For anyone who is a fan of US history and politics will love this book. While some of the contents of the book may disappoint some in regards to the former president, it does finally bring to light for the first time when President Regan began to exhibit signs of memory loss which may be of interest to readers. A surprising and interesting look into the background and accomplishments of Ronald Reagan. It was enlightening to read about the issues that Reagan dealt with while managing to launch our country on a course of growth, international respect and patriotic pride.
An well written book! It was surprising to read how long President Reagen had signs of Alzheimer's symptoms and what a toll it took on his family & especially Nancy, his primary care taker. Although he might not have the best president in history but certainly turned the the America around after the Carter administration.
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The author, in their attempt to construct an objective narrative, have delineated the negative aspect of Reagan as a young Hollywood actor and of course, they give more than equal time to all the positive accomplishment. In March of 1952 Reagan marries the former Nancy Davis, who happens to be pregnant, and throughout the book, it is clear that she has a tremendous influence on her husband. But, she is not the only woman to influence Ronald Reagan, commencing before he was the Governor of California and throughout the Reagan presidency. Their was one Joan Quigley, an astrologer, who gave continued advise to Nancy Reagan who used Quigleys information to directly guide some of the presidents
The book focuses on showcasing the nearly impossible obstacles he had to overcome in order to carry out the duties as a man and as President of the United States. The authors wanted to create a portrait of a “great man operating in violent times”, and that they did, albeit it being a bit skewed. The book is a bit all over the place, but after the first chapter (1980 presidential debate) it follows a chronological trend, with each chapter marking an important moment in Reagan’s life. In regards to the prologue, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard begin with the death of “the former leader of the free world, the man who defeated Soviet communism and ended the Cold War.” Honorable tribute to Reagan indeed but the more you read the book, the more you start to ponder who really was calling the shots.
At a time when most of the country was feeling pessimistic about the direction the nation was headed, Ronald Reagan easily won the 1980 presidential election over Jimmy Carter. America needed the type of leadership that a conviction politician could bring in order to remove the disparity and defeatism that was felt during the last years of Carter’s presidency (Sloan, 1996). The effects that Reagan’s national optimism had on the morale of the country were that he was able to bring hope to a nation that was once again struggling economically,
President Ronald Reagan’s speech “A Time for Choosing” was my selection for this assignment. Prior to his presidential election, Ronald Reagan was catapulted forward in his career by his motivational speech later titled by some simply as “The Speech”. At the time, Regan had recently changed from a long-standing Democrat to a Republican. Although his speech was unable to prevent President Lyndon Johnson’s ultimate win, it was very memorable due to the emotionally powerful and deeply moving presentation. Creating an unknown, yet powerful pull for his inevitable position as President. By conveying his points with such an emotional drive, “A Time for Choosing” became one of the most important speeches of his career. The soon to be President delivered this speech with strong words many Americans were not prepared to hear but came to accept. A speech that created many questions and provided many answers managed to express a level of emotion that seemed urgently calm. As one of President Reagans greatest speeches “A Time for Change” provided the world with a preview of a President in the making.
For the audience he gives them examples of how government interference hurts Americans and also allusions to past times such as the revolution and how the founding fathers did not want a big government. He shares that he has “an uncomfortable feeling that this prosperity isn’t something on which we base our hopes the future.” Reagan’s ability to connect with his audience was rare and unlike many of his colleagues. Whether the topics he spoke on were always relevant to that of the listener, it did not always matter.
She claims that “he saw the many sides of the truth.” Reagan saw the Soviet Union’s prominent desire for military power and territorial expansion, but also “sensed that it was being eaten away by systemic failures.” In addition, he “realized that a man of good will might...emerge” from Moscow’s evil empire. Thatcher mentions the Cold War by exemplifying that Reagan possessed an awareness for realizing the hidden truths under chaotic circumstances. By showcasing Reagan’s capabilities during a demanding event such as the Cold War, Thatcher develops a positive image of Reagan for Americans citizens to fondly remember, but to also give recognition to President Reagan’s aptitude. When displaying Reagan’s great intuition when it came to politics, Thatcher stresses that he held aptitude for his position leading a grand country that felt weakened. Ronald Reagan successfully fostered America through tough times with strength and
In conclusion, President Reagan was operative in convincing his audience that he was the right choice for who should lead the U.S. I firmly believe that Ronald Reagan was the last good President we had in office. He not only kept to his word, but also was able to inspire the American people and remind them what hope was and what it looked and felt like. Shown through this piece, it is evident that he was an eloquent communicator and an overall persuasive orator. By using pathos, rhetorical questioning,
Thesis Statement: Ronald Reagan’s presidency was one of the most successful in United States history because he revitalized the failing economy, used his remarkable communication skills to reestablish America’s lost morale, and even played a vital role in ending the Cold War.
Ronald Reagan is often regarded as one of the best presidents of the United States of America. He is rewarded with restoring hope to the American people, breaking down the Soviet Union, reviving the American economy, and reestablishing trust between the American people and the American government. Much less known to the American people is the fact of how religious Regan was. In Paul Kengor’s book God and Ronald Reagan: a Spiritual Life, Kengor explores just how spiritual Regan was not only during his presidency, but during his entire life and how it led to success in Regan’s life.
President Ronald Reagan, the man who is accredited with ended the forty six year cold war was elected on Nov. 4, 1980. Reagan won his election with fifty percent of the popular vote over former President Jimmy Carter who had forty one percent. While Reagan as a president is praised for such successes as strengthening the national defense, stimulating growth in the U.S. economically, and as mentioned before he is considered the President who ended the Cold War. President Reagan had achieved many things by the end of his administration, but just as he had many successes his presidency was plagued with shortcomings and a handful of what could be considered flat out failures. The purpose of this writing is to establish and identify the ‘cons’ or failures of the Reagan administration, and provide a brief description of each different aspect of the administration.
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States of America. Before becoming interested in politics, he was an actor born in Tampico, Illinois (Freidel, & Sidey). In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California, and that was the beginning of his political future (Freidel, & Sidey). Reagan strove through foreign policy while building America strong thought his words, “peace through strength” (Freidel, & Sidey). Pushing through an assassin-attempt, Reagan achieved great things as told in his farewell address. Ronald Reagan uses thoughtful organization, emotional appeal, repetition, and allusion in his farewell address to the nation, in reason of his termination in presidency as well
This book does cover a large time frame of Reagan’s life from his Hollywood days to his final days of life. This book begins at the end of Reagan’s life while he is laying in bed at his California residence. Moments before his death it
Ronald Reagan was a former governor of California, a Hollywood Actor and now incumbent president. As governor of California he had championed conservative politics going to battle with the state’s Democrats whom controlled both houses of the legislature (Diggins 152). Reagan’s
As President, Ronald Reagan encountered many significant events; from surviving an assassination attempt, to the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Perhaps the most significant event was the economic downturn. He came to office (much like President Obama) in the midst of an economic crisis; however, President Reagan was able to turn the economy around. How did he do this? In order to answer this question, you must first ask what the economy was like when he was sworn into office, how his policy changed from the prior administration’s policy, and how it contrasts our present economic policy.
Ronald Reagan’s influence in conservatism can be analyzed in Ideals and Ideologies through three different texts which are each three different speeches. The first is his Inaugural Address, the second is a speech given at an annual Evangelical Christian convention, and the third is his Farewell Address given after his second term as the President of the United States. These three texts are rooted in strong references to foundational ideologies of the establishment of the United States in the first place. He uses these ideals to draw upon a sense of American patriotism seen from America’s birth, to create somewhat of a conservative revival or rebirth.
I have decided to write my research paper on the topic of Ronald Reagan's Domestic and Foreign Affairs. The reason that I choose this topic was because I have always been personally interested in Ronald Reagan's time in office and the national crisis he had to deal with. Reagan was awesome when it came to foreign policy because he knew how to negotiate with foreign leaders and their countries to get what he wanted. There were several instances during his time in office that he had the chance to use his ability to get the country out of danger. Domestic Affairs is another part of Reagan's presidency that was very important. He was able to take the country, which seemed to be in an economic slump and turn their economic status around.