The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

Becoming vice president or President of the United States are no small feats. But between 1973 and 1977, Gerald R. Ford did both—without ever getting a single vote. How did he do that? In the early 1950s, when Michigans Republican Party leaders urged him to run for the  U.S. Senate  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ generally considered the next step to the presidency – Ford declined, stating that his ambition was to become  Speaker of the House, a position he called the ultimate achievement† at the time. â€Å"To sit up there and be the head honcho of 434 other people and have the responsibility, aside from the achievement, of trying to run the greatest  legislative  body in the history of mankind,† said Ford, â€Å"I think I got that ambition within a year or two after I was in the House of Representatives.† But after over a decade of putting forth his best efforts, Ford continually failed to be chosen as a speaker. Finally, he promised his wife Betty that if the speakership eluded him again in 1974, he would retire from Congress and political life in 1976. But far from returning to the farm, Gerald Ford was about to become the first person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office.   Suddenly, its Vice President Ford In October 1973, President  Richard M. Nixon  was serving his second term in the White House when his Vice President  Spiro Agnew  resigned before pleading no contest to federal charges of tax evasion and money laundering related to his acceptance of $29,500 in bribes while governor of Maryland. In the first ever application of the vice-presidential vacancy provision of the  25th Amendment  to the U.S. Constitution, President Nixon nominated then House Minority Leader Gerald Ford to replace Agnew. On November 27, the Senate voted 92 to 3 to confirm Ford, and on December 6, 1973, the House confirmed Ford by a vote of 387 to 35. One hour after the House voted, Ford was sworn in as Vice President of the United States.   When he agreed to accept President Nixons nomination, Ford told Betty that the Vice Presidency would be a nice conclusion to his political career. Little did they know, however,  that Fords political career was anything but over.   The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald Ford As Gerald Ford was getting used to the idea of being vice president,  a spellbound nation was watching the  Watergate scandal  unfold.   During the 1972 presidential campaign, five men employed by President Nixons Committee to Re-elect the President had allegedly broken into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C.s Watergate hotel, in an attempt to steal information related to Nixons opponent, George McGovern. On August 1, 1974, after weeks of accusations and denials, President Nixons Chief of Staff Alexander Haig visited Vice President Ford to tell him that the smoking gun evidence in the form of Nixon’s secret Watergate tapes had been exposed. Haig told Ford that conversations on the tapes left little doubt that President Nixon had taken part in, if not ordered, the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. At the time of Haigs visit, Ford and his wife Betty were still living in their suburban Virginia home while the vice presidents residence in Washington, D.C. was being renovated. In his memoirs, Gord would later say of the day, Al Haig asked to come over and see me, to tell me that there would be a new tape released on a Monday, and he said the evidence in there was devastating and there would probably be either an impeachment or a resignation. And he said, Im just warning you that youve got to be prepared, that these things might change dramatically and you could become president. And I said, Betty, I dont think were ever going to live in the vice presidents house.   With his impeachment almost certain, President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. According to the process of presidential succession, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was immediately sworn in as the 38th President of the United States.  Ã‚   In a live, nationally televised speech from the East Room of the White House, Ford stated, I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.   President Ford went on to add, My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. But there is a higher power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy. Let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and hate.   When the dust had settled, Fords prediction to Betty had come true. The couple moved into the White House without ever living in the vice presidents house.   As one of his first official acts, President Ford exercised Section 2 of the 25th Amendment and nominated Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York to be vice president. On August 20, 1974, both Houses of Congress voted to confirm the nomination and Mr. Rockefeller took the oath of office December 19, 1974.   Ford Pardons Nixon On September 8, 1974, President Ford granted former President Nixon a full and unconditional presidential pardon absolving him of any crimes he might have committed against the United States while president. In a nationally televised TV broadcast, Ford explained his reasons for granting the controversial pardon, stating that the Watergate situation had become â€Å"a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.† About the 25th Amendment Had it happened prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment on Februayr 10, 1967, the resignations of Vice President Agnew and then President Nixon would have almost certainly triggered a monumental constitutional crisis.The 25th Amendment  superseded the wording of Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution, which failed to clearly state that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or otherwise becomes incapacitated and unable to perform the duties of the office. It also specified the current method and order of presidential succession. Prior to the 25th Amendment, there had been incidents when the president was incapacitated. For example, when President Woodrow Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke on October 2, 1919, he was not replaced in office, as First Lady Edith Wilson, along with the White House Physician, Cary T. Grayson, covered up the extent of President Wilsons disability.  For the next 17 months, Edith Wilson actually carried out many presidential duties.   On 16 occasions, the nation had gone without a vice president because of the vice president had died or had become president through succession. For example, there was no vice president for almost four years after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, prompted Congress to push for a constitutional amendment. Early, erroneous reports that Vice President Lyndon Johnson had also been shot created several chaotic hours in the federal government. Happing so soon after the Cuban Missile Crisis and with Cold War tensions still at a fever pitch, the Kennedy assassination forced Congress to come up with a specific method of determining presidential succession. New President Johnson experienced several health issues, and the next two officials in line for the presidency were 71-year-old Speaker of the House John Cormack and 86-year-old Senate President Pro Tempore Carl Hayden. Within three months of Kennedys death, the House and Senate passed a joint resolution that would be submitted to the states as the 25th Amendment. On February 10, 1967, Minnesota and Nebraska became the 37th and 38th states to ratify the amendment, making it the law of the land.

Religion A Religious Experience - 2619 Words

Shashank Neelagiri Professor James Thrall PSYCH 268 February 1, 2015 Essay 1: Topic 3 First Draft A religious experience, which could also be interpreted as a mystical experience due to the lack of objective understanding, could be a type of subjective experience that is strengthened through blind faith. On one side, religious experience may exist in order to defend one’s self against the ‘corrupting’ influence of rationalism and on the other side, religious experience could be an inert feeling that carries the moral of every person. One may say that rationalism protects one’s self against psychosis as well as sinning while the other might say that it is only religious experience that can protect one from delusion and sin. William James and Sigmund Freud offer competing views on the specifics of religious experience and the capabilities of as well as limits of the human knowledge in attempting to understand the ‘religious.’ In terms of whether the religious experience is exclusive or rare or not, James believed that men have a religious appetite, and when this religious appetite is insufficient to allow a person to be faithful, then men seek satisfaction through philosophy and logic though when exclusively sought out for then the man becomes eccentric and exceptional (James 2-5). James claims that scientific judgment alone cannot completely embrace religion and nor can spiritual judgment (James 5). He says that it is with the combination of the two that a clearerShow MoreRelatedThe Varieties Of Religious Experience : Religion And Neurology1843 Words   |  8 PagesCentral Concept of Religion Religious experiences can be defined as intense emotions or subjective experiences that an individual endures upon sensing or participating in religious functions and activities. Nonetheless, even though these feelings are shared amongst individuals from the same faith, they can be interpreted in a plethora of ways depending on each individual’s experiences. Put differently, members within a religious group elucidate these phenomena through their religious framework, whilstRead MoreThe Challenges Posed For Religious Believers By Religious1713 Words   |  7 PagesThe challenges posed for religious believers by Religious diversity will be discussed in this paper. First, one must understand what Religious diversity is. 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Whether our parents are religious, our own religious views, or others who try and convert you to a religion, we have all come in contact with a religion. But what do sociology and religion have to do with each other? The answer to this question is that religion meets sociology in the affects that it has on an individual or society (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 323). What is a religion? A religion is defined by Richard Schaefer as a unified system

The New Fuss About Good Biology Extended Essay Topics

The New Fuss About Good Biology Extended Essay Topics Be that as it could, the topic for your essay is a critical thing that has to be chosen carefully and with higher precision. Therefore, if there's any reason why you cannot have your extended essay written on time yourself, all you have to do is place your order on our site, and leave the rest to us! A protracted essay is a kind of academic writing assignment, which success is dependent upon the structure. Start looking for the corresponding details on the net to practice writing. Anyone could become shocked to create sure that you find out a superior suggestion for your composing an important potent guide is definitely so you can write this continue. So should you need help with any writing task, don't hesitate to get in touch with our expert services. The best method is to check through some terrific extended essay examples. Good Biology Extended Essay Topics Ideas Essays written at the degree of a newspaper or news magazine article are unlikely to reach a high mark. As it's limited to 4,000 words, you should narrow the reach of your research to a specific facet of history, covering a brief time. Good composition writing starts together with an introduction, put into practice by only the body, in that event a conclusion. Therefore, you'll hardly find an individual who hates this subject. Good Biology Extended Essay Topics - What Is It? You won't be able to crank out a 4,000-word essay in a week and receive an A. By contrast, very good marks give ri se to the total score, which might impact a student's college application success. Coming up with a single college biology term paper topic can occasionally be a bit tricky. You're a student free of access or liberty to do experiments and neither have the essential resources to achieve that. What Good Biology Extended Essay Topics Is - and What it Is Not In such situations, only the essential non-chemistry information should be supplied in the debut, since the essay is going to be marked on its chemical content. As you look at these various topics, you need to do a streamline your research efforts for them, and that's the entire advantage of doing these particular kinds of papers. It's thus important to know the definition of the essential terms for your information to be relevant. If it is essential to include more non-chemistry (for instance, geological) information, then the suitable place for it's the appendix. In the event the practical work is performed in an industri al or university laboratory, the essay ought to be accompanied by means of a letter from the external supervisor outlining the character of the supervision and the degree of guidance provided. Ethical guidelines are also supplied by the IB and must be shown to students. Make certain you ask your IB coordinator if there's any necessary paperwork. Therefore, it's vital to adhere to the teacher's instructions to compose a high-quality work. You should also think about citing the sources as you are writing. Also, be sure your 300-word abstract is very clear and briefly summarizes your entire argument. In the debut, you need to state what the paper is all about and offer a thesis statement for the paper. A normal chemistry paper has an introduction, the most important body, and a conclusion. It's possible to create an elongated essay in chemistry where the student has used data collected elsewhere as the main source. Discuss how biology is now being used in handling threats to global peace. Do not permit a chemistry essay be troublesome for you anymore. Have a look at the biology behind it. Understanding Good Biology Extended Essay Topics Sorry if you were searching for specific topic ideas. If you can discover a topic which lends itself to rigorous debate and, clearly, write well on the topic, you may give yourself an obvious benefit. If you're really stuck trying to discover a not too broad or narrow topic, I would suggest attempting to brainstorm a topic that utilizes a comparison. A superb history essay topic is a great deal more important than you can think. Except for selecting a topic, researching, and pinning down the major question, it's crucial to choose the structure as an elongated essay must be long. You have to find a topic that will readily make it possible for you to collect data within the parameters set. Also, there may be an Appendices section in case you have supplementary material to add (this isn't included in the whole word count). If you're able to do that, there's a really excellent likelihood you will easily be in a superb place to ace the paper. The secret lies in having the ability to check at a number of the frequent stuff that you encounter from time to time, and decipher some excellent titles from that point. Hope this answer will help you out even if only a bit. There's a reason for it.