Nixon’s Domestic Policies--Was he a

Liberal or a Conservative?

Nixon’s agenda was to decrease the size and influence of the federal government. Nixon

believed that Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs, had given the federal government too much

power & responsibility. Ex: Began to get rid of the Office

of Economic Opportunity, cornerstone of LBJ’s War on Poverty

Nixon’s plan, known as New Federalism, was to distribute a

portion of federal power to state and local governments. Under revenue

sharing, state and local governments could spend their federal dollars

however they saw fit within certain limitations.

Nixon sponsored programs that increased the size and role of the federal gov’t by creating new federal agencies

OSHA-Occupational Safety & Health Administration—regulates workplaces to make them safer for workers

DEA—Drug Enforcement Administration—administers the federal war against drugs

EPA—Environmental Protection Agency enforces federal environmental standards

Under Nixon federal spending on social welfare programs like Medicare,

food stamps, Social Security, and public housing grew steadily.

At first Nixon cooperated with Congress, which Democrats

controlled. Soon he refused to spend money voted by Congress on

programs that he did not like. The Supreme Court ruled this action

unconstitutional.

The Nixon administration took a firm stand against drug use and crime. So he opposed federal court rulings that limited the power of the police. Nixon also enlisted the CIA and IRS to harass his political “enemies” –

especially protestors.

Nixon hoped to bolster his political support, especially in the South, to

ensure his re-election. He specifically targeted blue-collar workers &

southern whites, traditional Democratic voters. He wanted to make the

Republican Party a powerful force in the South-called the southern strategy.

As part of his Southern Strategy, Nixon did the following:

He placed a number of conservative southerners as judges in federal

courts, FOUR on the Supreme Court. He tried to slow down forced school

integration, but the Supreme Court ordered the administration to move

more quickly.

Nixon attempted to stop the integration of schools through

busing. In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education that school districts may bus students to other schools to end the pattern of all-black and all-white schools. Nixon responded by calling

for a freeze on all court-ordered busing.

“ I’m not against any individual child. I am not a racist,no matter what those high-and-mighty suburbanliberals with their picket signs say. I just won’t have mychildren bused to some ….slum school, and I don’t wantchildren from God knows where coming over here.”

- A South Boston mother quoted in The School Bus Controversy, 1970-75.

Nixon advanced affirmative action by setting specific hiring goals and timetables for overcoming discrimination. (Affirmative Action, a policy that gives special consideration to women & minorities in the education and employment to make up for past discrimination.)

Extended affirmative action programs to the hiring of women.

Nixon also responded to growing concerns about the environment

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring helped lay the foundation of the environmental movement

Massive Earth Day demonstrations in 1970 Nixon signed the Clear Air Act that sought to

regulate levels of air pollution created by factories and other sources.

Established the Environmental Protection Agency