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The 25th Amendment
The ratification of the 25th amendment was to clarifying rules for filling a Vice President vacancy and removing a President that is incapable of doing the job. Before this amendment was ratified the President and Vice President took it upon themselves to make rules on how to deal with this issue. Senator Birch Bayh introduced joint resolutions in the houses to clarify the rules. President Lyndon B Johnson certified the amendment in 1967. -
The Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal was the reason why Nixon resigned in 1974. It all started in the office of the Democratic National Committee. Burglars were arrested for wiretapping phones and stealing important documents. It was found later that they had been apart of Nixon's reelection campaign. Nixon tried everything to cover this up from the news outlets but it finally came out and Nixon was in the middle of it.
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Agnews Resignation
Vice President Agnew resigned because of accusations of tax evasion. Rather than spending a long amount of time in court to dissolve this problem, he decided to resign. Nixon was very understanding by his decision but stated that he was a great Vice President. After his resignation, Agnew barely made any public appearances and stayed quiet. -
Nixon Nominates Gerald Ford
While Nixon was contemplating on who to replace Agnews with, he came up with 3 specific criteria that the Vice President should have. Gerald Ford met these criteria because of his role in the House of Representatives. He works well in the executive branch and has the qualifications to work with them as Vice President. He has also been supportive of both parties and it shows how well Ford would be for this position. -
Gerald Ford becomes Vice President
Gerald Ford was appointed Vice President under Nixon by the 25th amendment. This amendment says that it is the president's job to appoint someone as Vice President if the former Vice President resigns. Nixon's nomination for Vice President to Gerald Ford was the first use of the 25th amendment. -
Gerald Ford becomes President
President Richard Nixon sent in his resignation letter due to the Watergate scandal. Nixon would have been out of office anyway because if he didn't send in his resignation, he probably would have been impeached. Gerald Ford became the 38th President of the United States. President Ford is the only person to ever become Vice President and President without being elected for either position.
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Ford Pardons Nixon
Ford explains to Congress why he pardoned Nixon fully for the watergate scandal and all charges. Ford decided to pardon Nixon because he said that a long ongoing trial would not help anyone get passed this scandal. Ford decided that pardoning Nixon would be the best way for the United States citizens to get over this scandal and move onto other things. -
Gerald Ford as President
After President Ford pardoned Nixon, his remaining two years as president were filled with a domestic crisis and poor economy. Ford wanted to supply South Vietnam with supplies but Congress denied this request. Since Congress denied Ford's request, North Vietnam took over the South in 1975. However, Ford did increase relations with the Soviet Union by signing the Helsinki Accords. These accords were made to reduce tensions between the communist countries and other nations.
