Question

one of the investigation questions for this lesson asks, \how did events like the watergate scandal affect the level of confidence that americans had in the government and other institutions, and what were the consequences for society?\ as you consider the question, also consider how fords pardon affected public confidence.

imagine that you were president ford when he was trying to decide whether to pardon nixon. use the table below to list the pros and cons that ford may have considered when making his decision. fill in the table with reasons that you would pardon nixon and reasons that you would not.

pros
reasons to pardon nixon
cons
reasons not to pardon nixon

Explanation:

The pros focus on potential societal and governmental stability, while the cons center on public trust and accountability for wrongdoing related to the Watergate scandal.

Answer:

PROS<br>Reasons to pardon Nixon	CONS<br>Reasons not to pardon Nixon
Allow the government to refocus on policy, not scandal	Fuel perceptions of elite/governmental corruption
Prevent further damage to the presidency's reputation long-term	Spark public outrage and backlash against the Ford administration
Avoid a lengthy, distracting criminal trial for Nixon	Set a precedent that presidents are above the law