The End of the Nixon

PresidencyUsing Primary Sources to Investigate History

Which of these is a primary source?

Instagram Post by High School Student Juwan Whitehead

Interview by President Obama

Tweet by CNN

What is a Primary Source?Primary Source: material directly related to a topic by time or participation*

*"Primary Sources: What Are They?" Teaching History. Center for History and New Media1, 1 June 2016. Web. 29 May 2016.

Some Types of Primary Sources:

● Political Cartoons● Interviews● Speeches● Photographs● Letters● Diaries● Government Documents● Video● Maps● Census data

Why do we use primary sources?Primary sources are the raw materials of historyThey provide insight into a topic from the P.O.V. of

people who were there at the timeWe can use them to build a cohesive argument or

theory about an event or time in history, rather than relying on others’ secondary analyses

How do we analyze a primary source?1)Think about the type of material you are dealing with. Is it a

propaganda film, a news report, an interview, a speech?

2)Look for anything unique about it. Note anything that might stand out.

3)Think about your who, what, where, when, why and how questions. Who created it? Who is in the document? Who was the intended audience?

What was the purpose? What is the message? What aspects/parts of this document help me to figure this out?

When and where was this created?

Why did someone create this?

How does it fit in with the context of the event or topic I am studying?

4)Try to summarize the document in your own words

The End of the Nixon Presidency: 1974On June 17, 1972 five burglars were caught breaking into the DNC

headquarters in the Watergate hotel.

These men were later connected to Nixon’s reelection committee.

This opened up a series of investigations looking into various illegal activities of Nixon and his administration.

Despite attempts at denial and coverup, it was eventually revealed that Nixon recorded all of his conversations on tape. On July 24, 1974 the Supreme Court ordered that these tapes be turned over to investigators.

Facing impeachment, Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974.

"Watergate scandal". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 29 May 2016 <http://www.britannica.com/event/Watergate-Scandal>.

Should Nixon have resigned?Document 1: Nixon’s Resignation Speech

URL: http://tinyurl.com/hazmeku

Analysis of Nixon’s Speech:

Document 2:

Source: Block, Herb. “Nixon hanging between the tapes.” Illustration. Washington Post 24 May 1974: 70. Lib of Congress. Web. 29 May 2016. <https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/herblocks-history/crook.html>.

Let’s work together to break down this image.

Document 3Take a look at the Memorandum

from the Justice Department regarding whether or not they should pursue indictment and prosecution of President Nixon

Fill out your own analysis sheet

Now you get to play Monday-morning quarterback: Should Nixon have resigned? Turn to a partner and explain your answer based on the sources we have looked at today.