Question

Which issues do you think should have been the biggest priority for the Nixon Administration? Check all that apply.

improving the economy

addressing the Pentagon Papers

desegregating schools

shifting power to the states

improving relations with China

improving relations with the Soviet Unio

Answer 1

Check these as biggest priorities:
- improving the economy
- desegregating schools
- improving relations with China
- improving relations with the Soviet Union

Why:
- The economy was the most immediate domestic pain point (inflation, unemployment, recession risks) and affected voters’ lives.
- School desegregation remained a major civil‑rights and social‑stability issue that required federal attention and leadership.
- Rapprochement with China and détente with the USSR were strategic foreign‑policy breakthroughs that could reduce Cold War risks and open trade/diplomatic opportunities.

Don’t check (or lower priority):
- addressing the Pentagon Papers — this was primarily a legal/press‑freedom and political scandal; the administration’s energy was better spent on fixing policy problems than trying to suppress leaks.
- shifting power to the states — Nixon’s “New Federalism” was a legitimate agenda item, but it was less urgent than stabilizing the economy, securing civil rights outcomes, and managing major Cold War relationships.