The Legacy Of The 1980 ' S

In addition to his economic policies, Reagan also swung the Supreme Court more to the right and a conservative vision. By appointing Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, William Rehnquist and Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court and appointing over 400 federal judges, Reagan’s conservative viewpoint began to appear in judicial decisions (Moss & Thomas, 2013, p. 244). “The administration searched for strict constructionists whose constitutional views could also incorporate right-wing social

Politics in the U.S. during the 1980’s were exciting. Much like everything else during this decade, politics were changing and making a new way for economic development and social construct. Policy in the 1980’s were both huge on foreign policy, and domestic development. The cold war, being the main concern with foreign policy, consisted of Communism versus Democracy, or Socialism versus Capitalism. President Reagan being the face of America and our Commander and Chief, created “Reaganomics,” which fought for small Government, and utilized Government spending in a way that would effectively establish National Security as well as make a name for himself as being known as one of the most popular presidents in United State’s history. Though these issues took place some thirty years ago, it is safe to say that the tribulations we faced as a nation in the eighties have directly affected society in 2015.

One major reason Ronald Reagan was able to defeat Carter in the election of 1980 was because Carter failed to rescue the hostages from the American embassy, prior to the election. He had already run for president in 1968 and in 1976, but didn’t win until 1980 as a Republican nominee because he established himself as the conservative candidate with the support of like-minded organizations such as the American Conservative Union. Reagan had several policies to try to recover the economy, one of them being deregulation, in which he advocated limiting government involvement in business. Following this policy, he deregulated several industries from government control. Another policy was to reduce inflation by controlling the growth of the money

Republican President Ronald Reagan served as Commander-in-chief from January 1981 to January of 1989, holding his position in office for two terms. When Reagan took his oath into office, he inherited prior damage from predecessor Jimmy Carter, including the issue of the Iranian Hostage Crisis as well as damage inflicted by the Vietnam War from years prior. Reagan’s start in politics was not the normal approach. Coming from a successful career as a popular Hollywood actor, Reagan acquired his interest in politics in a more unconventional way. As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became involved in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry. His political views quickly shifted from liberal to conservative and he

President Reagan’s radical tax cuts lead to a decrease in unemployment and an increase in incomes for Americans of all statuses. Despite the fact that, “in the late 1970s, the US economy was experiencing what was then the greatest economic crisis since the great depression… almost every economic measure substantially improved after Reagan’s reforms took effect” (Hannaford). Editors Pat Hannaford and Darcy Allen observe that, “by reducing America’s tax burden, Reagan’s

Born on February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan lived an eventful life, but he did not become President of the United States until the age of 65. He picked George H. W. Bush as his running mate in the 1980 republican ticket. The incumbent, Jimmy Carter had no chance of retaining the presidency, the economy was stagnant, and America’s influence in the world was on the decline. Just two months into Reagan’s Presidency, it almost came to an abrupt end with the bullet of a would-be assassin; of course the President survived, and went on to contribute to the end of the cold war. The Contra scandal threatened Reagan’s Presidency, however, but for anyone to say he is overrated, should take a close look at

Reagan had a strong vision for the American future and believed that through hard work, patriotism, and the Lord, we could say “it’s the morning again in America”.14 Reagan stated in his inaugural speech “It is time for us to realize that we’re too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We have every right to dream heroic dreams, those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes; they just don’t know where to look”. Reagan has inspired countless people with his charm, humility, faith, ability to lead, and clear thinking but he was first and foremost, proud to be an

Consequently, the failures of the policies of liberal presidents like Carter and the success of conservatives like Reagan lead to the resurgence of conservatism.

Reagan was willing to lift the morale of the country, inject optimism and lead to victory in the cold war against communism. To do so, he decided to show his mandate in the recovery of the economic welfare. He made it very clear in the speech of his inauguration: “It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal government.” and averred that the secret to America’s wealth was that “here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man.” The Reaganite mission to restore popular faith in capitalism and individualism as social norms made substantial head ways in the 1980s, gains for American conservatism that liberals have not succeeded in reversing. Reagan is part of a select group of political leaders, including Thomas Jefferson and W. Wilson, whose names because watchwords for political creeds and stances toward Reagan was indeed the guy for the job as his ideals and promises couldn 't been more like what the people wanted.

America faced its greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Greatly influenced by his devout Christian mother, she taught him that the most important knowledge concerned right and wrong. Reagan believed there was a Devine plan and purpose for everyone. His mother taught him to see the best in people, to help those less fortunate, and to keep an optimistic attitude even in tough situations. Reagan had a deep faith in God and belief in the fundamentals of Christianity (D’Souza 26, 38-39, 214). The way he related to people made them feel like he was their friend (Noonan 171). He stood firm on the moral issue of abortion and voiced his beliefs when he stated that it was a “…wound in our national conscience” (D’Souza 212). Reagan believed in Americans working in unity. Citizens should be a part of communities that work together to improve their lives. In fact, he praised people that voluntary supported “…church, charity, culture, art and education” with gifts (D’Souza 117). At the beginning of his presidency, Reagan challenged Americans to "begin an era of national renewal” (The Reagan Presidency).

1) focus on physical restraint: reigning in spending of the economy, the great society programs

The 1980 election of Ronald Reagan was not only significant because it was the start of a new decade, but it signified a return to conservatism. Reagan had made a bid for office in 1976 trying to bypass the incumbent Ford for the Republican nomination. Although unsuccessful in his attempt, Reagan definitely had merit in pursuing his endeavors.

In January of 1981, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the President of the United States. Until 1964, Reagan was a registered Democrat. Reagan vocalized his change from Democrat to Republican while presenting a speech during the 1964 presidential election on behalf of Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. His speech, entitled “A Time for Choosing” came to be known as “The Speech” of Ronald Reagan’s conservatism. Though many describe Reagan as a rather progressive thinking Republican, citing his pro-gun control stance as an example, Reagan still held a vast amount of conservative ideals. Specifically, his anti-gay stance. Throughout the election of 1980, votes for Reagan were progressing through the country, and brought with it the first Republican

American society experienced a vast amount of change from 1980 to 1990. Before the start of the 1980s, America had several economic issues Explain economic issues. After the failures of Jimmy Carter to save Americans, many citizen wanted a new President to set America straight. This President was Ronald Reagan. He helped to fuel the rise of conservatism, the yuppie generation, the war on drugs, and a new domestic/foreign policy.

What was the ‘Reagan Revolution’ and in what ways did it “change the course which American politics had followed since the 1930s”?