His controversial pardon of Nixon is seen differently today.

One of the first things Gerald Ford did as president was to grant a full presidential pardon to Richard Nixon. This meant Nixon could not be tried for any crime he may have committed as president. This was a very controversial move at the time. Many people said that it was too easy on Nixon, who they felt should have to answer for any crimes he might have committed. Others thought that Nixon's prosecution was the only way the full truth about Watergate and other scandals would come out.

But Ford felt that a long trial of a former president would be harmful to the U.S. There is no doubt that the pardon hurt Ford politically at the time. But many historians now say that they think Ford probably did the right thing. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

Ford had a difficult time as president. Not only was he taking over from a president who had lied to the American people, but the country was going through other difficulties as well. The Vietnam War was just ending, many people were out of work, and there was an oil crisis, which meant that people could only fill up their cars on certain days of the week. Furthermore, inflation was a problem; this means that prices were rising faster than people's incomes. Could Ford be blamed for any of these things? These problems -- and people's anger at his pardon of Nixon -- led to him losing the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter. What do you think of Gerald Ford's political career?