| By Debra Kirby |
Keeping up with current events can be a full-time job—never mind understanding the history behind what’s in the headlines. Take the ongoing coverage of the investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections for example. This story seems to change daily—sometimes hourly. Even if you’re checking in multiple times per day and managing to keep up with the basics, references to historical events and underlying facts relayed by experts and political pundits can leave you wanting to learn more.
For instance, a number of commentators, when discussing the recent firing of FBI director James Comey by President Trump, have referenced similarities to Nixon’s firing of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Is that a valid reference?
To get the background details needed to better understand what’s behind these and other references, start your research with U.S. History In Context, where you will discover in-depth coverage of such topics as:
Or delve into the primary sources associated with the Watergate scandal:
- Read the “Constitutional Faith” Speech by Rep. Barbara Jordan on July 25, 1974, and
- Official commentary by Senator Sam Ervin, chair of Senate Select Committee in 1973
- Listen to Richard Nixon’s “Smoking Gun” tape recording
- Watch Nixon’s former White House counsel John Dean testify at the Watergate hearings
Check out Biography In Context to learn more about the people in the news, past, and present:
- James Comey (recently fired FBI director)
- Richard Nixon
- Archibald Cox (Watergate special prosecutor, fired by President Nixon)
- Donald Trump
- H.R. Haldeman (Nixon’s Chief of Staff)
- Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (Washington Post reporters credited with breaking the Watergate scandal)
Do you think the comparisons being drawn between Watergate and the current situation are fair? What’s the same? What’s different? What other historical information might lead to a better understanding of today’s news?
Image citation: “Demonstrators in Washington, D.C. Seek Impeachment of Nixon.” In UPI Photo Collection. 1974. Global Issues in Context (accessed May 16, 2017). http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=gale&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CPFSHMZ919779129&asid=96e28e8b7c3ed3a093cc6320bb55a1ac.
About the Author
When Debra, a 30-year veteran of the publishing industry, is not working or reading, she can be found gardening, running, swimming, or pursuing the lifelong learning that is at the tip of her fingers via Gale databases.