Name
Date
REVIEW
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 11.11.4
The Constitution and
the Watergate Crisis
Specific Objective: Explain the constitutional crisis originating from the Watergate
scandal.
Read the sequence diagram to answer the questions on the next page.
The Watergate Burglary
• During the 1972 campaign for president, a Republican group wanted to get an advantage
over Democrats by looking at their files and taping their private conversations.
• In June 1972, five men working for Republicans were arrested as they attempted to break
into Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
The Cover-up
• Republicans in the Nixon White House, including those involved, denied any knowledge of
the attempted burglary.
• Nixon was involved in meetings to ensure the investigation did not involve the White House.
• Documents were shredded and payments made to burglars to remain silent.
The Investigation
• The Senate decided to investigate ties to the White House when a judge made it clear
that the burglars probably did not act alone.
• Investigators got evidence of ties to the White House through the burglars and White
House staff testimony before the Senate.
• A witness revealed a system that taped all White House conversations.
• Investigators wanted the tapes to clarify people’s involvement, including Nixon’s.
The Constitutional Crisis
Nixon had approved a special prosecutor to investigate the incident.
When the prosecutor took the case to court to get tapes, Nixon ordered him fired.
The Attorney General and deputy both resigned instead of firing the prosecutor.
Nixon refused to release the complete tapes. The Senate demanded them.
Nixon said that the executive branch had a right to keep the tapes for national security.
The Supreme Court ordered the complete tapes released.
There was a constitutional conflict over who had the most power—the Supreme Court
(judicial branch), Congress (legislative), or Nixon (executive).
• Nixon finally released the tapes, although many had gaps at important times.
• The House Committee voted to impeach Nixon, partially for refusing to release the tapes.
• Nixon resigned in August 1974 before facing an impeachment hearing.
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CSS Specific Objective 11.11.4: Review 157
Name
Date
PRACTICE
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 11.11.4
The Constitution and
the Watergate Crisis
Courtesy of Tony Auth
1
What does the cartoon show about
the relationship between the
Constitution and the Watergate
crisis?
A
The Constitution had planned for
the need to remove a president from
office.
B
The Constitution included no mention
of how to run presidential elections.
C
The Constitution supported the ideas
of executive privilege and national
security.
D
Those who wrote the Constitution did
not expect it to last for such a long
time.
158 CSS Specific Objective 11.11.4: Practice
2
The constitutional crisis of Watergate
concerned
A
the freedom of the press as
guaranteed by the First Amendment.
B
the balance of power and the system
of checks and balances.
C
whether the president had the right
to tape conversations in the White
House.
D
whether the legislative branch had
the right to impeach the president.
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer.