How Did American Political Scandals Have The Biggest Impact On American History?

Throughout the course of American history, scandals have shaped the way the people view the government. Unforeseen consequences from scandals often present themselves years later, which prompts the question: which American political scandals have had the biggest impact on American history? A scandal, as defined by Cambridge Dictionary, is an action or series of actions that are considered wrong or immoral, often leading to public anger. There have been countless scandals in American history, many kept private from the public, however, the scandals that had the biggest impact on the public are: Watergate, the Clinton- Lewinsky affair, the Iran- Contra scandal and the Hamilton- Reynolds affair. These four scandals all produced individual consequences and had unique impacts on the future of the country. Previous to and during scandals, it is difficult to see the effects that will be triggered. And since the
However, the Iran-Contra scandal involved, not only America, but also Nicaragua and Iran (Byrne). The American government was funneling funds from Iranian arms sales to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, despite orders from Congress. The plan to use arms sales money was formulated by Oliver North (Byrne). Congress decided the government was not permitted to fund the Contra rebels because they were becoming violent and dangerous in the cities (“The Iran-Contra affair”). It is still unclear as to how much knowledge President Reagan had about the scandal, however, he faced no charges after the investigation. Because this scandal involved multiple countries, the consequences did not only affect America. In Nicaragua, the Contra rebels have been preparing to fight again, but since the loss of most of their funds, it has been difficult to continue (“30 years after…”). This scandal made quite a mess because of the three different governments involved and their interactions with each