Robert Bork complied with Nixon's directive and dismissed Cox. Facing intense public backlash, Nixon had to contend with his image. He soon allowed the appointment of a new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, to continue the investigation.
- On 1 March 1974, the "Watergate Seven" (consisting of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, Charles Colson, Gordon Strachan, Robert Mardian, and Kenneth Parkinson) were indicted by a grand jury for conspiring to hinder the Watergate investigation. The special prosecutor successfully argued against indicting Nixon directly at that time due to the legal standard that a sitting president cannot be indicted.
- Amidst disputes over the release of relevant information, the Nixon administration debated which documents to make available to the public. After weeks of debate, they opted to disclose an edited version of the tapes. On 30 April, Nixon announced the release of more than 1200 pages of edited transcripts in a televised speech.
- The battle over access to the full tapes reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which unanimously ruled that Nixon's claims of executive privilege failed in the face of the need for evidence in the Watergate scandal trials. Subsequently, Nixon released the subpoenaed tapes on 5 August 1974.
- These tapes contained a crucial recording from 23 June 1972. In this "smoking gun" tape, Nixon can be heard instructing Haldeman to have the CIA block the FBI's investigation into the Watergate break-in under pretences of national security concerns.
- The House of Representatives' passage of H.Res. 803 allowed the Judiciary Committee to investigate Nixon's impeachment, putting his candidature for president in jeopardy in 1974. The committee recommended three articles of impeachment against Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress.
Resignation and Aftermath
- The "smoking gun" tape demonstrated Nixon's early involvement in the cover-up of the scandal. Following its release, ten lawmakers backed the impeachment article accusing him of obstructing justice.
- Faced with imminent impeachment, Nixon chose to resign on 8 August 1974. This marked the first time in US history that a president had resigned from office.
- Following Nixon's resignation, Vice President Gerald Ford assumed the presidency. He issued a full and unconditional pardon to Nixon on 8 September, shielding him from prosecution for any offences he had committed or may have participated in during his presidency.
- On the other hand, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Mitchell were found guilty of conspiracy charges related to Watergate. In total, 41 individuals were convicted for crimes associated with the Watergate scandal.
- The scandal had a major impact on the legal profession. It eroded public trust in legal professionals, prompting the American Bar Association (ABA) to make changes. They replaced the Model Code of Professional Responsibility in 1983 with the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which all 50 states have since adopted. The ABA also mandated that law students at ABA-approved schools complete a course on professional responsibility.
- The aftereffects of Watergate resonated in legislation such as the National Emergencies Act of 1976, enacted to regulate the use of emergency powers by the president. The scandal also influenced the 1974 congressional elections, leading to a Democratic gain of 49 House seats and 5 Senate seats.
- Furthermore, Ford's pardon of Nixon is often cited as a contributing factor to his own defeat in the 1976 presidential election, which saw his opponent, Jimmy Carter, victorious.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the Watergate Scandal?
The Watergate Scandal was a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C.
- What was the result of the Watergate Scandal for President Nixon?
The result of the Watergate Scandal for President Nixon was his resignation from office on 8 August 1974 to avoid impeachment. He is the only U.S. president to have resigned from office.
- What was the significance of the Watergate tapes?
The Watergate tapes were recordings of conversations in the Oval Office. They provided concrete evidence of President Nixon's involvement in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in, which led to his resignation. Alexander Butterfield revealed the existence of the tapes during the Senate Watergate hearings.