The couple divorced in In , he married actress Nancy Davis. The pair had two children, Patricia, and Ronald. During World War II , Reagan was disqualified from combat duty due to poor eyesight and spent his time in the Army making training films. In his younger years, Ronald Reagan was a member of the Democratic Party and campaigned for Democratic candidates; however, his views grew more conservative over time, and in the early s he officially became a Republican.
In , Reagan stepped into the national political spotlight when he gave a well-received televised speech for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater , a prominent conservative. Reagan was reelected to a second term in Reagan won the election by an electoral margin of and captured almost 51 percent of the popular vote. At age 69, he was the oldest person elected to the U. Ronald Reagan was sworn into office on January 20, The first lady wore designer fashions, hosted numerous state dinners and oversaw a major redecoration of the White House.
Just over two months after his inauguration, on March 30, , Reagan survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. He also advocated for increases in military spending, reductions in certain social programs and measures to deregulate business. Critics maintained that his policies led to budget deficits and a more significant national debt; some also held that his economic programs favored the rich.
Supreme Court. Also on the foreign affairs front, Reagan sent U. Marines to Lebanon as part of an international peacekeeping force after Israel invaded that nation in June In October , suicide bombers attacked the Marine barracks in Beirut, killing Americans.
Reagan repeatedly sought to engage Soviet leaders in negotiations, to no initial avail. But the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev gave Reagan someone to negotiate with, and in the culmination of an unprecedented series of summits, Reagan and Gorbachev eliminated one whole class of nuclear weapons and laid the basis for dramatic additional cuts in the superpower arsenals.
Visiting Moscow during his last year in office, Reagan was asked whether he still considered the Soviet Union an evil empire.
Later prompted to explain, he acknowledged that even communists could change for the better. Reagan brought another crucial attribute to conservatism. Righteous indignation, at times amounting to anger, has often characterized the conservative movement. From Barry Goldwater to the Tea Party, many conservatives have seemed to like feeling beset and aggrieved. Reagan could get righteously angry, as when the Soviets shot down a Korean airliner in Goldwater frowned and warned; Reagan smiled and invited.
Reagan refused to demonize his foes. Reagan reached most other people he encountered. Ronald Reagan thus has much in common with the most respected occupants of the Oval Office. Seemingly the only obstacles to his occupying a seat in the pantheon of presidential greats are the black marks against his record -- his disregard for the environment, his failure to take strong action against South African apartheid and his role in the Iran-contra scandal most prominent among them.
However, most of the other men on the list had serious black marks of their own. Washington, Jefferson, Polk and Jackson were slaveholders. TR played a key role in the subjugation of the Philippines. Wilson segregated the federal government and was arguably the most racist man ever to occupy the White House. These indiscretions have not proved fatal to historical reputations, however, because on balance the positive accomplishments are judged to outweigh the negatives.
It's foreseeable that Reagan will benefit from the same consideration and that his successes will ultimately be judged more important than his shortcomings. If Ronald Reagan's supporters had had their way, the United States would already have the Reagan dime, the Reagan memorial, and Ronald Reagan university. These things may never come to pass, but it's still safe to say that when the history of the twentieth century is written, the fortieth president will be accorded a place of honor in it.
This piece was distributed for non-exclusive use by the History News Service , an informal syndicate of professional historians who seek to improve the public's understanding of current events by setting these events in their historical contexts.
The article may be republished as long as both the author and the History News Service are clearly credited. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. This was widely dicussed during the 80a and in the early 90s when Bill Clinton was running for Commander and Chief.
It was pointed out that under Reagan and Bush, there was tremendous economic failures. Thee was, and I remember this, tremendous downsizing and catastrophic unemployment. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center.
University of Virginia Miller Center. Ronald Reagan: Impact and Legacy. Breadcrumb U. Lou Cannon Journalist. Ronald Reagan Essays Life in Brief. Life Before the Presidency. Campaigns and Elections. Domestic Affairs. Foreign Affairs.
0コメント