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The 1960's

Richard Nixon - The End of a Decade

Richard Nixon - The End of a Decade
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 9
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.22

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    governorship, margin, infamous, further, nomination, political, executive, hearing, presidency, ranks, heated, humphrey, communism, civil, investigation, supporter
     content words:    John F., Space Race, Lyndon Johnson, Oval Office, White House, Richard Nixon, Henry Cabot Lodge, Many Republicans, Richard Milhous Nixon, Yorba Linda

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Richard Nixon - The End of a Decade
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The 1960's began with a new face on the political scene. John F. Kennedy was young and energetic. He wanted Americans to find solutions for problems they faced in their own country. JFK was a strong supporter of civil rights. He pushed scientists to win the Space Race. He declared war on poverty in America. He or his vice-president, Lyndon Johnson, was able to control the Oval Office for eight of the ten years in the 60's decade.
 
2     The decade would end with a face from the 50's returning to the White House. Kennedy and Johnson had defeated Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge for the presidency in 1960. Lyndon Johnson had taken over the presidency when Kennedy was assassinated. He decided not to run for reelection in 1968. Nixon felt that this was time to try again. Many Republicans questioned the wisdom of his decision. Nixon's election record was not too good. He had lost the 1960 election. He then ran for the governorship of California in 1962. He was defeated in that election. Many people felt that his political career was over.
 
3     Richard Milhous Nixon had never been a man to give up. He was born in Yorba Linda, California, in 1913. His family practiced the Quaker religion. Nixon made a name for himself during high school as a debater. He attended a small Quaker college in Whittier, California, and then won a scholarship to attend the Duke University Law School in North Carolina. He finished law school third in his class.

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