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| <!-- Before changing the infobox or lead section, please review past discussions on the talk page (in the archives if not found on the main page) and start a discussion yourself before making any changes, if you still plan on doing so. --> | |||
| {{Infobox_President | |||
| | name=Ronald Wilson Reagan | |||
| | nationality=American | |||
| | image=Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg | |||
| | imagesize = 185px | |||
| | order=40<sup>th</sup> ] | |||
| | vicepresident=] | |||
| | term_start=] ] | |||
| | term_end=] ] | |||
| | predecessor=] | |||
| | successor=] | |||
| | order2=33<sup>rd</sup> ] | |||
| | lieutenant2=] <br />(1967–1969) <br /> ] <br />(1969–1974) <br /> ] <br />(1974–1975) | |||
| | term_start2=] ] | |||
| | term_end2=] ] | |||
| | predecessor2=] | |||
| | successor2=] | |||
| | birth_date={{birth date|1911|2|6|mf=y}} | |||
| | birth_place=] | |||
| | death_date={{death date and age|2004|06|5|1911|02|6}} | |||
| | death_place=] | |||
| | spouse=(1) ] (married 1940, divorced 1948)<br/>(2) ] (married 1952) | |||
| | alma_mater=] | |||
| | occupation=] | |||
| | religion=] | |||
| | signature=Reagan signature 3.png | |||
| | party=] | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Ronald Wilson Reagan''' (], ] – ], ]) was the 40th ] (1981 – 1989) and the 33rd ] (1967 – 1975). Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to ] in the 1930s, where he became an actor, president of the ] (SAG), and a spokesman for ]. Reagan became involved in politics during his work for G.E. and switched parties from the ] to the ] in 1962. After delivering a rousing speech in support of conservative ]'s presidential candidacy in 1964, he was persuaded to seek the California Governorship, winning two years later and again in 1970. He was defeated in his run for the ] as well as ], but won both the nomination and election in ]. | |||
| As president, Reagan implemented new political initiatives as well as economic policies, advocating a '']'' philosophy, but the extent to which these ideas were implemented is debatable. The policies, similar to those of ], were dubbed "]" and included ] implemented in 1981. After surviving an ] and ordering controversial military actions in ] and ], he was ] in a landslide victory in 1984. | |||
| Reagan's second term was marked by steps toward ending the ], as well as the ], one of a few ]. The president ordered a massive military buildup in an arms race with the ], rejecting the previous strategy of ] and directly confronting ]. He portrayed the USSR as an "]" and publicly ]. Despite his rejection of détente, he negotiated with ] ] to shrink both countries' nuclear arsenals and contributed to the end of the Cold War. Reagan left office in 1989 and ] he had been diagnosed with ] in 1994. He ] at the age of ninety-three, and ranks today with a high ] among post-World War II presidents. | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| ], ]]] | |||
| Reagan was born in an ] above the ] in ], ] on ], ] to John "Jack" Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. As a boy, Reagan's father nicknamed him "Dutch", due to his "fat little Dutchman"-like appearance, and his "Dutchboy" haircut.<ref name= "Ronald Reagan Facts">{{cite web |url=http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/reference/facts.html|title=Ronald Reagan Facts|accessdate= 2007-06-09|publisher=Reagan Foundation}}</ref> The nickname stuck with him throughout his youth. Reagan's family briefly lived in several Illinois towns, including ], ] and ], until 1919, when they returned to Tampico and lived above the ].<ref name=nrhp>Ward, Michael. "," (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, ] ], HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved ] 2007.</ref> | |||
| According to ], author of ''God and Ronald Reagan'', Reagan had a particularly strong faith in the goodness of people which stemmed from the optimistic faith of his mother, Nelle,<ref>Kengor, Paul (2004), p. 16 </ref> and the ] faith. For the time, Reagan was unusual in his opposition to racial discrimination, and recalled a time in ] when the local inn would not allow black people to stay there. Reagan brought them back to his house, where his mother invited them to stay the night and have breakfast the next morning.<ref>Kengor, Paul (2004), p. 15 </ref> | |||
| Following the closure of the Pitney Store in late 1920, the Reagans moved to ];<ref>Cannon (2001), p. 2</ref> the midwestern "small universe" had a lasting impression on Ronald.<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1990), p. 27</ref> He attended ], where he developed interests in acting and storytelling. His first job was that of a lifeguard at the Rock River in Lowell Park, near Dixon in 1926. "I saved 77 lives," Reagan said in an interview, and mentioned that he notched a mark on a wooden log for every life he saved.<ref>"" CNN, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.</ref> After high school, Reagan attended ], where he was a member of the ] fraternity, majored in economics and sociology, and was very active in sports.<ref>Cannon (2001), p. 9 </ref> | |||
| ==Entertainment career== | |||
| ===Radio and film=== | |||
| ] | |||
| After graduating from Eureka in 1932, Reagan worked at radio stations ] in ] and ] in ] as an announcer for ] baseball games.<ref name= "Innocents at Home">{{cite book |last= Wills |first= Garry |title= Reagan's America: Innocents at Home |origyear= 1987 | publisher= Doubleday |location= Garden City, NY |pages= 109–110}}</ref> While traveling with the Cubs in California, Reagan took a screen test in 1937 that led to a seven-year contract with ] studios. | |||
| His first screen credit was the starring role in the 1937 movie '']'', and by the end of 1939 he had appeared in 19 films.<ref name="Reagan Films">{{cite web |url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/biography/hollywood_years.asp |title= Ronald Reagan Hollywood Years | publisher = The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation | accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> Before the film '']'' in 1940, he played the role of ] in the film '']''. He acquired the lifelong nickname "the Gipper" from this role.<ref name="Cannon15">Cannon, Lou (2001), p. 15</ref> Reagan's favorite acting role was in 1942's '']'',<ref name= "Rest of Me">{{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Ronald |title= Where's the Rest of Me? |year= 1965 |publisher= Duell, Sloan, and Pearce |location= New York |isbn=}}</ref> but his performance did not meet with universal approval; one reviewer felt that Reagan had made "only casual acquaintance with the ".<ref>{{cite news | last = Crowther | first = Bosley | publisher = The New York Times | date = ] 1942 | url= http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?res=9903E2DE143BE33BBC4B53DFB4668389659EDE | title= The Screen; 'Kings Row,' With Ann Sheridan and Claude Rains, a Heavy, Rambling Film, Has Its First Showing Here at the Astor | accessdate=2007-03-29}}</ref> Reagan also acted in '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']'' in a 1964 remake. | |||
| ===Military service=== | |||
| After completing fourteen home-study Army Extension Courses, Reagan enlisted in the Army Enlisted Reserve on ] ], as a private assigned to Troop B, 322nd ] at ].<ref name= "Reagan in the Military"/> He was appointed ] in the Officers Reserve Corps of the Cavalry on ] ], and on ] was assigned to the 323rd Cavalry.<ref name= "ACR Homepage">{{cite web |url= http://www.irwin.army.mil/Units/11TH+Armored+Cavalry+Regiment/11thACR/ | publisher= 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment | title = History of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment |accessdate= 2007-03-07}}</ref> | |||
| Reagan was ordered to active duty for the first time on ] ]. Due to his nearsightedness, he was classified for limited service only, which excluded him from serving overseas.<ref name="USSRR">{{cite web |url= http://www.reagan.navy.mil/about_reagan/ball_cap/ball_cap.htm |title= USS Ronald Reagan: Significance of Horse and Rider | publisher = U.S. Navy | accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref> His first assignment was at the San Francisco Port of Embarkation at ], California, as liaison officer of the Port and Transportation Office. Upon the request of the ] (AAF), he applied for a transfer from the Cavalry to the AAF on ] 1942, and was assigned to AAF Public Relations and subsequently to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in ]. On ] ] he was promoted to First Lieutenant and was sent to the Provisional Task Force Show Unit of ''This Is The Army'' at ]. Following this duty, he returned to the 1st Motion Picture Unit and was promoted to Captain on ] ].<ref name= "Reagan in the Military"/> | |||
| In January 1944, Captain Reagan was ordered to temporary duty in ] to participate in the opening of the sixth War Loan Drive. He was assigned to the 18th AAF Base Unit, Culver City, California on ] ], where he remained until the end of the ]. He was recommended for promotion to Major on ] 1945, but this recommendation was disapproved on ] of that year. He returned to ], California, where he was separated from active duty on ] 1945.<ref name= "Reagan in the Military"/> By the end of the war, his units had produced some 400 training films for the AAF.<ref name= "Reagan in the Military">{{cite web |url= http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/reference/military.html |title= Military service of Ronald Reagan | publisher = Ronald Reagan Presidential Library | accessdate=2007-06-22}}</ref> | |||
| ===Television and SAG President=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Reagan landed fewer film roles in the late 1950s and moved to television as the host of '']'', earning approximately $125,000 per year ($800,000 in 2006 dollars), until he was fired by General Electric in 1962.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.britannica.com/presidents/article-214225|title= Reagan, Ronald| publisher =Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.| accessdate=2007-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.pbs.org/newshour/biography_pages/reagan/biography.html | title = Ronald Reagan 1911–2004 | publisher = PBS Online NewsHour | accessdate =2007-08-17}}</ref> His final work as a professional actor was as host and performer from 1964 to 1965 on the television series '']''. | |||
| Reagan was first elected to the Board of Directors of the ] in 1941, serving as an alternate. Following World War II, he resumed service and became 3rd Vice president in 1946.<ref name="SAG">{{cite web| url= http://www.sag.org/history/presidents/reagan.html | title= Screen Actors Guild Presidents: Ronald Reagan | publisher = Screen Actors Guild | accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref> The adoption of conflict-of-interest bylaws in 1947 led the SAG president and six board members to resign; Reagan was nominated in a special election for the position of president and was elected. He would subsequently be chosen by the membership to seven additional one-year terms, from 1947 to 1952 and in 1959. Reagan led SAG through eventful years that were marked by labor-management disputes, the ], ] (HUAC) hearings and the ] era.<ref name="SAG"/> | |||
| In 1947, as SAG president, Reagan testified before HUAC regarding the influence of Communists in the motion picture industry. Strongly opposed to communism, he reaffirmed his commitment to democratic principles, stating, "As a citizen, I would hesitate to see any political party outlawed on the basis of its political ideology. However, if it is proven that an organization is an agent of foreign power, or in any way not a legitimate political party—and I think the government is capable of proving that—then that is another matter. but at the same time I never as a citizen want to see our country become urged, by either fear or resentment of this group, that we ever compromise with any of our democratic principles through that fear or resentment."<ref name="HUAC"> Tennessee Wesleyan College, (] ]). Retrieved on ]</ref> | |||
| ==Marriages and children== | |||
| ] aboard a boat in California in 1964]] | |||
| ===Jane Wyman=== | |||
| In 1938, Reagan co-starred in the film ''Brother Rat'' with actress ] (1917–2007). They were engaged at the ],<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9407E6DA1138F93BA35756C0A962948260 |title=Dispute Over Theatre Splits Chicago City Council |accessdate=May 17|accessyear=2007 |date=], ]|work=New York Times}}</ref> and married on ], ], at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather church in Forest Lawn, California.<ref>{{cite news | title= Locations Range From the Exotic to the Pristine | author = Oliver, Marilyn | publisher = Los Angeles Times | date = ], ]}}</ref> Together they had two children, ] (1941–2001) and Christine (born and died ], 1947), and adopted a third, ] (born 1945). Reagan and Wyman divorced on ], ] following arguments about Reagan's political ambitions,<ref name="Cannon15"/> making Reagan the only American president to have been divorced.<ref>{{cite web | author = Borgna Brunner | url = http://www.infoplease.com/spot/prestrivia1.html | title = Presidential Trivia | publisher = Information Please Database, Pearson Education | accessdate = 2007-05-02}}</ref> | |||
| ===Nancy Davis=== | |||
| Reagan met actress ] (born 1923) in 1949 after Davis contacted then-president of the Screen Actors Guild Reagan to help her with issues regarding her name appearing on a communist blacklist in Hollywood (Davis was mistaken for another Nancy Davis). Nancy described their meeting by saying, "I don't know if it was exactly love at first sight, but it was pretty close."<ref name= "Love Story"/> They were engaged at ] restaurant in Los Angeles and were married on ], ] at the Little Brown Church in the ].<ref name= "Little Brown Church">{{cite web |url= http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/golf/sns-ap-reagan-places,0,1844441.story?page=2|title= Noteworthy places in Reagan's life|accessdate=2007-04-11|date= ] 2004|publisher= The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> Ronald and Nancy Reagan had two children: ] (born 1952) and ] (born 1958). | |||
| Observers described Ronald and Nancy Reagan's relationship as close, real, and intimate.<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 296</ref> While president and first lady, the Reagans were reported to display their affection for each other frequently, with one press secretary noting, "They never took each other for granted. They never stopped courting."<ref name= "Love Story"/><ref name= "By Reagan's Side, but her own person"/> He often called her "Mommy"; she called him "Ronnie".<ref name= "By Reagan's Side, but her own person"> {{cite web |url= http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usnanc063835985jun06,0,3872519.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines |title= By Reagan's Side, but her own person |accessdate=2007-08-15 | publisher = Newsday | author = Berry, Deborah Barfield | date = ], 2004 }}</ref> When the president was recuperating in the hospital after the assassination attempt in 1981, Nancy Reagan slept with one of his shirts to be comforted by the scent;<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 284</ref> in a letter to Mrs. Reagan, President Reagan wrote, "whatever I treasure and enjoy all would be without meaning if I didn’t have you."<ref name= "Reagan Love Story">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4201869/|title= Reagan Love Story|publisher=NBC News|date=], 2004|accessdate=2007-05-25}}</ref> In ] written in 1994, President Reagan wrote "I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with ] I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience,"<ref name= "Love Story"/> and in 1998, while her husband was severely affected by Alzheimer's, Nancy told '']'', "Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love and still are. When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it's true. It did. I can't imagine life without him."<ref name= "Love Story">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/265714.stm|title=End of a Love Story|publisher=BBC News|date=], ]|accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> | |||
| ==Early political career== | |||
| A registered ] and admirer of ], Reagan supported the ], as well as the presidential candidacies of ] in 1952 and 1956 and ] in 1960. His political loyalties soon shifted to the ], however, for he thought that the Democrats had created a larger government.<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1990), p. 132</ref> Following the election of ], Reagan formally switched parties in 1962, saying "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me."<ref name="LA Times Obituary 2"/> During his work for General Electric, Reagan wrote his own speeches, laboring diligently and daily upon his prose. Although he had speechwriters later in the White House, he continued editing, and even occasionally writing, many of them.<ref>Rollyson, Carl E. 2006. American Biography. iUniverse. 197</ref> | |||
| Two years after switching parties, Reagan joined the campaign of conservative presidential contender ]. Speaking on Goldwater's behalf, Reagan revealed his ideological motivation in a famed speech given on ], ]: "The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government set out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing."<ref name= "A Time for Choosing">{{cite web|url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/40_reagan/psources/ps_choose64.html | title= A Time for Choosing | publisher = PBS | accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref> The address soon became known as the "]" speech, and is considered the speech that launched Reagan's political career.<ref>Cannon, Lou (2001), p. 36</ref> | |||
| == Governor of California, 1967–1975 == | |||
| ] | |||
| California Republicans were impressed with Reagan's political views and charisma after his "Time for Choosing" speech,<ref name= "Governor of California">{{cite web |url= http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/biography/governor_33.html |title= Governor Ronald Reagan | | publisher = Governors of California, California State Library | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> and nominated him for ] in 1966. In Reagan's campaign, he emphasized two main themes: "to send the welfare bums back to work", and in reference to burgeoning anti-war and anti-establishment student protests at the ], "to clean up the mess at Berkeley".<ref name="kahn">{{cite web | author = Kahn, Jeffery | publisher = UC Berkeley News | date = ] 2004 | title= Ronald Reagan launched political career using the Berkeley campus as a target | accessdate=2007-03-30 | url= http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/06/08_reagan.shtml}}</ref> He was elected, defeating two-term governor ], and was sworn in on ], ]. In his first term, he froze government hiring and approved tax hikes to balance the budget.<ref>Cannon, Lou (2001), p. 47 </ref> | |||
| Shortly after the beginning of his term, Reagan tested the presidential waters in 1968 as part of a "Stop Nixon" movement which included those from the party's far right. Reagan won the pledges of some 600 delegates, but ] received 98% of the votes needed for the nomination. | |||
| ] and First Lady ] in July of 1970]] | |||
| Reagan was involved in high-profile conflicts with the protest movements of the era. In 1969, during the ] at UC Berkeley, Reagan sent ] officers onto the campus to quell the protests.<ref name="Cannon50">Cannon, Lou (2001), p. 50 </ref> On ] of that year, the protests increased, and the officers resorted to using firearms, shooting and killing a 25-year-old man from San Jose, California and injuring others, the incident being known as "Bloody Thursday."<ref name="Cannon50"/> Reagan then called out 2,200 ] troops to occupy the city of Berkeley in order to crack down on the protesters.<ref name="Cannon50"/> | |||
| Early in 1967, the national debate on abortion was beginning. Democratic California state senator ] introduced the "Therapeutic Abortion Act", in an effort to reduce the number of "back-room abortions" performed in California.<ref name="Cannon50"/> The State Legislature sent the bill to Reagan's desk where, after many days of indecision, he signed it.<ref name="Cannon51">Cannon, Lou (2001), p. 51</ref> About two million abortions would be performed as a result, most because of a provision in the bill allowing abortions for the well-being of the mother.<ref name="Cannon51"/> Reagan had been in office for only four months when he signed the bill, and stated that had he been more experienced as governor, it would not have been signed. After he recognized what he called the "consequences" of the bill, he announced that he was ].<ref name="Cannon51"/> He maintained that position later in his political career, ].<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1984). ''''. Nashville: T. Nelson. ISBN 0840741162 </ref> | |||
| Reagan was re-elected in 1970, defeating "Big Daddy" ], but chose not to seek a third term. One of Reagan's greatest frustrations in office concerned ], which he strongly supported.<ref name= "Rest of Me"/> His efforts to enforce the state's laws in this area were thwarted when the ] issued its '']'' decision, which invalidated all death sentences issued in California prior to 1972, though the decision was later overturned by a constitutional amendment. The only execution during Reagan's governorship was on ], ], when Aaron Mitchell's sentence was carried out by the state in ] gas chamber. | |||
| Reagan's terms as governor helped to shape the policies he would pursue in his later political career as president. By campaigning on a platform of sending "the welfare bums back to work," he spoke out against the idea of the welfare state. He also strongly advocated the Republican ideal of less government regulation of the economy, including that of undue federal taxation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/7092/reagan_economic_legacy.html|title=The Reagan Economic Legacy| accessdate= 2007-08-22|publisher =Council on Foreign Relations|date =June 9, 2004|author=Kubarych, Roger M.}}</ref> | |||
| === 1976 presidential campaign === | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1976, Reagan challenged incumbent President ] in a bid to become the Republican Party's candidate for president. Reagan soon established himself as the conservative candidate; like-minded organizations such as the ] became the key components of his political base, while President Ford was considered a more moderate Republican.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html |title= Biography of Gerald R. Ford | publisher = The White House | accessdate= 2007-03-29}} Ford considered himself a "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs".</ref> He relied on a strategy crafted by campaign manager ] of winning a few primaries early to seriously damage the lift-off of Ford's campaign, such as his victories in North Carolina, Texas, and California, but the strategy disintegrated. Reagan ended up losing New Hampshire and later Florida.<ref name= "1976 Republican Results">{{cite web |url= http://www.politicallibrary.org/TallState/1976rep.html |title= 1976 New Hampshire presidential Primary, ] ] Republican Results | publisher = New Hampshire Political Library |accessdate= 2007-03-30}}</ref> | |||
| As the party's ] in ] neared, Ford appeared close to victory. Acknowledging his party's moderate wing, Reagan chose moderate Republican Senator ] of ] as his running mate. Nonetheless, Ford narrowly won, with 1,187 delegates to Reagan's 1,070. | |||
| Reagan's concession speech emphasized the dangers of nuclear war and the threat posed by the Soviet Union. Although he lost the nomination, he received 307 write-in votes in New Hampshire, 388 votes as an Independent on Wyoming's ballot, and a single electoral vote from a Washington State "]" in the November election.<ref name= "Presidential Elections Results">{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/scores.html#1976|title=Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996|accessdate= 2007-04-30|publisher= U.S. National Archives and Records Admin.}}</ref> Ford went on to lose the 1976 presidential election to the Democratic challenger ]. | |||
| === 1980 presidential campaign === | |||
| {{main|United States presidential election, 1980}} | |||
| ] | |||
| The 1980 presidential campaign was conducted during domestic concerns as well as the ongoing ]. After receiving the Republican nomination, Reagan challenged incumbent President Jimmy Carter. His showing in the ] boosted his campaign, and he selected one of his primary opponents, George H.W. Bush, to be his running mate. | |||
| Reagan won the election, carrying 44 states with 489 electoral votes to 49 electoral votes for Carter (representing six states and Washington, D.C.). Reagan won 50.7% of the popular vote while Carter took 41%, and Independent ] (a liberal Republican) received 6.7%.<ref name= "1980 Results">{{cite web |url= http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1980 |title= 1980 Presidential Election Results | publisher = Dave Liep's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections | accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> ] for the first time since 1952, and ], but the Democrats retained a majority. | |||
| == Presidency, 1981–1989 == | |||
| {{main|Presidency of Ronald Reagan}} | |||
| During his Presidency, Ronald Reagan pursued policies that reflected his optimism in individual freedom, expanded the ], and contributed to the end of the ].<ref name="Freidel84">Freidel, Frank (1995), p. 84 </ref> The "Reagan Revolution," proponents claimed, would reinvigorate American morale, and reduce the people's reliance upon government.<ref name="Freidel84"/> As president, Reagan kept a series of leather bound diaries, in which he talked about daily occurrences of his presidency, commented on current issues around the world (expressing his point of view on most of them), and frequently mentioned his wife, ]. The diaries were published in May 2007, into the bestselling book, '']''.<ref name="Harper Collins-The Reagan Diaries">{{cite book |author = Reagan, Ronald | url= http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060876005/The_Reagan_Diaries/index.aspx |title= The Reagan Diaries | publisher = Harper Collins | isbn = 006087600X |year= 2007 | accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref> | |||
| {| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="2" style="float: left; margin:1em 1em 1em 0; border:1px solid #000000;font-size:85%;" align="left" | |||
| !bgcolor="#dcdcdc" colspan="3"|The Reagan Cabinet | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|'''OFFICE'''||align="left"|'''NAME'''||align="left"|'''TERM''' | |||
| |- | |||
| !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3" | | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left" |'''Ronald Reagan'''||align="left"|1981–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"| | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1982 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1982–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1985 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1988 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1988–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1987 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1987–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1985 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1988 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1988–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1983 | |||
| |-he was | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1983–1985 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1987 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1987–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1985 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1987 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1987–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1986 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1986–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1983 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1983–1985 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1984 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1988 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1988–1989 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1989 | |||
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| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1982 | |||
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| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1983–1987 | |||
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| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1987–1989 | |||
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| |align="left"|]||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1981–1982 | |||
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| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1982–1985 | |||
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| |align="left"| ||align="left"|''']'''||align="left"|1985–1989 | |||
| |} | |||
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| ===First term, 1981–1985=== | |||
| ] to the ], right after the president's inauguration]] | |||
| In his first inaugural address on ], ], which Reagan himself wrote,<ref>Murray, Robert K. & Blessing, Tim H. (1993); p. 80</ref> he addressed the country's economic malaise arguing: "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." The Reagan Presidency began in a dramatic manner: just 30 minutes into his inaugural address, ] were set free.<ref name="Iran Hostage Crisis">{{cite web |url=http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2021.html|title=Iran Hostage Crisis: November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981|accessdate= 2007-05-11|year= 2005|publisher= Online Highways}}</ref>. | |||
| ====Assassination attempt==== | |||
| {{main|Reagan assassination attempt}} | |||
| On ], ], only 69 days into the new administration, Reagan, his press secretary ], and two others were struck by gunfire from a deranged would-be assassin, ] Missing Reagan’s heart by less than one inch (2.5 cm), the bullet instead pierced his left lung, which likely saved his life. In the operating room, Reagan joked to the surgeons, "I hope you're all Republicans!"<ref name="NoonanPBS">{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/reagan.html| author=Noonan, Peggy|title= Character Above All: Ronald Reagan essay |publisher = PBS |accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref> Though they were not, Dr. Joseph Giordano replied, "Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans," and when ] came to see him, he famously told her, "Honey, I forgot to duck" (using defeated boxer ]'s quip).<ref name="NoonanPBS"/> Reagan was released from the hospital on April 11. | |||
| ====Air traffic controllers' strike==== | |||
| {{main|Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)|}} | |||
| Only a short time into his administration ], violating a regulation prohibiting Government unions from striking.<ref name= "PATCO strike">{{cite web |url=http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/EH/EH37/Pels.html|title=The Pressures of PATCO: Strikes and Stress in the 1980s|accessdate= 2007-04-30|author= Rebecca Pels|year= 1995|publisher=Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia}}</ref> Declaring the situation an emergency as described in the 1947 ], Reagan held a press conference in the ], where he stated that if the air traffic controllers "do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated".<ref name= "Reagan's remarks on PATCO strike">{{cite web |url=http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1981/80381a.htm|title=Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session With Reporters on the Air Traffic Controllers Strike|accessdate= 2007-05-13|year= 1981|publisher=Ronald Reagan Foundation}}</ref> On ], 1981, Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored his order to return to work.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962487,00.html | title = Unhappy Again | publisher = Time Magazine | date = ], 1986 | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> | |||
| ===="Reaganomics" and the economy==== | |||
| {{main|Reaganomics}} | |||
| ] | |||
| When Reagan entered office, the American economy's ] rate stood at 11.83%, and ] at 7.1%. Reagan implemented policies based on ] and advocated a ''laissez-faire'' philosophy,<ref>Karaagac, John (2000), pp. 113</ref> seeking to stimulate the economy with large, across-the-board ].<ref name="Cannon99">Cannon, Lou (2001) p. 99</ref><ref name="Appleby923924">Appleby, Joyce (2003), pp. 923–924</ref> He aimed to reduce the growth of domestic government spending, cut back on excess regulation, and institute a sound currency policy which would end inflation.<ref name= "Reaganomics">{{cite web |url=http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Reaganomics.html|title=Reaganomics|accessdate= 2007-05-22|author=William A. Niskanen|publisher= The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics}}</ref> In attempting to cut back on non-defense spending, significantly increase defense spending, while at the same time lowering taxes, Reagan's approach was a departure from his immediate predecessors.<ref name= "Reaganomics"/> The economic policy, dubbed "]", was the subject of debate, with supporters pointing to improvements in certain key economic indicators as evidence of success, and critics pointing to large increases in federal budget deficits and the national debt. His policy of "]" resulted in a record peacetime defense buildup, including a 40% real increase in defense spending between 1981 and 1985.<ref>{{cite journal|author= Bartels, Larry M.|title=Constituency Opinion and Congressional Policy Making: The Reagan Defense Build Up|journal=The American Political Science Review|year=1991|volume=85| issue=2|pages= 457–474}}</ref> | |||
| During Reagan's tenure, income tax rates were lowered significantly, with the top personal tax bracket dropping from 70% to 28% in seven years,<ref>{{cite web | author = Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D. | url=http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/BG1086.cfm|title= The Historical Lessons of Lower Tax Rates|publisher = The Heritage Foundation | date = ], 1996 | accessdate=2007-05-22}}</ref> although effective payroll tax rates increased.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/taxRates.html |title= Social Security & Medicare Tax Rates | publisher = Social Security Administration| date = ], ] | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> Real ] (GDP) growth recovered strongly after the 1982 recession and grew during Reagan's eight years in office at an annual rate of 3.4% per year,<ref name= "Gross Domestic Product">{{cite web | url= http://www.bea.gov/national/xls/gdpchg.xls | format = Excel | title= Gross Domestic Product | publisher = Bureau of Economic Analysis | date = ], 2007 | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> slightly lower than the post-] average of 3.6%.<ref>{{cite web | author=Miller, John. |url=http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Ronald_Reagan/Ronald_Reagan_Legacy.html|title=Ronald Reagan's Legacy|publisher=Dollars and Sense|date = July/August 2004|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Unemployment peaked at 9.7% percent in 1982 then dropped during the rest of Reagan's presidency,<ref name="Appleby923924"/> while employment increased by 16 million, and inflation significantly decreased.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560259_2/Ronald_Reagan.html|title=Ronald Reagan|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|date =2007|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| Reagan's economics polices proposed that economic growth will occur when marginal tax rates are low enough to spur investment<ref name="SupplySide">{{cite web |url=http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/SupplySideEconomics.html|title=Supply-Side Economics|author=James D. Gwartney|Publisher= The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics|accessdate=2007-08-21}}</ref>, which would then lead to increased economic growth, higher employment and wages. Critics called this "trickle-down economics" — the belief that tax policies that benefit the wealthy will create a "trickle-down" effect to the poor.<ref name="ReichNewsHour">{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/economy/jan-june04/reagan_6-10-04.html |date=]|title= Reaganomics| accessdate= 2007-08-21 |publisher= Public Broadcasting System}}</ref> | |||
| The administration's stance toward the Savings and Loan industry and reluctance to take action as problems arose contributed to the ].<ref name="The S&L Crisis">{{cite web |url= http://www.econlib.org/Library/Enc/SavingsandLoanCrisis.html |title= Savings and Loan Crisis| accessdate= 2007-08-17 |publisher= Liberty Fund, Inc.|author=Bert Ely}}</ref> It is also suggested, by a minority of Reaganomics critics, that the policies partially caused the ],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2633/is_4_15/ai_76994290/pg_3|title=Strong Dollar, Weak Policy| accessdate= 2007-08-17 |publisher=''The International Economy''|author=C. Fred Bergsten}}</ref> but there is no consensus regarding a single source for the crash.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Sornette, Didier; Johansen, Anders; & Bouchaud, Jean-Philippe|title=Stock Market Crashes, Precursors and Replicas| journal=Journal de Physique I|year=1996|volume=6|issue=1| pages= 167–175}}.</ref> In order to cover newly-spawned federal budget deficits, the ] borrowed heavily both domestically and abroad, raising the ] from $700 billion to $3 trillion,<ref name="Cannon128">Cannon, Lou (2001) p. 128</ref> and the United States moved from being the world's largest international creditor to the world's largest debtor nation.<ref name= "U.S. Debt">{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26402-2004Jun8.html|title=Reagan Policies Gave Green Light to Red Ink|accessdate= 2007-05-25|publisher= The Washington Post}}</ref> Reagan described the new debt as the "greatest disappointment" of his presidency.<ref name="Cannon128"/> | |||
| He reappointed ] as ], and in 1987 appointed monetarist ] to succeed him. Some economists, such as ] winners ] and ], argue that Reagan's tax policies invigorated America's economy and contributed to the economic boom of the 1990s.<ref name="Reagan's Economic Legacy"/> Other economists, such as Nobel Prize winner ], argue that the deficits were a major reason why Reagan's successor, ], ] and raised taxes.<ref name="Reagan's Economic Legacy">{{cite web ||url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_25/b3888032_mz011.htm|title=Reagan's Economic Legacy|accessdate= 2007-07-01|publisher=Business Week| date = ], 2004 }}</ref> | |||
| ====War on Drugs==== | |||
| Midway into his second term, Reagan declared more militant policies in the "]". He said that "drugs were menacing our society" and promised to fight for drug-free schools and workplaces, expanded drug treatment, stronger law enforcement and drug interdiction efforts, and greater public awareness.<ref name="TimeLamar">{{Citation | last =Lamar, Jr. | first =Jacob V. | title =Rolling Out the Big Guns | journal =Time Magazine | date= ] | url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962371-1,00.html |accessdate= 2007-08-20}}</ref><ref name= "The Drug War">{{cite web |url= http://academic.udayton.edu/race/03justice/crime09.htm |title= The Drug War as Race War |accessdate= 2007-04-11 |author= Randall, Vernellia R |date= ] 2006|publisher= The University of Dayton School of Law}}</ref> On ], ], President Reagan signed a drug enforcement bill into law that budgeted $1.7 billion dollars to fund the War on Drugs and specified a mandatory minimum penalty for drug offenses.<ref name="PBS Frontline">{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/ | title= Thirty Years of America's Drug War | publisher = PBS Frontline | accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref> | |||
| The bill was criticized for promoting significant racial disparities in the prison population, because of the differences in sentencing for ] versus powder ].<ref name="PBS Frontline"/> Critics also charged that the administration's policies did little to actually reduce the availability of drugs or crime on the street, while resulting in a great financial and human cost for American society.<ref name= "Stop the Drug War">{{cite web |url= http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/341/reagan.shtml | publisher = stopthedrugwar.org | title= The Reagan-Era Drug War Legacy | date = ] | accessdate= 2007-04-04}}</ref> Defenders of the effort point to success in reducing rates of adolescent drug use.<ref name= "Youth Trends">{{cite web |url= http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/HSYouthtrends.html | title= NIDA InfoFacts: High School and Youth Trends | publisher = National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH | accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref><ref name= "Interview: Dr. Herbert Kleber">{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/interviews/kleber.html|title=Interview: Dr. Herbert Kleber|accessdate=2007-06-12|publisher=PBS Frontline|quote=The politics of the Reagan years and the Bush years probably made it somewhat harder to get treatment expanded, but at the same time, it probably had a good effect in terms of decreasing initiation and use. For example, marijuana went from thirty-three percent of high-school seniors in 1980 to twelve percent in 1991.}}</ref> | |||
| ] ] made the War on Drugs one of her main priorities by founding the "]" anti-drug association, which aimed to discourage children and teenagers from engaging in ] by offering various ways of saying "no." Mrs. Reagan traveled to 65 cities in 33 states, raising awareness about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.<ref name="Just Say No!">{{cite web| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4297405/|title=The 'just say no' first lady| publisher =MSNBC| date = ], ] | accessdate=2007-06-24}}</ref> | |||
| ====Judiciary==== | |||
| During his 1980 campaign, Reagan pledged that, if given the opportunity, he would appoint the first female Supreme Court Justice.<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1990), p. 280</ref> That opportunity came in his first year in office when he nominated ] to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice ]. In his second term, Reagan elevated ] to succeed ] as ], and named ] to fill the vacant seat. However, in 1987, Reagan lost a significant political battle when the Senate rejected the nomination of ], but ] was eventually confirmed in his place. | |||
| ====Lebanon and Grenada, 1983==== | |||
| {{main|Beirut barracks bombing|Invasion of Grenada}} | |||
| ] of ] in the ] about ongoing events in ].]] | |||
| American peacekeeping forces in ], a part of ] (MNF) during the ], were attacked on ], ]. The ], in which 241 American servicemen were killed by suicide bombers, was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the ], and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States military since the first day of the ]. Reagan called the attack "despicable," pledged to keep a military force in Lebanon, and planned to target the Sheik Abdullah barracks in ], Lebanon, which housed Iranian Revolutionary Guards believed to be training ] fighters,<ref>{{cite paper|title=Anne Dammarell et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran|url=http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2224.pdf|format=PDF|author= Bates, John D. (Presiding) |date=September 2003|format= PDF|location= District of Columbia, U.S.|publisher= The United States District Court for the District of Columbia|accessdate = 2006-09-21}}</ref><ref name= "Report of the DoD Commission">{{cite web |url= http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AMH/XX/MidEast/Lebanon-1982-1984/DOD-Report/Beirut-8.html |title= Report on the DoD Commission on Beirut International Airport Terrorist Act, October 23, 1983 | publisher = ibiblio.org | date = ], 1983 | accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref> but the mission was later aborted by Defense Secretary ]. Besides a few shellings, there was no serious American retaliation, and the Marines were moved offshore where they could not be targeted. On ], 1984, President Reagan ordered the Marines to begin withdrawal from Lebanon. This was completed on ]: the rest of the MNF was withdrawn by April. | |||
| Two days later, U.S. forces invaded ], where a 1979 '']'' had established a ] government aligned with the Soviet Union and Cuba. The Grenadan government began military expansion and construction of an international airport with Cuban assistance. On ], 1983, a faction led by Deputy Prime Minister ] seized power. A formal appeal from the ] (OECS) led to the intervention of U.S. forces; President Reagan also cited the regional threat posed by a Soviet-Cuban military build-up in the Caribbean and concern for the safety of several hundred American medical students at St. George's University as adequate reasons to invade. On ], 1983, in the first major operation conducted by the U.S. military since the ], several days of fighting commenced, and led to U.S. victory,<ref name= "Invasion of Grenada">{{cite web |publisher = Defense Technical Information Center | url= http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/history/urgfury.pdf | format = PDF | title= Operation Agent Fury |accessdate=2007-03-09}}</ref> with 19 American fatalities and 116 wounded American soldiers.<ref name= "Urgent Fury">{{cite web |author = Cooper, Tom | url= http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_159.shtml |title= Grenada, 1983: Operation 'Urgent Fury' | date = ] 2003 | accessdate=2007-04-08 |publisher= Air Combat Information Group }}</ref> In mid-December, after a new government was appointed by the Governor-General, U.S. forces withdrew.<ref name="Invasion of Grenada"/> | |||
| ===1984 presidential campaign=== | |||
| {{main|United States presidential election, 1984}} | |||
| ], and ]]] | |||
| Reagan accepted the Republican nomination in ], on a wave of positive feeling bolstered by the recovering economy and the dominating performance by the U.S. athletes at the ] that summer. He became the first American president to open a summer Olympic Games held in the United States.<ref name= "LA Olympics">{{cite web |url= http://www.sok.se/inenglish/losangeles1984.4.18ea16851076df63622800011008.html |title= Los Angeles 1984 | publisher = Swedish Olympic Committee | accessdate=2007-03-07}} </ref> | |||
| Reagan's opponent in the ] was former Vice President ]. With questions about Reagan's age, and a weak performance in the first presidential debate, many wondered if he was up to the task of being president for another term.<ref name= "The Debate">{{cite web |url= http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/editors200410040912.asp |title= The Debate: Mondale vs. Reagan| publisher = National Review Online | date = ], 2004 | accessdate=2007-05-25}}</ref> Reagan rebounded in the second debate, and confronted questions about his age, stating, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience," which generated applause and laughter from members of the audience, and even from Mondale himself.<ref name= "1984 Presidential Debates">{{cite web |url= http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/debates/history/1984/ |title= 1984 Presidential Debates| publisher = CNN | accessdate=2007-05-25}}</ref> | |||
| In the ], Reagan was re-elected, winning 49 of 50 states. The president's landslide victory saw Mondale carry only his home state of Minnesota (by 3800 votes) and the District of Columbia. Reagan won a record 525 electoral votes total (of 538 possible), and received 58.8% of the popular vote to Mondale's 40.6%.<ref name= "Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1984|title=1984 Presidential Election Results| publisher = David Leip| accessdate=2007-05-25}}</ref> | |||
| ===Second term, 1985–1989=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Reagan was sworn in as president for the second time on ], ], in a private ceremony at the ]. The public ceremony took place in the ] the next day, because ] fell on a Sunday, and thus no public celebration was held. ] was one of the coldest days on record in ], and due to the low temperatures and large snowfall the night before, inaugural celebrations were held inside the Capitol. | |||
| On ], ], Reagan underwent surgery to remove polyps from his colon, causing the first-ever invocation of the acting president clause of the ],<ref name="25th Amendment">{{cite web |url=http://hnn.us/articles/812.html|title=What is the 25th Amendment and When Has It Been Invoked?|publisher=History News Network|accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> and on ], ], Reagan underwent surgery for prostate cancer which caused further worries about his health. At the time, the president was 76 years old. | |||
| In 1985, Reagan visited a German military cemetery in ] to lay a wreath with West German Chancellor ], but it was found that the cemetery held the graves of 49 members of the ]. In advance of the visit, many prominent U.S. government officials, veterans, Jewish leaders, Holocaust survivors, 95 Republican and 215 Democratic members of Congress, even First Lady Nancy Reagan protested and called on Reagan to cancel the visit,<ref>Reeves, Richard (2005), p. 249</ref> but the president argued that it would be wrong to back down on a promise he had made to Chancellor Kohl. Reagan issued a statement that called the Nazi soldiers buried in that cemetery "victims" and some say equated them with victims of the Holocaust, but ], Director of Communications under Reagan, argues: "President Reagan never equated SS troops and camp victims. He equated the teenage boys Hitler put in uniform and sent to certain death at war's end with concentration camp victims."<ref>{{cite web |author=Buchanan, Pat | url=http://www.buchanan.org/pma-99-1105-wallstjl.html|title=Pat Buchanan's Response to Norman Podhoretz's OP-ED|publisher=The Internet Brigade|date=1999|accessdate=2007-09-03}}</ref> In the end, Reagan attended the ceremony where two military generals laid the wreath, as was customary.<ref> Reeves, Richard (2005) p. 255</ref> In 1983, he told prominent Jews — notably Prime Minister ] of Israel, ], and Rabbi ] of ] — of his personal experience ''vis-à-vis'' the ], saying "I was there," and that that he had assisted at the liberation of Nazi death camps. He was in a film unit in Hollywood that processed raw footage it received from Europe for newsreels, but was not in Europe during the war.<ref>Morris (1999), p. 113</ref> | |||
| Reagan's administration was criticized for its slow response to the ]-] epidemic, and for Reagan's controversial refusal to say the term "AIDS" in public for several years, until the illness of movie star and national icon ] became public news in July 1985. By that time, over 10,000 Americans had been diagnosed with AIDS, and over 6,000 had died.<ref name= "AIDS">{{cite web |author=Osmond, Dennis H | url=http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=kb-01-03#S1.4X|title=Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the United States|publisher=University of California San Francisco|date=March 2003|accessdate=2007-05-26}}</ref> | |||
| ====Immigration==== | |||
| In 1986, Reagan signed the ] (IRCA). The act made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit ], required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status, and granted ] to approximately 3 million illegal immigrants who entered the United States prior to ], 1982 and lived there continuously. Critics of the act claim that its laws subjecting employers to sanctions were without teeth and that it failed to stem illegal immigration.<ref>{{cite web | author = Graham, Otis | date = ], 2003 | url = http://www.otisgraham.com/otis_graham_writings/art_ronald_reagans_big_mistake.html | title = Ronald Reagan's Big Mistake | publisher = The American Conservative | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> Upon signing the act at a ceremony held beside the newly refurbished ], Reagan said, "The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans."<ref>Reagan, Ronald (], 1986) Collected Speeches, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Retrieved on ].</ref> | |||
| ====Iran-Contra Affair==== | |||
| {{main|Iran-Contra Affair|Reagan administration scandals}} | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1986, the Reagan Administration was found to have illegally sold arms to ] to fund the ] in ], which was specifically outlawed by act of Congress.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=CNN| url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/reagan.years/whitehouse/iran.html|title=The Iran Contra scandal| date =2001| accessdate=2007-08-14}}</ref> The ] became the largest ] in the United States during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|last = Parry| first = Robert|title = NYT's apologies miss the point |publisher = consortiumnews.com|date = ]|url = http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/060204.html | accessdate = 2007-04-01}}</ref> President Reagan professed ignorance of the plot's existence and quickly called for an Independent Counsel to investigate, but while the arms sales and hostage releases were going on, Reagan allegedly signed a presidential finding authorizing the actions after they had begun.<ref>{{cite news | title = Witness Says Poindexter Did Not Hide Missile Deal Iran-Contra: But CIA official testifies former White House aide omitted facts during briefing of lawmakers| author = Jackson, Robert L | publisher = Los Angeles Times | date = ], ]}}</ref> The ], whose jurisdiction to decide the case was disputed,<ref>{{cite journal | author= Morrison, Fred L. | title=Legal Issues in The Nicaragua Opinion| journal=American Journal of International Law | year=January 1987 | volume=81 | issue=| pages= 160-166| url= http://bailey83221.livejournal.com/55750.html}}</ref> ruled that the U.S. had violated international law in Nicaragua<ref>{{cite news|title = Managua wants $1B from US; demand would follow word court ruling | work =Associated Press | publisher = Boston Globe| date = ], 1986}}</ref> due to its treaty obligations and the customary obligations of international law not to intervene in the affairs of other states. | |||
| Reagan appointed two Republicans and one Democrat (], ] and ], known as the "Tower Commission") to investigate the scandal. The commission could not find direct evidence that Reagan had prior knowledge of the program, but criticized him heavily for his disengagement from managing his staff, thus making the diversion of funds to the Contras possible.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/213195.stm|title=Reagan's mixed White House legacy| date =2004| accessdate=2007-08-19}}</ref> A separate report by Congress concluded that "If the president did not know what his national security advisers were doing, he should have."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/213195.stm|title=Reagan's mixed White House legacy| date =2004| accessdate=2007-08-19}}</ref> | |||
| Fourteen individuals who were directly involved in the illegal activity were indicted, resulting in eleven convictions (both plea agreements and trial convictions).<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Business Week| url=http://www.businessweek.com/1997/25/b353254.htm|title=Pointing a Finger at Reagan| date =1997| accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref> ] ] was indicted for perjury, but received a pardon from then-President George H. W. Bush during the last month of his presidency. At the same time, President Bush pardoned five others, four of whom had already pleaded guilty or had been convicted.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Federation of American Scientists| url=http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/summpros.htm|title=Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters| date =1993| accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref> In 2006, a survey of presidential historians ranked the Iran-Contra affair as the ninth worst mistake by a U.S. president.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060218/presidential_errors_060218/20060218?hub=World | title = U.S. historians pick top 10 presidential errors | publisher = ctv.ca | work = ] | date =] ] | accessdate = 2007-04-09}}</ref> | |||
| Many Central Americans criticize Reagan for his support of the Contras, saying he was an anti-communist zealot, blinded to human rights abuses, while many others say he "saved Central America."<ref name= "Central America">{{cite news|author = Sullivan, Kevin and Mary Jordan | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29546-2004Jun9.html|title =In Central America, Reagan Remains A Polarizing Figure| publisher =The Washington Post|date=], 2004|accessdate=2007-06-18}}</ref> ], ] president of ] from 1979 to 1990, said that he hoped God would forgive Reagan for his "dirty war against Nicaragua."<ref name= "Central America"/> | |||
| ====Cold War==== | |||
| {{see|Cold War}} | |||
| ], predicts Marxism-Leninism will be left on the ash-heap of history.<ref>{{cite web | |||
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| | title = Ronald Reagan Address to British Parliament | |||
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| | accessyear = | |||
| }}</ref>]] | |||
| Reagan escalated the ], accelerating a reversal from the policy of ] which began in 1979 following the ].<ref name= "The Wilson Center">{{cite web |url= http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&event_id=12594 |title= Towards an International History of the War in Afghanistan, 1979-89 |accessdate=2007-05-16 |year= 2002|publisher= The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars }}</ref> The Reagan Administration implemented new policies towards the ]: reviving the ] program that had been canceled by the ], and producing the MX "Peacekeeper" missile.<ref name= "Peacekeeper">{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/icbm/lgm-118.htm| title= LGM-118A Peacekeeper| accessdate=2007-04-10 |date=] ] |publisher= Federation of American Scientists}}</ref> In response to Soviet deployment of the ], Reagan oversaw ]'s deployment of the ] in West Germany.<ref name= "Cold War Generals">{{cite web |url= http://www.php.isn.ethz.ch/collections/coll_cmd/introduction.cfm?navinfo=14565 |title= Cold War Generals: The Warsaw Pact Committee of Defense Ministers, 1969–90, by Christian Nünlist |accessdate=2007-04-10 |year= 2000–2007|publisher= Parallel History Project on Cooperative Security (PHP) }}</ref> | |||
| One of Reagan's more controversial proposals was the ] (SDI), a defense project<ref name= "A Shield in Space?"/> that would have used ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles.<ref name= "SDI">{{cite web|author=Adelman, Ken|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,91361,00.html|title=SDI:The Next Generation|publisher=Fox News|date=], 2003|accessdate=2007-03-15}}</ref> Reagan believed that this defense shield could make nuclear war impossible,<ref name= "A Shield in Space?">{{cite web |url=http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft4q2nb3c4&chunk.id=d0e5097&toc.id=d0e5097&brand=eschol |title= Deploy or Perish: SDI and Domestic Politics |accessdate=2007-04-10 |publisher= Scholarship Editions}}</ref><ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 293</ref> but disbelief that the technology could ever work led opponents to dub SDI "Star Wars," and argue that the technological objective was unattainable.<ref name= "A Shield in Space?"/> The Soviets became concerned about the possible effects SDI would have,<ref name= "PBS"/> and leader ] said it would put "the entire world in jeopardy."<ref name="Beschloss294">Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 294</ref> For those reasons, ], former aide to President Reagan, believes that in retrospect, SDI hastened the end of the Cold War.<ref>{{cite video | people=Thomas, Rhys (Writer/Producer)| year=2005 | url=http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=71740| title=The Presidents| medium=Documentary | publisher=A&E Television}}</ref> | |||
| In a famous address on ], ] to the ], Reagan called the Soviet Union an "]" that would be consigned to the "ash heap of history." On ], 1983, he predicted that communism would collapse, stating, "communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written."<ref name= "LA Times Obituary 2">{{cite news |url= http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-reagan,1,4780792.story?page=6&coll=la-news-obituaries&ctrack=1&cset=true| title= Former President Reagan Dies at 93 | publisher = Los Angeles Times Obituaries | date = ] 2004 | accessdate= 2007-03-07}}</ref> After Soviet fighters downed ] on ], 1983, Reagan labeled the act a "massacre" and declared that the Soviets had turned "against the world and the moral precepts which guide human relations among people everywhere."<ref name= "September 1, 1983">{{cite web |url= http://www.history.com/tdih.do?id=2777&action=tdihArticleCategory |title= 1983:Korean Airlines flight shot down by Soviet Union |accessdate=2007-04-10 |publisher= A&E Television Networks }}</ref> The Reagan administration responded to the incident by suspending all Soviet passenger air service to the United States, and dropped several agreements being negotiated with the Soviets, hurting them financially.<ref name= "September 1, 1983"/> | |||
| Reagan's foreign policies were criticized variously as aggressive, imperialistic, and known to some as "warmongering".<ref name= "PBS">{{cite web|url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/40_reagan/reagan_foreign.html|title=Foreign Affairs: Ronald Reagan| publisher =PBS|accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> These events occurred before a reformer, ], rose to power in the Soviet Union in 1985. To confront the USSR's serious economic problems, Gorbachev implemented new policies for openness and reform: '']'' and '']''. | |||
| ====End of the Cold War==== | |||
| By the early 1980s, Moscow had built up a military that had surpassed that of the United States.<ref name= "US-Soviet Relations"/> Previously, the United States had relied on the qualitative superiority of its weapons to essentially frighten the Soviets, but with Soviet technological advances in the 1980s, the gap between the two nations was narrowed.<ref name= "US-Soviet Relations">{{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/EM27.cfm|title=New Evidence of Moscow's Military Threat|accessdate= 2007-05-13|author=Hamm, Manfred R |date= ], 1983|publisher= The Herritage Foundation}}</ref> With the Soviet military buildup came large budget deficits; as a result, Gorbachev offered major concessions to the United States on the levels of conventional forces, nuclear weapons, and policy in Eastern Europe.<ref name= "The Thawing of the Cold War">{{cite web |url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5147745/site/newsweek/|title= The Thawing of the Cold War |accessdate=2007-05-14 |author= Beschloss, Michael |year=2007|publisher= MSNBC}}</ref> | |||
| ], challenging ] to "]!"]] | |||
| Ronald Reagan recognized the change in the direction of the Soviet leadership with Gorbachev, and shifted to diplomacy, with a view to encourage the Soviet Leader to go further with his reforms. Gorbachev agreed to meet Reagan in four summit conferences around the world: the first in Geneva, Switzerland, the second in Reykjavík, Iceland, the third held in Washington, D.C., along with the fourth summit in Moscow, Russia.<ref name= "Summits">{{cite web |url=http://www.ronaldreaganweb.com/ronaldreaganweb/ReaganGorbachevSummitMeetings.htm|title=Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings|accessdate= 2007-05-14|publisher= ronaldreaganweb.com}}</ref> Reagan believed that if he could persuade the Soviets to look at the prosperous American economy, they would embrace free markets and a free society. Gorbachev, facing severe economic problems at home, was swayed.<ref name= "The Thawing of the Cold War"/> | |||
| Speaking at the ], on ], ], Reagan challenged Gorbachev to go further: {{cquote|General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, ]!}} | |||
| When Gorbachev visited Washington, D.C. for the third summit in 1987, he and Reagan signed the ] at the White House (they finalized it a year later), which eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons.<ref name="INF Treaty">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/treaties/inf1.html#treaty|title= INF Treaty|accessdate=2007-05-28|publisher= US State Department|}}</ref> | |||
| ] at the White House in 1987]] | |||
| When Reagan visited Moscow for the fourth summit in 1988, he was viewed as a celebrity by Russians. A journalist asked the president if he still considered the Soviet Union the evil empire. "No," he replied, "I was talking about another time, another era."<ref name= "Gorby Had the Lead Role">{{cite web |author = Martin, Lawrence | publisher = globeandmail.com | date = ], 2004| url= http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040610/COMARTIN10/TPComment/TopStories |title= Gorby Had the Lead Role, Not Gipper |accessdate=2004-06-10 }} </ref> At Gorbachev’s request, Reagan gave a speech on free markets at ].<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1990), p. 713</ref> | |||
| In his autobiography ''An American Life'', Reagan expressed his optimism about the new direction that they charted, his warm feelings for Gorbachev, and his concern for Gorbachev's safety because he pushed reforms so hard: "I was concerned for his safety," Reagan wrote. "I've still worried about him. How hard and fast can he push reforms without risking his life?"<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1990), p. 720 </ref> The Berlin Wall was torn down starting in 1989 and two years later the Soviet Union collapsed. | |||
| ====Close of the Reagan era==== | |||
| In 1988 George H. W. Bush, Reagan's vice president, was elected President of the United States. On ], ] Reagan addressed the nation for the last time on television from the ], nine days before handing over the presidency. On the morning of ], Ronald and Nancy Reagan escorted the Bushes to the Capitol Building, where Bush took the ]. The Reagans then boarded a ], and flew to ] in Maryland. There, they boarded the ] and flew to California—to their new home in the wealthy suburb of ] in ]. Reagan was the oldest president to have served (at 77), surpassing ], who was 70 when he left office in 1961. | |||
| ==Post-presidential years, 1989–2004== | |||
| ] the first ever ] at the ] in 1992]] | |||
| For the next five years, the Reagans traveled from their ] home to the ] in ] every few months. They regularly attended ]<ref name= "Agenting for God">{{Cite news| last = Netburn| first = Deborah| title =Agenting for God | publisher = Los Angeles Times| date = ], ]| url = http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-dorr52dec24,1,15290.story?coll=la-headlines-magazine| accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> and occasionally appearances on behalf of the Republican Party, including a well-received speech at the ].<ref name= "Speech by Ronald Reagan">{{cite web |url= http://65.126.3.86/reagan/html/reagan08_17_92.shtml |title= 1992 Republican National Convention, Houston | publisher = Heritage Foundation | date = ] ] | accessdate= 2007-03-29 }}</ref> He publicly spoke in favor of a ], a ] requiring a ], and the repeal of the ], which prohibits a president from serving more than two terms.<ref>Reagan, Ronald (1990), p. 726 </ref> Reagan's final public speech was on ], ], during a tribute in Washington, D.C., and his last major public appearance was at the funeral of fellow Republican President ] on ], 1994. | |||
| In 1992, President Reagan established the ] with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. The award, the highest given by the Reagan Foundation, is presented on a regular basis to one person in the world who has "made monumental and lasting contributions to the cause of freedom worldwide," and who "embodies President Reagan's lifelong belief that one man or woman truly can make a difference."<ref name= "Ronald Reagan Freedom Award">{{cite web | url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/programs/cpa/awards.asp | title= The Ronald Reagan Freedom Award | publisher = The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation | accessdate=2007-03-23}}</ref> The first recipient was former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the most recent (as of February 2007) was former United States President George H. W. Bush.<ref name= "Bush Receives Reagan Award">{{cite news |first = Daisy | last Nguyen |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020700141.html | title= Ex-President Bush Receives Reagan Award | work = Associated Press | accessdate=2007-03-23 |date= ] | publisher= Washington Post}}</ref> When President Reagan was diagnosed with ], Nancy Reagan took on the role of presenting the award on behalf of her husband.<ref name= "Ronald Reagan Freedom Award"/> | |||
| ===Presidential Library and Museum=== | |||
| {{main|Ronald Reagan Presidential Library}} | |||
| On ], ], the ] was dedicated and opened to the public. At the dedication ceremonies, five presidents, ], ], ], Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, were all in attendance, as well as six first ladies, ], ], ], ], Nancy Reagan, and ]. As of 2007, the library is the largest of the presidential libraries. Notable exhibits include ones on the Reagan's Ranch; a full-scale replica of the Oval Office; the limousine that President and Mrs. Reagan used while in the White House; and the actual Boeing 707, ], that served President Reagan during his eight years in office. On ], 2004, after a ] in Washington, D.C., President Reagan was interred on the property, and on ], 2007, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation hosted the first 2008 Republican presidential candidates debate in the Air Force One Pavilion at the Library, with Mrs. Reagan in attendance.<ref name= "Reagan Library Debate">{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18466314/|title=Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq|accessdate= 2007-08-15|author= Johnson, Alex |publisher= MSNBC|date = ], ]}}</ref> | |||
| ===Alzheimer's disease=== | |||
| In July 1989, the Reagans took a trip to ], where Reagan was thrown off of a horse and taken to a hospital for tests. The Reagans returned to the U.S. and visited the ] where they were told President Reagan had a head concussion and a subdural hematoma, and was subsequently operated on.<ref>Reagan, Nancy (2002), p. 179-180</ref> According to Nancy Reagan, doctors believe that is what hastened the onset of ], something Reagan was diagnosed with in 1994 and ], writing, "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you."<ref name= "Alzheimer's Letter">{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/filmmore/reference/primary/alzheimers.html | title= The Alzheimer's Letter | publisher = pbs.org | accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref> | |||
| As the years went on, the disease slowly destroyed his mental capacity and his family decided that he would live in quiet isolation. On ], ], Reagan reached the age of 90, becoming the third former president to do so (the other two being ] and ]). Reagan's public appearances became much less frequent with the progression of the disease. Nancy Reagan told CNN's ] that very few visitors were allowed to see her husband because she felt that "Ronnie would want people to remember him as he was."<ref name= "Nancy Reagan Reflects">{{cite web |url= http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0103/04/lklw.00.html |title= Nancy Reagan Reflects on Ronald | publisher = CNN transcripts, Larry King Live Weekend | date = ] 2001 | accessdate=2007-04-06}}</ref> Since his diagnosis and death, Mrs. Reagan has become a ] advocate, urging ] and President ] to support embryonic stem-cell research, something President Bush opposes. Mrs. Reagan has said that she believes that it could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's.<ref name= "Nancy Reagan and Alzheimer's">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3700015.stm| title=Nancy Reagan plea on stem cells|publisher =BBC| date = ] ] | accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> | |||
| ==Death== | |||
| {{main|Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan}} | |||
| ] to the ]]] | |||
| Reagan died at his home in Bel-Air, California, at 1:00 PM PDT on ], ]. A short time after his death, ] released a statement saying: "My family and I would like the world to know that President Ronald Reagan has passed away after 10 years of Alzheimer's Disease at 93 years of age. We appreciate everyone's prayers." Reagan's body was taken to the Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica, California later in the day, where well-wishers paid tribute by laying flowers and American Flags in the grass.<ref>{{cite news | last = Leigh | first = Andrew | date = ] ] | url= http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/leigh200406071201.asp |title= Saying Goodbye in Santa Monica | publisher = National Review | accessdate=2007-03-09 |format= |work= }}</ref> On ], his body was removed and taken to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where a brief family funeral service was held. His body lay in repose in the Library lobby until ]; over 100,000 people viewed the coffin.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/08/reagan.main/index.html | title = 100,000 file past Reagan's casket | publisher = CNN | date = ], 2004 | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> | |||
| On ], Reagan's casket was flown to Washington D.C. where he became the tenth United States president to ]. In the thirty-four hours that it lay there, 104,684 people filed past the coffin.<ref>{{cite press release | url = http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/pressreleases/2004/pr_06-11-04.php | title = Lying In State for former President Reagan | date = ], ] | publisher = U.S. Capitol Police | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> | |||
| On ], a ] was conducted in the ], and presided over by President George W. Bush. Eulogies were given by former British Prime Minister ], former Canadian Prime Minister ], and both Presidents Bush. Also in attendance were ], and many world leaders, including British Prime Minister ], German Chancellor ], Italian Prime Minister ], and interim presidents ] of Afghanistan, and ] of Iraq. | |||
| After the funeral service, the Reagan entourage was flown back to California—to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library—where another service was held, and President Reagan was interred. He is the second longest-lived president in U.S. history and was the first United States president to die in the 21st century. His was the first state funeral in the United States since that of President ] in 1973. | |||
| His burial site is inscribed with the words he delivered at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: {{cquote|I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there’s purpose and worth to each and every life.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.planbproductions.com/postnobills/reagan1.html | title= Ronald Reagan Library Opening | publisher = planbproductions.com | date = ] ] | accessdate=2007-03-23}}</ref>}} | |||
| ==Legacy== | |||
| ] in Bloomington, Minnesota 1982]] | |||
| Reagan's legacy is mixed, with supporters pointing to a more efficient and prosperous economy,<ref>Appleby, Joyce (2003), p. 924</ref> a peaceful end to the Cold War, and a world safer from the threat of nuclear war.<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 324</ref> Critics argue that his economic policies caused huge budget deficits, quadrupling the United States national debt,<ref name="Cannon128"/> and that the Iran-Contra affair lowered American credibility.<ref>{{cite web |author=Larry Gilman||url=http://www.espionageinfo.com/Int-Ke/Iran-Contra-Affair.html|title=Iran-Contra Affair| publisher =Advameg Inc.|accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref> | |||
| Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., President of the ] said that Reagan "helped create a safer, freer world," and said of his economic policies: "He took an America suffering from 'malaise'... and made its citizens believe again in their destiny."<ref>{{cite web |author=Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.||url=http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed060904b.cfm|title=The Legacy of Ronald Reagan| publisher =The Heritage Foundation| date=], ]|accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref> ] of ''],'' however, stated that Reagan was "a far more controversial figure in his time than the largely gushing obits on television would suggest,"<ref>Howard Kurtz, . ''The Washington Post'', June 7, 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2005.</ref> and Mark Weisbrot, co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, says Reagan's "economic policies were mostly a failure."<ref>{{cite web |author =Mark Weisbrot||url=http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0607-09.htm|title=Ronald Reagan's Legacy| publisher =www.commondreams.org| date=], ]|accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref> | |||
| ]s (Gallup 1981–89)]] | |||
| {| class="prettytable" style="float:left;font-size:90%; background:white <!-- #f5f5f5; aka: "WhiteSmoke"; --> " <!-- reduced font size for fix of 'Zoomed way in' width on IE6. ---> | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan="4"|'''Ronald Reagan's ]''' | |||
| |- | |||
| ! | Date | |||
| ! | Event | |||
| ! | Approval (%) | |||
| ! | Disapproval (%) | |||
| |- | |||
| | | ] 1981 | |||
| | | Shot by ] | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 73 | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 19 | |||
| |- | |||
| | | ] 1983 | |||
| | | High unemployment | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 42 | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 54 | |||
| |- | |||
| | | ] 1986 | |||
| | | Libya bombing | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 70 | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 26 | |||
| |- | |||
| | | ] 1987 | |||
| | | Iran-Contra affair | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 44 | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 51 | |||
| |- | |||
| | | ] 1989 | |||
| | | End of presidency | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | – | |||
| |- bgcolor="white" | |||
| ! n/a | |||
| ! '''Career Average''' | |||
| ! '''57''' | |||
| ! '''39''' | |||
| |- | |||
| | | ] ] | |||
| | | (Retrospective)<ref>;{{cite web| url= http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll_reagan010806.html | title= Improving With Age: Reagan Approval Grows Better in Retrospect| accessdate=2006-09-12| author = Sussman, Dalia | date= ] |publisher=ABCNEWS.com | accessdate = 2007-04-08}}</ref> | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 64 | |||
| | style="text-align: center" | 27 | |||
| |} | |||
| === Popularity === | |||
| Reagan did not have the highest approval ratings as president,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html?printVersion=true|title=How the Presidents Stack Up| publisher =''The Wall Street Journal'' Online| accessdate=2007-09-7}}</ref> but his popularity has increased since 1989. A ] February 2001 poll asked respondents to name the greatest president in U.S. history; Reagan came in first, capturing 18% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/02/19/politics/main273106.shtml|title=Reagan Tops Presidential Poll| publisher =CBS News| accessdate=2007-09-7}}</ref> In February 2007, another Gallup poll ranked him as number two with 16% of the vote after ].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pollingreport.com/wh-hstry.htm |title= Presidents and History | publisher = pollingreport.com | accessdate=2007-03-18 }}</ref> He ranked third with a 72% approval rating, in a ] July 2007 poll on presidents who served after ],<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/post_war_presidents_jfk_ike_reagan_most_popular | title=Post-War Presidents: JFK, Ike, Reagan Most Popular| accessdate=2007-09-19|publisher=Rasmussen Reports Inc.}}</ref> fifth in an ABC 2000 poll of the public, and ninth in another Rasmussen 2007 poll of Americans. In a ] survey of over 200 historians, however, Reagan ranked sixteenth out of 42.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://lw.siena.edu/sri/results/2002/02AugPresidentsSurvey.htm | title= Presidential Survey| accessdate=2007-08-28}}</ref> | |||
| === Honors === | |||
| {{see|List of things named after Ronald Reagan}} | |||
| Reagan received a number of awards in his pre- and post-presidential years. After he was elected president, Reagan received a lifetime gold membership in the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the ]'s ].<ref name= "Association of Graduates USMA">{{cite web |url= http://www.aogusma.org/aog/awards/TA/awardees.htm | title= Association of Graduates USMA: Sylvanus Thayer Award Recipients | publisher = Association of Graduates, West Point, NY | accessdate= 2007-03-22}}</ref> | |||
| Reagan received an ] British knighthood, ] in 1989. This entitled him to the use of the post-nominal letters GCB, but did not entitle him to be known as "Sir Ronald Reagan." Only two American presidents have received the honor—Reagan and George H.W. Bush.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4883.asp | title= Order of the Bath |accessdate= 2007-03-22 |publisher = The Official Website of the British Monarchy}}</ref> Reagan was also named an honorary Fellow of ]. Japan awarded Reagan the ] in 1989, the only American president to receive the award.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www8.cao.go.jp/english/decoration/kikka.html |title= Supreme Orders of the Crysanthemum | publisher = Cabinet Office, Government of Japan | accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> | |||
| In 1993, Reagan's former Vice-President and sitting President George H.W. Bush awarded Reagan the ], the highest honor that the United States can give.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://medaloffreedom.com/1993Recipients.htm |title= 1993 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients | publisher = medaloffreedom.com | accessdate=2007-03-22 }}</ref> Reagan was also awarded the ], the highest honor bestowed by the Republican members of the Senate.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/e-activists/medal_of_freedom.shtml |title= Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom | accessdate=2007-03-22 |publisher= www.nrsc.org}}</ref> | |||
| ] from President George H.W. Bush in 1993]] | |||
| On ], ], Washington National Airport was renamed ] by a bill signed into law by President Clinton. Three years later, the ] was christened by Nancy Reagan and the United States Navy. It is one of few ships christened in honor of a living person, and the first to be named in honor of a living former president.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.reagan.navy.mil/ |title= USS Ronald Reagan Official Site | publisher = U.S. Navy | accessdate=2007-03-20}}</ref> Also in 1998, the ] was dedicated in Washington, D.C. <ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.itcdc.com/ |title= Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center | publisher = U.S. General Services Administration | accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> Reagan was among 18 included in ], from a poll conducted of the American people in 1999. | |||
| Congress authorized the creation of ] in Dixon, Illinois, in 2002, pending federal purchase of the property. On ] of that year, Nancy Reagan accepted the ], the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, on behalf of the president and herself.<ref name= "Congressional Gold Medal Recipients">{{cite web | url= http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html | publisher = Office of the Clerk: US House of Representatives | title= Congressional Gold Medal Recipients 1776 to present |accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> | |||
| The ] issued a President Ronald Reagan commemorative postage stamp in 2005.<ref name = "Reagan Stamp">{{cite press release |url= http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_077.htm |title= Postmaster General, Nancy Reagan unveil Ronald Reagan stamp image, stamp available next year | publisher = USPS | date = ], 2004 | accessdate=2007-05-13}}</ref> On ], ], along with the editors of '']'' magazine, named him the "most fascinating person" of the network's first 25 years.<ref name = "Top 25 Most Fascinating People">{{cite web |url= http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/02/cnn25.top.fascinating/index.html |title= Top 25: Fascinating People | publisher = CNN | date = ] 2005 | accessdate=2005-06-19}}</ref> ''TIME'' also named Reagan one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.<ref name= "Time 100">{{cite web |url= http://www.time.com/time/time100/index_2000_time100.html| title= Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century | date = 2003 | publisher = Time Magazine | accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref> On ], ], the ] asked its viewers to vote for ] in an unscientific poll; Reagan received the honorary title.<ref>{{cite web | title= Greatest American | publisher = Discovery Channel |url= http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatestamerican/greatestamerican.html| accessdate= 2007-03-21}}</ref> | |||
| In 2006, California Governor ] and First Lady ] inducted Reagan into the ], located at ]. In 2007, Polish President ] posthumously awarded Reagan the highest Polish distinction, the ].<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/visitorguide/events/Kaczynski%20media%20rules%207-11-07.pdf |format=PDF|title= President of Poland Lech Kaczynski to present Poland's highest award posthumously to president Reagan| publisher = The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation | date = ], 2007 | accessdate=2007-07-17 }}</ref> | |||
| ==Footnotes== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ] | |||
| *{{cite book|last=Appleby|first=Joyce|coauthors=Alan Brinkley, James M. McPherson|title=The American Journey|publisher=Glencoe/McGraw-Hill|date=2003|location=Woodland Hills, California|id = 0078241294 }} | |||
| * Bennett, James. (1987) ''Control of Information in the United States.'' Westport, Connecticut: Meckler Corporation. | |||
| * {{cite book|last = Beschloss|first=Michael|title=Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How they Changed America 1789–1989|year =2007|publisher=Simon & Schuster}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Cannon|first=Lou|authorlink=Lou Cannon|title=President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime|year=2000|publisher= Public Affairs |location= New York |isbn= 1891620916}} | |||
| * {{cite book | title = Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio: A History Illustrated from the Collection of the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum | first = Lou | last = Cannon | authorlink = Lou Cannon | coauthors = Michael Beschloss | publisher = PublicAffairs | isbn = 1891620843 | year = 2001}} | |||
| * Curry, Richard. (1992) ''Thought Control and Repression in the Reagan-Bush Era.'' Los Angeles, California: First Amendment Foundation. | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Diggins |first= John Patrick |title= Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History | year= 2007| publisher= W. W. Norton |location= New York|isbn= }} | |||
| *{{cite book |last= Freidel |first= Frank |coauthors= Hugh Sidey |title= The Presidents of the United States of America |year= 1995|publisher= White House Historical Association |location= Washington, D.C.|isbn= 0912308575}} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Gaddis | first= John Lewis | title= The Cold War: A New History |year= 2005 |publisher= The Penguin Press |location= |isbn= }} | |||
| * {{cite book | last = Karaagac | first = John | title = Ronald Reagan and Conservative Reformism | publisher = Lexington Books | date = 2000 | isbn = }} | |||
| * {{cite book | last = LaFeber | first = Walter | title = America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945–1971 | publisher = Wiley | location = New York | date = 2002 | isbn = }} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Matlock |first= Jack |title= Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended |year= 2004 |publisher= Random House |location= New York |isbn=0679463232 }} | |||
| * {{cite book | last = Morris | first = Edmund | title = Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan | year =1999 | publisher = Random House}} includes fictional material | |||
| * {{cite book |author=Murray, Robert K. & Blessing, Tim H. |title= Greatness in the White House|year= 1993| publisher=Penn State Press}} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |authorlink= Nancy Reagan |title= I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan | year= 2002| publisher= Random House|location= United States |isbn= 0375760512}} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |title= My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan | year= 1989| publisher= Random House|location= New York |isbn= }} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Reagan|first= Ronald |title= An American Life |year= 1990|publisher= Simon and Schuster|location= New York|isbn= 0743400259}} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Reeves |first= Richard |authorlink= Richard Reeves |title= President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination |year= 2005 |publisher= Simon & Schuster |location= New York |isbn= 0743230221}} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Regan |first= Donald |authorlink= Donald Regan |title= For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington | year= 1988| publisher= Harcourt|location= New York |isbn=0151639663}} | |||
| * {{cite book |last= Walsh |first= Kenneth |title= Ronald Reagan |year= 1997 |publisher= Random House Value Publishing, Inc. |location= New York |isbn= 0517200783}} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| {{see|Ronald Reagan Bibliography}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{sisterlinks|Ronald Reagan}} | |||
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| *{{imdb name|id=0001654|name=Ronald Reagan}} | |||
| *{{nndb name|id=359/000022293|name=Ronald Reagan}} | |||
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| {{end}} | |||
| {{Ronald Reagan}} | |||
| {{USpresidents}} | |||
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| {{CAGovernors}} | |||
| {{Cold War}} | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME=Reagan, Ronald Wilson | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Ronald Reagan | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION=] ] and ], 33rd Governor of ], 40th ] | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH=] 1911 | |||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH=], ] | |||
| |DATE OF DEATH=] 2004 | |||
| |PLACE OF DEATH=], ], ], ] | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Reagan, Ronald Wilson}} | |||
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Revision as of 02:39, 1 October 2007
bitches