Students, reflect and respond to one of the prompts. It should only be roughly one paragraph.
On June 17th, 1972, five men broke into the Watergate Hotel complex. They were nearly perfect at the burglary, yet they made one mistake. The tape that was used to keep the locks from closing on the doors was left behind. A custodian noticed the tape on the locks and changed the course of American History. The money found on the burglars was connected to the Committee of the Re-Election of the President (CREEP). They weren't after typical burglary target items; money, jewelry, or expensive handbags. They were after incriminating evidence related to the illicit affairs of the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Party, and their presidential nominee, George McGovern.
Nixon was trying to trash the Democrats', particularly McGovern's, reputation right before the election, even though it was clear to everyone that Nixon would have won in a landslide regardless.
a) What element of Nixon's personality drove him to enact this risky plan?
b)Can you think of another time something similar was done by another political or historical figure?
c)What is the significance of Watergate and what impact has it had on our national politics?
