US History › Section O · The 1960s and 1970s › Topic O.7
Watergate
A burglary at the Democratic Party's offices in 1972 grew into what many historians call one of the gravest constitutional crises in American history. The cover-up, exposed by reporters, judges, prosecutors and Congress, led Richard Nixon to become the only president to resign, and it left a lasting mark on Americans' trust in government.
In this topic
- Why Watergate matters
- The election of 1972
- The plumbers and dirty tricks
- The break-in
- The cover-up unravels, 1973
- The Saturday Night Massacre
- Worked example: United States v. Nixon
- Resignation
- Worked example: why did a burglary topple a president?
- Ford and the aftermath
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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