Final answer:
President Nixon launched the war on drugs as part of a larger law-and-order strategy that resonated with the concerns of the 'silent majority.'
The approach included harsher drug penalties, mandatory minimum sentences, and practices such as civil forfeiture, which disproportionately affected minority communities.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs during his presidency, emphasizing a tough stance on crime which resonated with the 'silent majority' that he sought to appeal to. These voters, often Northern, blue-collar workers, feared social changes and viewed the recreational use of new drugs as threatening to their values.
The Nixon administration, and subsequent ones in the 1980s, implemented policies that included harsher sentences for drug offenses, a move that was later criticized for fostering racial prejudices and inequalities, especially due to the disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic communities.
Implementation of mandatory minimum sentences and the establishment of strict federal sentencing guidelines curtailed judges' discretion in drug-related cases. The use of civil forfeiture allowed law enforcement agencies to seize assets from suspected criminals without a conviction, incentivizing the prioritization of drug crime investigations over other areas. The focus on law and order also led to police practices that raised civil liberties concerns, such as racial profiling and aggressive patrolling that disproportionately affected minority communities.
In addition to these domestic policies, Nixon's foreign policy actions such as the secret bombing campaigns in Cambodia and Laos were indicative of his broader approach to challenges both at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, the domestic economic and social policies, including those surrounding civil rights and the economy, revealed a complex and often contradictory approach by his administration, which oscillated between progressive measures like expanding affirmative action, and conservative strategies, advocating for a 'New Federalism' to win over different political factions.