National Checkers Day
Nixon used his dog Checkers to bolster his public image amidst accusations of donation scandal. But maybe it’s better to celebrate with a simple game of checkers.
Leverage the Checkers Speech as an educational hook for teaching media literacy, political history, and the power of emotional narratives in public discourse.
- 'How a Puppy Changed Politics': Deep-dive into the 1952 Checkers Speech and its role in shaping modern political communication
- First Dogs Through History: Explore the role of presidential pets in humanizing leaders and building public connection
- Media Literacy Lesson: Analyze how emotional appeals (cute dogs) can distract from substantive policy debates—perfect for classrooms
- Checkers the Cocker Spaniel: The untold story of the dog who never made it to the White House
In the United States, politicians are banned from taking donations for their own use. So, when vice presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon was accused of this by rivals, like many others seeking election, he faced allegations that he had misused donations for election expenses and siphoned these off for his personal use.
Rather than shy away from these allegations, Nixon decided to address these head-on during a 30-minute TV debate which was held on September 23, 1952. Watched by approximately 60 million Americans, this live speech turned into a huge showing of support for the candidate.
However, as it turned out, it was not Nixon’s use of financial details that led to this speech becoming one of the most celebrated in US history. Instead, in a strange and heart-tugging turn of events, it was the introduction of Checkers, the Cocker Spaniel, to the public which made it memorable. Voters were won over when Mr. Nixon told them about his children’s love for their furry family member, Checkers.
“Our little girl named it Checkers and, you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re gonna keep it.”
National Checkers Day is sometimes called “Dogs in Politics Day”. This title offers a nod to the idea that this vice presidential candidate seemed to evade accusations by simply showing cute children with their puppy. And the general voting population of the United States was willing to go along with it.
But, no matter what, that’s no reason not to have a game or two of checkers – and it would probably offer some fun times to this day as well!
Listen to or Read the Checkers Speech
Take some time on National Checkers Day to understand the history of the day a little better by listening to or reading a copy of the Checkers Speech, also known as the Fund Speech. As the running mate on the ticket of Republican presidential candidate, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nixon’s place on the ticket was threatened by accusations of abuse of political funds. So he took to the airwaves and made a thirty minute television speech that can still be viewed today from a variety of sources, including YouTube.
Discuss the Checkers Speech
Even those who find the actions of Richard Nixon to be fairly sketchy might want to take advantage of National Checkers Day by using it as an opportunity for education and growth. Teachers and professors in history classes or political subjects might want to take advantage of this day to show the Checkers Speech to their students and then host a discussion or a debate around the topic of how popular opinion can be easily swayed away from accusations with a smokescreen of cute babies and puppies.
Learn About First Dogs
Because the wife of the US President is called the “First Lady”, it stands to reason that the canine pet of the family would be called the “First Dog”. In the case of Checkers, the Cocker Spaniel, the dog didn’t actually make it to living in the White House. Sadly, he passed away in 1964, a few years before Mr. Nixon was elected president in 1969. Many other presidents, in fact the majority of them, have had dogs in the White House, starting with George Washington’s three American Foxhounds: Sweet Lips, Scentwell and Vulcan. The recently beloved “Bo” Obama, a Portuguese Water Dog, lived in the White House and passed away in 2021.