Ronald Reagan
40th President of The United States
Born: February 06, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, United States
Died: June 05, 2004 in Los Angeles, California, United States; died of pneumonia
Other Names: Reagan, Ronald Wilson; Ronald W.; The Gipper; The Great Communicator
Nationality: American
Occupation: President
Early Life
Ronald Reagan's father was an unsuccessful salesman with a serious drinking problem. Ronald Reagan's mother was a farmer who raised Ronald and his older brother, Neil, in the Disciples of Christ Church despite their father's Catholicism. The family moved often, sometimes for new jobs , or after Ronald's father had been fired because of his drinking. In 1920 they moved to Dixon, Illinois, where Ronald Reagan's dad became the part owner of a shoe store.
Ronald Reagan was an outgoing, optimistic, popular, and apparently happy kid despite the problems of his family. He was interested in sports since he was young and really liked football and swimming. He was a hardworking and very successful student. As a teenager, he worked during the summer as a lifeguard at the swimming area of the local river and put aside a lot of what he earned for his education.
Getting Involved
Reagan acted in more than 50 feature films between 1937 and 1964. Then, he decided to give up acting and campaign for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California, and stayed governor until 1975, when he ran for president but lost to Gerald Ford. In 1980, Reagan defeated president Jimmy Carter and entered into office as a Republican, with much of congress also being Republican.
Choices & Results
Reagan's amazing personality helped him to lead national politics in the 1980s in a stunning way. Reagan's high-spirited optimism, and his strong patriotism got him the admiration of even many Americans who disagreed with his policies. He helped restore a large amount of possibilities to public discourse, a belief in America's superiority, and a faith in leadership. It is clear that many Americans felt better about their society and its future in the 1980s than they had a decade before. Nationalism that Reagan proudly promoted reached out through the American culture and became one of the characteristics of the time.
In His/Her Words
"We are creating a nation once again vibrant, robust, and alive"- Ronald Reagan
(The rest of my quotes were incapable of being saved on Smores, so they will be moved to my Microsoft Words paper)
Aftermath
When Reagan left office in 1989, two-thirds of Americans approved of his job performance, which was the highest approval rating of any president since World War II. Americans felt prouder of their country, and of their president. Reagan had the pride and courage to challenge Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in 1987. 2 years after Reagan's speech Mr. Gorbachev did tear down the Berlin wall. Ronald Reagan not only positively changed Americans lives, but also citizens of foreign nations. He embraced freedom in other countries and spoke the minds and hearts of his fellow American citizens.
Ronald Reagan was known as a confident and witty president that reduced taxes in the U.S. and spread Democracy around the world.
Words for Him/Her
Legacy
Annotated Bibliography
1) Wikipedia.com- Ronald Reagan
This source had access to images of Ronald Reagan that I found interesting and relevant to each of my sections. Also, some of the images shown could only be found on this specific source.
2 Brinkley, Alan. "Ronald Reagan." Encyclopedia of Western Life. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Student Edition. Web.
This source helped me find different information on Ronald Reagan's childhood and how his early life had gone. It also helped me find out basic biography information on Ronald Reagan.
3) "Ronald Reagan." Encyclopedia of Western Life. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Student Edition. Web. 4 May 2016.
This source helped me find out what Ronald Reagan's early career track was like. It also explained his early government jobs and how he got into politics.
4) "Ronald Reagan." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students. Ed. Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle. Detroit: Gale, 2003. U.S. History In Context. Web. 6 May 2016
This source helped me find additional photos of Ronald Reagan in office. It also explained some of Ronald Reagan's political decisions.
5) "Reagan, Ronald Wilson." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopediaâ„¢. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. Research in Context. Web. 6 May 2016.
This source helped me find out about some of Ronald Reagan's choices for his republican presidency. This source also showed me how some of his decisions our impacted society over time.
6) "Ronald Reagan." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Biography in Context. Web. 5 May 2016
This source showed me how his presidency positively effected citizens in other nations. It explained how he positively changed Russian's and also German's lives during his 2 terms.
7) This Day in History: June 12U.S. History In Context
This source had access to Ronald Reagan's speech in 1987 specifying the Berlin Wall in Germany. I also found this source useful for Ronald Reagan's Legacy and his Aftermath.
8) BrainyQuote.com- Ronald Reagan
This source had access to quotes about Ronald Regan, and quotes from Ronald Reagan himself. This source also cited who made the quotes, and had quotes I found interesting and positive.
9) Cold War Reference LibraryU.S. History In Context
This source explained how Ronald Reagan helped the U.S with it's relationship with Russia. It also stated Ronald Reagan's effects on Soviet Russia.
10) Millercenter.org
This source had detailed information on Ronald Reagan's Legacy, and what he did in office. It listed many positive influences that Ronald Reagan had on society.