...Running head: THE OVERRATED RONALD REAGAN The Overrated Ronald Reagan Kirston Gardner University of Phoenix Carole Lormand September 28, 2013 The Overrated Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan, the nation’s 40th president is one of the most overrated men in history. Americans did not forget all the broken promises and dishonesty they dealt with while Reagan was in office. For many reasons he would be considered a good President but there are many more reasons that he would not. Reagan’s ratings were higher than the averages of his three immediate predecessors, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon (Frank Newport, 2004). When rating Reagan, many factors show that he is indeed overrated, not only as a president but an individual as well. During Reagan’s term in office Americans faced recession, debt, high unemployment, questionable foreign policy and wasteful spending among other things. As Reagan was sworn, one of the first incidents, which were the release of the 51 hostages from the American Embassy in Tehran, occurred. It seemed as if the Iranians feared the win of future President Ronald Reagan. However, there were a few incidents that occurred prior to the inauguration of Reagan that actually set the stage for the emanate release of the hostages (United States History). The Shah of Iran died right before the presidential rae was over. Shah’s return, one of the requests in negotiations with the Iranians, was neutralized. The negotiations were now closer to closure...
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...Ronald Reagan: Underrated, Overrated or Both Erica Boozer HIS/145 April 10, 2014 Tee Swan Ronald Reagan: Underrated, Overrated or Both Was President Reagan overrated or underrated? This is such a controversial question. Some believe he was overrated while others believe the latter. Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911. In 1920, after living in a series of towns as a child, Reagan family settled in Dixon, Illinois. Here his father opened a shoe store (biography, 2014). Reagan graduated high school in 1928 and continued his adult education at Eureka College in Illinois. Here, he was an athlete and scholar. He played football, ran track, and was captain of the swim team. He also acted in school plays and was president of the student council (biography, 2014). Reagan graduated in 1932 and in the latter part of the thirties he signed a seven year contract with Warner Brothers studio. He starred in over 50 movies during his time as a Hollywood actor (biography, 2014). Political Career Reagan started his political ventures in 1964. He gave a televised speech for Barry Goldwater who was a Republican presidential candidate at the time. Two years later he became the governor of California and was re-elected for a second term in 1970 (biography, 2014). After two failed bids for the Republican presidential nomination, Reagan finally made it in 1980 when he beat Democratic incumbent and current...
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...Ronald Reagan, My American Hero October 5, 2014 English 101 Ronald Reagan was more than just our nation’s 40th President, he was a remarkable leader. Winning the Governor election by more than 1 million votes, and President of the United States for two terms, America was needing a fearless figure in front of economic, domestic and international threats this nation was experiencing. He brought lower tax rates, negotiated the nuclear arms treaty with the Soviet Union, and influenced the tear down of the Berlin wall and the ending the Cold War without firing a shot. Reagan left Office in 1989 and said, “We meant to change the nation, but instead we changed the world” (cardigan, 1995). Spending his last years with Alzheimer’s and never removing himself from the nation he had great passion for, Ronald Reagan arguably became the greatest President America has ever had. In the early days of Ronald Reagan’s career in acting, he took a very keen interest in his first political endeavor as President of the Screen Actors Guild in 1947. The SAG According to Cardigan (1995), was a labor organization much like other older unions during World War I. When the War was over, Reagan was at the helm of one of the toughest trials and even bigger strikes than before he became President of the SAG (Cardigan, 1995). Ronald Reagan Stated that dispute was hideously complicated. When the eider ideological issue of a possible communist takeover arise was he able to exert his full...
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...bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” - Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States. He was President from 1981 to 1989. He played a major role in ending the Cold war. He strengthened the military. To defeat the Communists he used force where as many former presidents had used appeasement. One of his speeches helped influence the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Through his domestic affairs he stimulated the economy. He enacted many tax and budget cuts. Unemployment also dropped. Both Ronald and Nancy Reagan started an anti-drug campaign. This led Ronald Reagan to pass an act with tight enforcement on drug laws that backfired. The...
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...Reagan/Bush Era Reagan/Bush Era To take a look at the past and see how it has guided the present era; look back at the Reagan-Busch era and see what they were involved in, initiated or finished while in the Oval Office. These two were President and Vice President for two terms and George Bush succeeded Reagan as the 41st President of the United States and carried on where Reagan left off. His presidency was limited to one term as most Americans felt that he was not strong enough or not able to function without President Reagan. The Iran-Contra war was an embarrassing scandal that almost caused Reagan his presidency. The involvement of the United States in the business of supplying weapons to the enemy of the United States basically a black market operation that was not approved by the Congress and ran by a Military Officer. The whole matter was a negotiation tactic we sell you weapons and you release hostages. Monies profited from this illegal black market scandal was funneled to the contras of Nicaragua to support their internal democracy issue and eventually allowed them to overthrow Anastasio Somoza Debayle. This whole scandal reflected poorly on the United States and President Reagan as it was a defining point in his presidency and almost cost him his office. This scandal first began in 1985 and continued until 1986 and was actually effective until the Hezbollah terrorist group got greedy and started taking more hostages in demand for more weapons. The article was...
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...Diplomacy Contemporary International Problems POL 300 March 4, 2012 The Reagan Doctrine was no different. Presupposing a world of evil and good, it operated on the theory that evil, was in the form of the USSR, and was getting the upper hand. To Reagan and his advisers, examples of Soviet treachery, including support for Marxist movements around the globe, were numerous; moreover, Soviet adventurism, from the Horn of Africa in the 1970s to Central America in the 1980s, showed no signs of lessening. Reagan was intent on stopping that trend—a trend, he believed, that President Carter had done little to reverse. Therefore, he adopted the vocabulary of the early Cold War, advocating policies equally aggressive and bold in range (Foreign Affairs). Reagan presented his vision at his State of the Union Address on February 6, 1985. "We must not break faith," he declared, "with those who are risking their lives—on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua—to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth." The president went on to compare anticommunist forces with American colonists who had fought the revolutionary war, relating those early patriots as "freedom fighters" for democracy. Providing aid to those groups was not only ethically just but geopolitically sensible. "Support for freedom fighters," Reagan declared, "is self-defense." It would be months before those declarations would take form as a permanent...
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...Name Course University Tutor Date Ronald Reagan Mention Ronald Reagan and the next person will say how great he was. Ratings approval ranks him higher than any other former presidents of the United State of America. He has been described as one of the greatest leaders of our times. He displayed many valuable traits that by and large helped him to become the great leader he was. Did his character influence his leadership style? This is the core point as far as this former president of United States was concerned. His character shaped whom he became giving his all and championing his course to make America a better place to live for all the citizens. His election as the president restored the hopes of the Americans who had been disillusioned by the leadership whom majority felt had lost touch with the people. Wallison, P (2004) points out that his unique traits had great influence as far as his success as a president was concerned (23) One of his major accomplishments was restoring the people’s hope with the government. This achievement can be overlooked by many but it was such an important step since it regained the people hope and renewed their commitment for their country. This is the first step for any nation that is interested in forging ahead after years of scandals, wars and many other misgivings that they would like to forget. When Reagan was leaving office after his completion of the two terms he thanked all the American people and mostly those...
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...Iran-Contra Affair, which took place in 1985, during the Reagan administration. Shortly after taking office, President Reagan found himself facing difficult decisions, as many presidents have done so before and after him. Foreign policy is at the top of every presidents list during their term in office; Reagan’s foreign policy was to achieve “peace through strength”. This policy was put to the test when U.S. government officials became threatened of national security relations with two seemingly unrelated counties Iran and Nicaragua. Tension rose when radical Islamic movement overthrew U.S. backed Iran government in 1979. The U.S. tried bolstering relation with Iran by selling weapons to them, in turn the administration felt with the backing of Iran they could negotiate the release of seven American hostages being held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. On the other side of the world was Nicaragua which the U.S. has shown interest since the 20th century, due to the region’s close proximity to America. Relations with Nicaragua, falter after the Nicaragua government was toppled by a revolutionary government, the Sandinista Liberation Front. Tensions worsen, when Sandinistas sought relationship ties with Cuba and the Soviet Union. Reagan and his administration pushed political power to the brink by using profits from weapons sold to Iran to fund Contra militants to topple the Sandinista government. The action conducted by the Reagan administration was in direct violation of prohibited...
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...Ronald Reagan are two men who I believe were two of the most influential people in the world. While these two men shared many similarities in their life, presidency, and influence, they were also different in many ways. They both achieved what many believed to be the impossible. Maybe by looking at the past and these two great men, we can learn about perseverance in hard times. President Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky. He spent most of his early childhood years on a farm his parents owned. His father was one of the richest men in the area. In 1816, his father lost the family farm in a court decision and the family moved to Indiana. He spent all of his early years in a region of the United States in non-slave states. When he left home he went to New Orleans, Louisiana and saw slavery for himself first hand. He joined the militia in 1832 and served three months as a Captain during the Black Hawk War. President Ronald Regan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. Unlike President Lincoln, President Reagan spent his early childhood in many cities away from the farms. His father was a salesman and moved the family numerous times. President Reagan attended Eureka College where he was involved in school politics. Similar to President Lincoln, he also served his country. After college he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve. He was later commissioned in 1937. During his military career, President Reagan was involved...
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...Though he never managed to formally command words, Reagan became one of the most distinguished communicators of modern times. He accomplished this through his ability to speak casually and directly to the people. As Kathleen Hall Jamieson notes in “Eloquence in the Electronic Age,” Reagan’s grasp of modern technology allowed him to capture the attention of the American audience. Reagan was a master of storytelling and manipulation of his audience, which can be attributed to his career as a Hollywood actor. He preferred the “story” over the facts, and was a “very straightforward, plain-spoken communicator.” This style of communicating is common with Republican leaders from former President George W. Bush to current President Donald Trump. One...
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...Important Events That Occurred in the United States During the Past 50 Years Lawsianita Charles Axia College of University of Phoenix Important Events That Occurred 2 There were so many different events that occurred in the past fifty years that help to shape the United States. These events have brought good and hard times to the United States Politically. Huge contributions were contributed to the American society every decade by the past leaders. These Contributions has help mode the United States into what it is today. There has been a great deal of wars fought by this country for its civil rights and people. After the many battles and wars that the United States endured, the United States never let their dreams die. Many of their dreams came true, many of their dreams failed due to different programs and policies from our former leaders of America. For instance, the Watergate Scandal in the 1970s was one of the great events that became memorable. The drastic tax cut in the 80’s by President Ronald Reagan also became memorable. Almost every president in the United States past has left some sort of significant legacies with their leadership in some sort of way. The leaders that made mistakes also help to shape the country to what it is today because of their past mistake. Their past mistakes help to create a solution for success further down the road. Our education, businesses, homes, and...
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...The Reagan Doctrine Ronald Reagan is best known for his speech at the Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall where he stated “Mister Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!” That was his challenge to the Soviet leader. Like presidents before him present Reagan had established a doctrine to eradicate the Soviet influence on the world. Ronald Reagan was not the first to propose a doctrine to fight the Soviet nation. In fact, he was just following in the footsteps of his predecessors. The Reagan doctrine was similar to of Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Carter in that they all wanted containment of the Soviet Union, but were as they used a more defensive method Reagan deployed a more Offensive style to dealing communist-controlled countries. Reagan laid out his interpretation of his doctrine at his State of the Union Address on February 6, 1985. "We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth . . . Support for freedom fighters is self-defense." He went on to explain how he thought that Truman’s version of containment, originally designed to halt Stalin in Europe was now obsolete. President Reagan’s doctrine facilitated the use of US involvement in places like Angola where the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) fought against the Soviet and Cuban backed Angolan government. US involvement was also present in Afghanistan...
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...Assignment 4: Reagan Revolution and President Obama Demetria Davenport HIS 105 Professor Lashunda Calvert December 13, 2012 1. Identify at least two (2) turning points in the period under discussion. 1. Ronald Reagan is President who was also an actor on the movie screen. The Iran-Contra Affair, the United States sold weapons to Iran for use in their war with Iraq. Reagan did this despite an embargo against Iran( imposed after the 1979 hostage crisis) and the fact that Iran was at an avowed enemy; the United States was t the same time offering support to Iran because top official in the Reagan administration hoped that selling arms to Iran would ease relation between the United States and Iran. More damning is that members of Reagan ‘s administration took profits from the sales of arms to Iran and sent the money to a right wing guerrilla group in Nicaragua called the Contras, who were battling the left wing government. It was never proved that Reagan was aware that Iran arms sale finds had been diverted to the contras, but the nationally televised testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North demonstrated that Reagan was probably not aware of the contra affair and that he had not, therefore, sufficiently controlled his administration. At, Reagan behest, Congress investigated the affair, chastised the president, and indicted several of his men. The aftermath included resignations, fines, and imprisonment for a handful of Reagan’s functionaries, and public embarrassment...
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...for the Soviet Union, Reagan was initially distant and distrustful in both rhetoric and policy. He spoke of it as an “evil empire.” His foremost policy was that of containment: preventing countries vulnerable to communism from becoming communist. Parting with the policy of his predecessors, Reagan harbored no illusions about the efficacy of detente, a cornerstone policy under Nixon and Ford. After growing anxious of Soviet nuclear capability, Reagan upped defense spending, It was then that he begun the SDI program (Strategic Defense Initiative), or Star Wars program, its affectionate name. It was...
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...On Friday October 16, 1981, President Ronald Reagan wrote in his personal diary, “Central America is really the world’s next hotspot. Nicaragua is an armed camp supplied by Cuba and threatening a communist takeover of all of Central America.” (The Reagan Diaries, 2007) For the next eight years as Commander-in-Chief, this mindset would shape his perspective on the small Third World country about the size of North Carolina. The Administration’s policies, actions, and attitudes toward Nicaragua and other perceived hostile nations became known as “Reagan Doctrine.” The defeat of the Nicaraguan Revolution became the “cornerstone of the Reagan Central American policy and the test case of Reagan Doctrine.” (U.S. Intervention in the Nicaraguan Elections and American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era, 1992) Reagan Doctrine was not a label coined by President Reagan or his administration. It was a term used later by his critics to define his foreign policy strategy for countries around the world. The Reagan Doctrine was a strategy to aid anti-communist, or more specifically, anti-Soviet insurgencies in the Third World during Reagan’s two terms as president from 1981-1989. The primary goal was to overthrow Marxist regimes and/or prevent Marxist regimes from becoming established. Reagan wasted no time getting started in the implementation of his foreign policy. The Administration’s first comprehensive “U.S. National Security Strategy,” which was a document approved by the President...
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