The Presidential Election of 1968 and the Reasons for Nixon's Victory (1968-1974)

Question 1

What did Nixon promise in his presidential campaign?

Answer 1

• ‘Law and Order’
• To end the draft
• That he had a ‘secret plan’ to end the Vietnam war

Question 2

What were Nixon’s strengths in the 1968 elections?

Answer 2

• The growing disarray of the Democrats
• His team crafted televised interviews which followed him answering questions for ‘ordinary people’
• His promise to end the draft appealed to people

Question 3

What were some divisions in the Democratic Party?

Answer 3

• Johnson withdrew from the race in March
• Bobby Kennedy won the California primary but was shot the same night (June 6th 1968, month after MLK)
• Eugene McCarthy also wanted to win the nomination

Question 4

What was the Democratic Convention?

Answer 4

• It was organised by Richard Daley and was set to happen in August 1968
• Daley Had 23,000 police and National Guardsmen present for the Convention

Question 5

Who were some opposers to the democratic convention?

Answer 5

• Yippies
• The Students for a Democratic Society
• The National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam

Question 6

What happened on the 28th of August during the Democratic Convention?

Answer 6

• The police tried to break up a protest rally in Grant Park which led to beatings and the use of tear gas
• The scenes had a lot of media attention with protesters shouting “The whole world is watching”
• NBC news switched between Humphrey celebrating his win at the Convention and the violence outside, which gave the Democrats a worse image

Question 7

What was the American Independent Party?

Answer 7

• It was a separate party led by George Wallace (segregationist)
• It increased Nixon’s lead in the polls as the Southern Democrats were on his side

Question 8

How did Nixon deal with the North Vietnamese accepting LBJ’s offer to hold peace talks in Paris?

Answer 8

Nixon’s campaign team secretly urged South Vietnam’s government to refuse to take part in the talks, promising them a better deal when Nixon won and ensuring that LBJ’s final victory couldn’t help Humphery

Question 9

What was the result of the 1968 elections?

Answer 9

• Nixon became the first president since the 19th century to win without his party winning the House or Congress
• Nixon had 301 electoral votes (Humphrey had 191) and 43.4% of the popular vote (Humphrey had 42.7%)
• 60.9% of the population voted

Question 10

What was ‘New Federalism’?

Answer 10

Nixon’s “New Federalism” was a policy initiative aimed at reducing federal government control by reallocating power, responsibility, and resources to state and local governments, promoting decentralization and more local autonomy

Question 11

What did Nixon do for the Environment?

Answer 11

• Created the 1970 Environmental Protection Agency
• Passed the 1970 Clean Air Act

Question 12

What did Nixon do regarding drugs?

Answer 12

• 1970 Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act
• 1973 Drug Enforcement Admistriation (DEA) created after a 1971 report suggested that 15% of Vietnam veterans returned with a heroin addiction

Question 13

Who was Nixon’s Vice President?

Answer 13

Spiro Agnew (replaced by Gerald Ford in 1973 due to tax evansion accusations)

Question 14

Who was Henry Kissinger?

Answer 14

• The National Security Adviser
• Nixon’s key political ally

Question 15

What was Nixon’s ‘Enemies List’?

Answer 15

A list compiled by Nixon’s administration featuring political opponents, activists, and media figures considered hostile to his presidency
The list became public knowledge during the Watergate scandal