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.
Some of the pros to pardoning Nixon that President Ford would have considered included:
It would allow the nation to heal and move on.
It would allow the nation to focus on current issues.
It would heal the rift that had formed between Nixon supporters and dissidents.
Some cons to pardoning Nixon:
It would portray an image of Presidents being above the law.
It would decrease the popularity of President Ford.
<h3>Why did Ford pardon Nixon?</h3>
Ford felt that the nation's attention was too much on the Watergate issue when other matters needed attention. He also felt the issue was dividing the nation.
When he pardoned Nixon, a lot of people were outraged as they felt that Nixon had escaped justice. This led to a loss of popularity for Ford.
