Resignation Address to the Nation

1. Resignation Address to the Nation Richard Milhous Nixon Maria Gleixner PD. CD

2. Bio After graduation from Whittier College in 1934, Nixon received a full scholarship to Duke University Law School in Durham, N.C. In 1942, Richard Nixon and his wife moved to Washington, D.C., where he took a job in Franklin Roosevelt's Office of Price Administration. With time he got involved in Congress and proceeded to become a U.S. Representative and U.S Senator. Richard Milhous Nixon lost his first run at presidency to John F. Kennedy. Later on in 1968, Richard Nixon was elected to be the 37th President of the United States.

3. Historical Perspective of Speech • Date: Richard Nixon’s Resignation Speech was given on August 8, 1974. • Purpose: The purpose of his speech was to let the nation know that he was stepping • down from office. This happened shortly happened after the Watergate scandal. • Impact: The speech mainly talked about him resigning but not thoroughly • talking about Watergate. Instead he avoided the Watergate subject and did not admit to being involved, which was what the nation expected.

4. Theme “America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad. To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home.”

5. Key Points • “… In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort.” • Nixon realizes he should resign from office. • “To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body.” • Nixon explains how he feels about resigning.

6. “…By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.” • Nixon says he hopes that with the Vice President taking over the nation will make progress and surpass the scandal. • “…We must keep as our goal turning away from production for war and expanding production for peace so that people everywhere on this earth can at last look forward, in their children's time, if not in our own time, to having the necessities for a decent life…” • Nixon then proceeds to say that the nation should keep trying for peace and make a better life for those in the future. • “…I have fought for what I believe in…” • At the end, Nixon states that he’s pushed for what he believed in and has tried his hardest to meet his responsibilities how he thought best.

7. Segment of Speech “For more than a quarter of a century in public life, I have shared in the turbulent history of this evening. I have fought for what I believe in. I have tried, to the best of my ability, to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me. Sometimes I have succeeded. And sometimes I have failed. But always I have taken heart from what Theodore Roosevelt once said about the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and with the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

8. “To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interests of America first.”

9. Rhetorical Devices Parallelism: This, more than anything, is what I hoped to achieve when I sought the Presidency. This, more than anything, is what I hope will be my legacy to you, to our country, as I leave the Presidency.