The Iran Hostage Crisis, the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War; all of these events became known as turning points in history. In which the world could have gone one way but shifted suddenly another way. I noticed a trend among the presidents who were in power during these events. That trend being; that these events, now considered turning points in history, played a role in the downfalls of the presidents who were in power ¹.

The Fallen Kingdom^🙂

President Lindon B. Johnson earned his disapproval when he sent more troops into Vietnam, a war that many knew was unwindable ². Those who opposed the US’s involvement in the war vilified LBJ.

The final months of President Carter’s tenure were rocked by some major crises. With the Iran Hostage Crisis and the failed Operation Eagle Claw (an attempt to save the hostages and end the crisis), disapproval was high. These events played a huge role in his landslide loss in the 1980 presidential election ³.

Nixon’s blatant attempts to cover up the Watergate scandal and spy on American officials he claimed were “threats” lead to his resignation. The only time a president has ever resigned in US history ⁴.

Let’s Paint The Picture… Literally

I painted this picture! It’s meant to show the fall from power that these Presidents experienced due to their actions against these turning points. Also, I wanted an excuse to make a painting 🙂

Painting in Progress…

It was interesting to explore this idea and it left me with some questions. Are the downfalls of these presidents caused by turning points in history or was it the way these presidents handled these events that turned them into turning points? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. Let me know what you think in the comments!