Nixon and Obama Contribution to Humanities Paper Example

Many figures have shaped the field of humanities throughout history. Their works have influenced the social, political, and economic society in contemporary society. Richard Milhous Nixon served as the 37th President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. Barack Hussein Obama was the US President between 2009 and 2017. Just like Nixon, he went through experiences that shaped his political career and informed the decision to join politics. Therefore, the paper compares and contrasts Nixon and Obama. The paper argues that their backgrounds and experiences influenced their experiences and contributions in politics. However, Nixon was persuaded to join politics while Obama willingly joined politics after the Illinois Senate seat was left vacant by Alice Palmer.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Although Nixon and Obama both attended college and used their college experiences to shape their political careers, Nixon came from a poor background. He was born on 9th January 1913. (Bew, 2014) California, United States of America. His mother and father were Hannah Nixon and Francis Nixon respectively. His parents moved to Whittier where they had a grocery store. When he was schooling at Whittier high school, he would go with the family truck to purchase vegetables. He would wash them and display them before going to school. Although he was offered a tuition grant to attend Harvard School, he declined the opportunity because it was expensive for him and most of the family funds were spent in taking care of his sickling elder brother. Therefore, he chose to attend Whittier College with financial support from his maternal grandmother. Here, he became a championed debater and founded the Orthogonian Society (Bew, 2014). After he graduated, he received a scholarship to study law from the Duke University and was elected as the President of the Duke Bar Association.

On the other hand, Obama was born on 4th August 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii (Obama, 2018). His mother was a white woman from Kansas while his father was from Kenya. He attended Indonesian-language speaking schools and was also home-schooled by his mother. Then, he attended Punahou School which was a private college preparatory school. His parents divorced and his father returned to Kenya. Nevertheless, with the support of his mother and extended family members, he attended Occidental College, Columbia University, and Harvard University (Obama, 2018). Obama made his first public speech while at Occidental College on the need for people to oppose the apartheid policies that were being implemented in South Africa. The backgrounds of Nixon and Obama, although different, reflect their interest in politics. It shows their determination to be successful despite the challenges they faced.

A group of Republicans approached Nixon while Obama willingly joined politics through contesting for Illinois Senatorial seat. In 1954, there was an urgent need for a strong candidate against Jerry Voorhis from the Democratic Party. Herman Perry recommended Nixon to the Republican committee. He had known Nixon while he was in the management at Whittier College. At that time, Nixon was in the navy. He left and moved to California. He embarked on a vibrant campaign. Consequently, He won the Southern California District Seat. He gained public attention in 1948 during the Hiss spy scandal. Nixon believed that Hiss, a former State Department Official was a spy. Therefore, he investigated the role of the committee on Alder Hiss Spy Case (Bew, 2014). He managed to get access to documentaries and films which were claimed to be accessible by only Alder Hiss. Consequently, he was considered to be a national hero. In 1950, he became a senator. He championed for anti-communist ideologies. He was elected as a running mate in 1952 and later vied as president in 1969 (Bew, 2014). He became the president and was re-elected 1972 (Bew, 2014). On the other hand, Obama willingly joined politics as Illinois Senator. The seat was declared vacant after the then-senator, Alice Palmer expressed interest in joining the House Of Representatives. He was re-elected in 1998 (Obama, 2018). During the two terms, Obama is significantly remembered for sponsoring many bills. Notably, he is remembered for the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 which improved the level of transparency and accountability in federal spending.

While Both Nixon and Obama had revolutionary ideas and used diplomatic means to create change, Richard joined politics because of the influence of other people while Obama willingly joined politics to improve the lives of Americans through ensuring accountability and transparency in leadership. Nixon was a revolutionary leader because he always provided effective alternative ways to solve problems. For example, when he joined politics as the representative of the Southern California District, the Alger Hiss Spy Case was almost falling apart because of lack of sufficient evidence. However, Nixon got exclusive access to the latter's films and documentaries and confirmed that Hiss was a spy. Consequently, Hiss was convicted of Perjury (Bew, 2014). On the other hand, Obama gained recognition because of the numerous bills he sponsored when he was the Illinois Senator. Although he is today recognized for more than the bills he sponsored, he received attention based on his performance as a Senator. For example, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Funding Act of 2006 enabled follow-up legislation which strengthened the capacity of accountability and transparency among institutions and agencies receiving federal funds (Obama, 2018). The contributions of Nixon and Obama, although different, show that after joining politics, one has to work even harder to maintain relevance in the public sphere. For Nixon, he participated in debates and led committees into solving national problems. For Obama, he sponsored bills to improve the lives of Americans.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Nixon and Obama contributed to the field of humanities through shaping the politic filed in the USA. However, there are differences based on their socio-economical background and introduction to politics. Nixon came from a low-income family. His elder brother was sickling hence most of the family finances catered for the latter's treatment. He had to attend school only after going to the market to pick vegetables for sale. He declined scholarship from Harvard because it was expensive. He attended Whittier College using financial support from his grandmother. On the other hand, Barack Obama's parents were both students at the University of Hawaii Manoa. He attended a private preparatory college, Occidental College, Columbia University, and Harvard School of Law. Despite the different backgrounds, both of them joined politics and contributed through their revolutionary ideas hence making the garner public support. Nixon is relevant to the contemporary society because his achievement shows the importance of diplomacy in solving political issues and the need for diligence in recruitment to ensure that the people working for our country have the best interest. Despite retiring from the presidency, Obama is still an essential figure in US politics because of his influence on the choices of the Democratic Party.

References

Bew, J. (2014). A beast that fights best on its back. New Statesman, 143(5227), 28-33.

OBAMA, B. (2018). Given the Strange and Uncertain Times We're in. Vital Speeches of the Day, 84(9), 234-242.