Background:

The 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s brought three major presidential scandals. Since each scandal is very complicated, it helps to organize the relevant information in a visual format. For this assignment, you will make a chart that explains the details surrounding one of three scandals. The scandals are:

1.  
2. Watergate
3. Iran-Contra
4. Clinton Impeachment

   Requirements:

   • Use a sheet of poster board (located in the back of Mr. Fakkema’s room) to make your chart.
     • Place a title at the top (can be as simple as "Watergate") followed by a general timeframe of the scandal (19??-19??).
     • Create a basic timeline listing the five (5) most important events of the scandal and the date that they occurred. If an exact date is not available, give the closest date possible.
     • Identify five (5) key players from your scandal and provide a short description of each one. One key player should be the president. Your other key players may be people connected to the president, those who challenged him, or in the case of Iran-Contra, entire countries involved in the scandal.
     • Draw lines or some kind of connecting graphics between the key players. Write a brief explanation of the connection.
     • Include graphics to make the chart pleasing to the eye. You might print out and paste pictures of the key players, draw your own caricatures, or create symbols to represent main ideas. You could even make your chart into a board game! The key is to get creative. Use plenty of color.
     • Keep the content of the chart PG-13 or tamer. This is a challenge given the language and actions of some presidents’, but perfectly achievable.

    

    

   Where To Find Information:

   Your book has information on all three of these scandals, but the coverage is very limited. I have included a list of helpful web sites below.

    

   Watergate

   Watergate Revisited

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/front.htm

   An excellent web site run by the Washington Post, the newspaper that originally broke the Watergate story by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Includes a timeline, information on key players, and a wealth of historical documents.

    

   The Scandal That Brought Down President Richard Nixon

   http://watergate.info/index.shtml

    

   This is an Australian site about Watergate. Includes detailed timelines and an excellent overview of the events.

    

    

   Iran-Contra

   This is perhaps the most complicated of the scandals and the most difficult to understand. The following sites help, but they are not as extensive as the sites on Watergate and the Clinton Impeachment. I have handed out further information to help you in class. Sections 1 and 2 of Chapter 35 in your textbook, The American Nation, also give a clear, concise account of the scandal.

    

   The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

   http://teaching.arts.usyd.edu.au/history/hsty3080/3rdYr3080/IranContra/Design/Index2.htm

   One of the few web sites dedicated to Iran-Contra, this page was designed by a university student in Australia for a course on American history. The site has a liberal/left bias, but it also contains the official report from the congressional committee that investigated Iran-Contra. A good overview site.

    

   The Iran-Contra Affair

   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande08.html

   A page from a public broadcasting web site on President Reagan. Explains the basics of Iran-Contra and includes a photograph of Oliver North.

    

   The Iran-Contra Affair &emdash; 1986-1987

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/frenzy/iran.htm

   This page is an offshoot of the Washington Post’s site on the Clinton Impeachment. It gives a clear, concise description of Iran-Contra and contains another photograph of Oliver North.

    

   Iran-Contra Affair

   http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/aae/side/irancont.html

   Grollier Online Encyclopedia page on Iran-Contra. Focuses more on the investigation and aftermath of the scandal.

    

   The Iran-Contra Scandal in Perspective

   http://nsarchive.chadwyck.com/icessayx.htm

   A much more extensive overview of Iran-Contra from the National Security Archives, one of the groups that fought to get documents related to the case declassified. Harder to read than the others, but rich in information.

    

    

   Clinton Impeachment

   Clinton Accused

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/clinton.htm

   The Washington Post provides another excellent web site on a presidential scandal. Includes a timeline, a description of key players, and a primer on the background of the scandal.

    

   The Impeachment Trial

   http://www.pbs.org/newshour/impeachment/index.html

   A Public Broadcasting site on the outcome of Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial. A great source for understanding the politics of impeachment, but weaker on the story leading up to it.

    

   Impeachment: The Process

   http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/impeachment/

   A New York Times site that explains the impeachment process historically and in the case of President Clinton.