ronald reagan essay contest

Remarks to the Winners of the Bicentennial of the Constitution Essay Competition

September 10, 1987

Well, Chief Justice Burger, ladies and gentlemen, I want to start out by congratulating you contest winners. You have all accomplished something very fine, and you have a right to be very proud. I'm sure your families are proud of you.

History's no easy subject. Even in my day it wasn't, and we had so much less of it to learn then. [Laughter] But one of the most valuable benefits of a study of the past is that it gives you a perspective on the present. I think it's probably true that every generation, every age, is prone to think itself beset by unusual and particularly threatening difficulties and to look back on the past as a golden age when issues were not so complex and politics not so divisive and when problems didn't seem so intractable. Sometimes we're tempted to think of the birth of our country as one such golden age: a time characterized primarily by harmony and cooperation and reason.

Well, in fact, the Constitution and our government were born in crisis. As I'm sure you all discovered in your research, the years leading up to our Constitutional Convention were some of the most difficult our nation ever endured. The economy was near collapse. Trade disputes between the individual States threatened to send it over the brink. A steadily increasing number of farm foreclosures led to an uprising of poor farmers in Massachusetts led by a former Revolutionary War captain, Daniel Shays -- Shays' Rebellion. Meanwhile, pirates from the Barbary Coast plundered our shipping, seemingly at will, and our young nation was surrounded on almost every side by none too friendly neighbors.

To many, by that time, it was clear that the Articles of Confederation could not hold our nation together, and as Henry Knox said: `` The poor, poor Federal Government is sick unto death.'' Well, even so, there was in 1787 no general agreement in our land as to how a stronger Federal Government should be constituted or, indeed, whether one should be constituted at all. There were strong secessionist feelings in many parts of the country. In Boston , some were calling for a separate nation of New England . Others felt the 13 States should divide into 3 independent nations. George Washington himself was amazed to find in New England continuing strong sentiment in favor of a monarchy.

It wasn't the absence of problems but the presence of vision that won the day in 1787. And it wasn't the absence of division but the presence of something higher -- those self-evident truths for which so many had recently had to fight and die -- that allowed men to transcend their differences, to come together to produce a document that would change the world.

It was then, in 1787, that the revolution truly began; for it was with the writing of the Constitution, setting down as it were the architecture of democratic government, that the fine words and brave rhetoric of 1776 took on substance, that the hopes and dreams of the revolutionists would become a living, enduring reality. All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights -- until that moment, that was just a high-blown sentiment, the dreams of a few philosophers and their hotheaded followers.

But could one really construct a government, run a country, with such idealistic notions? But once those ideals took root in living, functioning institutions, once those notions became a nation, well, then, as I said, the revolution could really begin not just in America but around the world. A revolution to free man from tyranny of every sort and secure his freedom the only way possible in this world: through the checks and balances and institutions of democratic government.

Wasn't it Daniel Webster who said at one point to maintain our Constitution, "for if the Constitution should ever fall, there would be anarchy throughout the world''? That revolution has been so successful that even those tyrannies that, in practice, reject every ideal and moral precept upon which our country is founded -- even they put on the pretense of democracy, aping our Constitution and its democratic forms.

We know only too well that the ideals of our founders still wait to be fulfilled throughout much of the world. We read the headlines. We see the great problems, the divisions, and some lost hope. But in 1987, as in 1787, success will not depend on the severity of our problems but on the strength of our vision, the courage of our beliefs.

There's a favorite story of mine on the Constitutional Convention. Toward the end, when it appeared that the Convention would be successful, Ben Franklin observed to several of the members seated near him that he had often looked at the picture of the Sun painted on the back of the President's chair. "I have,'' he said, ``often looked at it without knowing if it is a rising or setting Sun.'' And then he said: "But now, at length, I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun.''

One of the great pleasures of my present job is that it so often brings me in events such as these in contact with the young people of America . And I can't tell you how often I've had the same certain knowledge that Ben Franklin had, because I look out on this your generation and see that it's one of the finest groups of young people this nation has ever seen. And I know that with young people like these the cause of America and human freedom is rising and will continue to rise until it floods the whole world with its light. And in closing, I want to thank the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States and those whose generosity made this event possible.

And the moment you've all been waiting for: It's time to announce the national winner. Apparently, there were two essays that were so good the judges couldn't decide between them. So, they very judiciously decided to award two prizes. And they go to Liza Johnson and Mahbub Majumdar .

[At this point, the President gave the competition winners their awards.]

I just want to leave you with one little word that I've used sometimes with young people before when I've faced them about this Constitution. And now that all of you, through your efforts, are so familiar with it -- maybe you've already figured this out, but if you haven't, just let me tell you.

I've read a number of constitutions of other countries, including that of the Soviet Union , and was astonished to find guarantee of freedom of expression and assembly and so forth in all of those. And you find yourself thinking, well, then, what makes ours so different? Why does ours work the way it does? And the answer is so simple that it almost escapes you. And yet it is so great that it explains the whole difference: three words -- `` We the People.'' All those other constitutions in the world are documents in which the government tells the people what they can do. And our Constitution is one in which we the people tell the Government what it can do, and it can do nothing other than what is prescribed in that document. So, if we can get the rest of the world to switch around someday, it will be heaven on Earth.

Thank you all very much. And congratulations again.

Note: The President spoke at 10:54 a.m. in Room 450 of the Old Executive Office Building .

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St george news.

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Local 9th grader wins national essay contest with his paper on patriotism

ST. GEORGE — Gideon Willard, a ninth grader at Dixie Middle School, won a national essay contest with his paper on patriotism. He was recognized at an awards ceremony held in Washington County and won $500 for himself and $500 for his teacher.

Willard’s winning essay quotes Thomas Paine and Ronald Reagan, contrasts the freedoms of the United States with the oppressive regimes of Mao and Stalin and urges readers to cherish their individual liberties. 

“I remember writing about how if we’re not careful with our freedoms, we’re going to lose them,” Willard said. “We need to be aware of the founders’ vision for this country. I hinted a little to the fact that we are losing the foundation of the principles that make this nation free. If we don’t guard and defend those freedoms, we’re going to lose them.”

Willard won the Steve O’Dell award for best overall essay in the Help Patriotism Prevail “Saving Dr. Warren” Essay Contest. The contest was organized by Southern Utah author Jeffrey McKenna, the writer of “Saving Dr. Warren…A True Patriot.”

Joining the contest

It was a stroke of luck that Willard heard about the contest in the first place. His teacher, Peggy Jardine, only ended up teaching at Dixie Middle School after the COVID-19 pandemic derailed her plans to pursue a post-retirement church-service mission.

After taking the position of college preparatory literature teacher, Jardine introduced her students to “Saving Dr. Warren,” a book that she had helped to revise almost 10 years ago when McKenna had approached her students for feedback. 

In the following years, the book was edited and revised many more times before publication. When Jardine heard about the essay contest, she offered her students the opportunity to participate.

“These kids that wrote the essay, they were able to go to the library and do it completely on their own,” Jardine said. “Only 12 of my 35 kids did the essay contest, so I had them send me their copies and then I’d go over them about two or three times before the final thing was done. I could see quite a bit of growth.”

For his essay, Willard said he took the time to prepare and research using resources at the school as well as information he found online and in his home library.

“I read a lot,” Willard said. “My Dad has a ton of books on the Revolution and political ideas and sciences. I wrote a lot from my memory, and I put a lot of those ideas into there. I wouldn’t say I was reared on politics, but they were a big part of my early life .”

Contest winners and prizes

There were over 150 essays submitted, with students participating in Alabama, New York, Utah and more. McKenna read every submission, and with consultation from historians and colleagues, the list was ultimately narrowed down to ten finalists.

Four of the 10 finalists are Southern Utah natives, including Kamary Cambell, Faye Olsen, Max Wells and Willard. The ten final essays were reviewed by 13 judges from around the country, and prizes were awarded for best use of personal experiences (the Grace Levy Award: $250), best use of themes from the book (the Lee Warren Award: $100) and best overall essay. 

With help from sponsors, including the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Avalon Healthcare, the American Legion, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Kayenta Center for the Arts and the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, McKenna was able to raise over $1,700 for the students’ prizes and the matched awards for their teachers.

One local resident, Terry Dunne, decided to donate $350 so that each of the seven finalists who did not win an award would at least receive $50, McKenna said. In addition to his donation, Dunne served as a judge for the finalists, and is a former staff sergeant and veteran of the Vietnam War.

How the contest came to be

McKenna is a local attorney who was inspired to write the historical fiction novel after the 9/11 terror attacks. In the story, an eighth-grader named Steve O’Dell learns about prominent figures in American history by traveling through time and even meeting a fictionalized version of Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War hero.

After publishing the book in 2020 , McKenna said he wanted to organize an essay contest similar to one featured in the novel. He partnered with the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins to find sponsors and organize judges, commentators and musical talent for the awards ceremony.

“The whole theme of the program was to blend the generations,” McKenna said. “There was a 13-year-old girl that got up and said the Pledge of Allegiance next to a 70-year-old retired staff sergeant. There was a 14-year old boy that read his essay, and then right after it was a 95-year-old World War II veteran that commented on it.”

McKenna said he plans to put on the essay contest again next year. The contest, organized through the nonprofit Help Patriotism Prevail, is intended to help young Americans come to understand their country’s history and gain a sense of patriotic pride, McKenna said.

Information on the essay contest and video of the full award ceremony can be found on the Help Patriotism Prevail website, including Willard’s reading of his essay.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ammon Teare has always considered Southern Utah his home away from home, having spent summers and holidays visiting family in Cedar City and St. George. With a love of the wilderness and a passion for writing, he’s dreamt of becoming a reporter since his elementary school days. After moving from Texas to New Mexico to Utah as he grew up, Ammon wound up studying journalism at Utah State University, where he graduated in May 2020. In his free time, you’ll find him watching the Utah Jazz or playing a board game with his wife, hiking in the great outdoors, or sprawled someplace comfortable reading a fantasy novel.

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“Tear Down This Wall”: Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War

Written by: bill of rights institute, by the end of this section, you will:.

• Explain the causes and effects of the end of the Cold War and its legacy

Suggested Sequencing:

Use this decision point after students have read the introductory essay to introduce foreign policy milestones during Reagan’s presidency. This decision point can be used with  The Iran-Contra Affair  Narrative; the  Ronald Reagan, “Tear Down this Wall” Speech, June 12, 1987  Primary Source; and the  Cold War DBQ (1947–1989)  Lesson.

In the wake of World War II, a Cold War erupted between the world’s two superpowers—the United States and the Soviet Union. During the postwar era, the contest between their respective capitalist and communist systems manifested itself in a nuclear arms race, a space race, and several proxy wars. In the 1960s and 1970s, as the United States fought the Vietnam War and struggled internally with its aftermath and a faltering economy, the Russians seemed ascendant. Increasing oil prices globally led to a revenue windfall for oil-rich Russia, which paid for a massive arms buildup and supported communist insurrections that Russia backed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Eventually, the policy of détente decreased tensions between the two countries and led to their signing the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) in 1972. SALT I, the first of two SALT agreements, limited the number of nuclear missiles either country could possess and banned the building of antiballistic missile (ABM) systems used to defend against nuclear strikes. The use of ABMs would have upset the stalemate represented by the possibility of mutual assured destruction (MAD)—the obliteration of both parties in a nuclear war—because it would allow one side to strike first and then defend itself against retaliation.

The December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to prop up a puppet communist regime led President Jimmy Carter to seek increased military budgets and to withdraw from Senate consideration the recently signed SALT II treaty, which would have reduced both countries’ nuclear missiles, bombers, and other delivery vehicles. When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, he rejected détente and instituted a tough stance with Soviets designed to reverse their advances, topple communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and win the Cold War. His administration supported freedom in Eastern Europe and the Polish resistance movement known as Solidarity; armed fighters resisting communism around the world, including the  mujahideen  in Afghanistan; and increased military spending to support peace through strength and to bankrupt the Soviet economy if it tried to match the increases. Reagan also launched an ideological crusade against the Soviet regime for violating inalienable rights and liberties.

For decades before coming into office, Reagan had criticized the spread of Soviet communism and the danger it posed. He compared communism to Nazism and totalitarianism, characterized by a powerful state that limited individual freedoms. In a 1964 televised speech, Reagan told the American people he believed there could be no accommodation with the Soviets.

We cannot buy our security, our freedom from the threat of the bomb by committing an immorality so great as saying to a billion human beings now in slavery behind the Iron Curtain, “Give up your dreams of freedom because to save our own skins, we are willing to make a deal with your slave-masters.”

Shortly before he became president, Reagan told an aide: “My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic. It is this: We win and they lose.”

Reagan also specifically targeted the Berlin Wall, erected by communist East Germany in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin. In a 1967 televised town hall debate with Robert Kennedy, Reagan argued, “I think it would be very admirable if the Berlin Wall should . . . disappear.” He continued, “We just think that a wall that is put up to confine people, and keep them within their own country . . . has to be somehow wrong.” In 1978, he visited the wall and was disgusted to learn the story of Peter Fechter, one of the first among hundreds who were gunned down by East German police while trying to escape to freedom.

Americans knew Ronald Reagan was an uncompromising Cold War warrior when they elected him president in 1980. Over the heads of many in the State Department and the National Security Council, he instituted controversial policies that reversed détente because he thought it had strengthened and emboldened the Soviets during the 1970s. He joked that détente was “what a farmer has with his turkey—until Thanksgiving Day.”

Reagan also pressed an unrelenting ideological attack on communism in stark moral terms that pitted it against a free society. In 1981, he asserted at the University of Notre Dame that “The West won’t contain communism, it will transcend communism . . . it will dismiss it as some bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written.” In a 1982 speech to the British Parliament, he said communism ran “against the tides of history by denying human freedom and human dignity” and predicted that the Soviet regime would end up “on the ash heap of history.” The Berlin Wall was “the signature of the regime that built it.” During that trip, Reagan visited the wall and said, “It’s as ugly as the idea behind it.” In a 1983 speech that made the supporters of a softer line toward the Soviets cringe, he called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.”

In June 1987, Reagan was in West Berlin to speak during a ceremony commemorating the 750th anniversary of the city and faced an important choice. The Berlin Wall was one of the most important symbols of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and a symbol of communist oppression. He could confront the Soviets about the injustice of the wall, or he could deliver bland remarks that would satisfy the members of the American foreign policy establishment who wanted to avoid conflict. He decided to deliver a provocative speech demanding an end to the oppression of the wall and of communism.

Many officials in Reagan’s administration and in the allied West German government were strongly opposed to his delivering any provocative words or actions during the speech. The West Germans did not want the speech to be given anywhere near the wall and sought to avoid what might be perceived as an aggressive signal. The German Foreign Ministry appealed to the White House, but to no avail. Some members of the administration were even more concerned. At the time, the United States was in the midst of Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) negotiations with the U.S.S.R., and officials did not want to jeopardize the progress they had made by undermining the Soviet leader so close to home. As a result, Secretary of State George Shultz, Chief of Staff Howard Baker, and the U.S. Embassy in Bonn (the West German capital) read the drafts of Reagan’s speech and repeatedly implored the president and his speechwriters to tone down the language. Deputy National Security Advisor Colin Powell and other members of the National Security Council were particularly adamant and offered several revisions of the speech. Reagan listened to all the objections and unalterably decided, “I think we’ll leave it in.” He would not be deterred from challenging the Soviets and communism.

The stark moral difference between the systems on either side of the Berlin Wall was evident on June 12. Reagan and his team arrived in West Berlin and encountered some protesters who freely voiced their dissent at his appearance. He also spoke to reporters and nervous German officials who feared the fallout over an antagonistic speech. As he told them, “This is the only wall that has ever been built to keep people in, not keep people out.” In East Berlin, in contrast, the German secret police and Russian KGB agents cordoned off an area a thousand yards wide on the other side of the wall from where Reagan was to speak. They wanted to ensure that no one could hear his message of freedom.

Reagan stepped up to the podium to speak, with the Brandenburg Gate and the imposing wall in the background. He told the audience, “As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind.” In the middle of the speech, Reagan directly challenged Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, who wanted to reform communism in an attempt to save it. He delivered the line that had caused so much consternation among American and German officials: “If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Reagan finished the speech by predicting the wall would not endure. “This wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.” Reagan took responsibility for causing a diplomatic furor because he believed in universal ideals of freedom and self-government. And he understood the power of using a dramatic moment to promote American ideals.

A year later, Reagan addressed the students at Moscow State University. “The key is freedom,” he told them. It was an ideal that had been at the core of his political philosophy and public statements for 50 years, since the dawn of the Cold War. In a statement that reflected his own sense of responsibility for defeating communism and defending freedom, he told them: “It is the right to put forth an idea, scoffed at by the experts, and watch it catch fire among the people. It is the right to dream—to follow your dream or stick to your conscience, even if you’re the only one in a sea of doubters.”

In applying military, economic, moral, and ideological pressure against the system to facilitate its collapse, Reagan was joined by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, and others who fought for democracy and freedom. No one imagined the Berlin Wall would fall only two years later on November 9, 1989, as communism collapsed across Eastern Europe, or that the Soviet Union would formerly dissolve by the end of 1991.

Review Questions

1. The Cold War manifested itself through all the following except

• a nuclear arms race
• the space race
• direct military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union

2. The massive Soviet arms buildup during the 1960s and 1970s was financed by

• increased oil prices globally
• mineral wealth gained from Afghanistan
• increased Soviet industrial productivity
• surplus tariffs from the trade war with the United States

3. Tensions between the United States and the U.S.S.R. increased in the 1970s with the

• signing of the SALT Treaty in 1972
• banning of the antiballistic missile system
• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
• policy of détente

4. The president most often credited with advocating policies leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union was

• Richard Nixon
• Jimmy Carter
• Ronald Reagan
• George H. W. Bush

5. The Reagan administration challenged Soviet influence by

• supporting the Solidarity movement in Poland
• refusing to get involved in the Afghanistan conflict
• embracing unilateral nuclear disarmament
• continuing the policy of détente

6. For President Ronald Reagan, the “evil empire” confronting the world was

• Afghanistan
• Communist China
• the Soviet Union

7. Events marking the end of the Cold War included all the following except

• Eastern European uprisings against communism
• the tearing down of the Berlin War
• the disintegration of the U.S.S.R.
• the end of communist rule in China

Free Response Questions

• Explain how détente led to a lessening of nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s.
• Compare President Reagan’s attitudes and policies toward the Soviet Union with those of his predecessors.

AP Practice Questions

“But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind —too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor. And now—now the Soviets themselves may, in a limited way, be coming to understand the importance of freedom. We hear much from Moscow about a new policy of reform and openness. . . . There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev—Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Ronald Reagan, Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate, June 12, 1987

Refer to the excerpt provided.

1. The sentiments expressed in the excerpt contributed to which of the following?

• An end to the war on terrorism
• Conflicts in the Middle East
• The fall of the Soviet Union
• The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001

2. The Soviet conditions referred to in this excerpt most directly resulted from

• the end of World War II
• collective security agreements
• the creation of the United Nations

3. This excerpt was written in response to

• Cold War competition extending into Latin America
• postwar decolonization
• efforts to seek allies among nonaligned nations
• political changes and economic problems in Eastern Europe

Primary Sources

Reagan, Ronald. “Remarks on East-West Relations at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin.” June 12, 1987.  https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/speech-at-brandenburg-gate/

Reagan, Ronald. “Remarks on East-West Relations at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin.” June 12, 1987. Reagan Foundation Video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDFX-dNtsM

Suggested Resources

Brands, H. W.  Reagan: The Life . New York: Doubleday, 2015.

Busch, Andrew E.  Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Freedom . Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2001.

Gaddis, John Lewis.  The Cold War: A New History . New York: Penguin, 2005.

Hayward, Steven F.  The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution, 1980–1989 . New York: Three Rivers Press, 2009.

Lettow, Paul.  Ronald Reagan and His Quest to Abolish Nuclear Weapons . New York: Random House, 2005.

Ratnesar, Romesh.  Tear Down This Wall: A City, A President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War . New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum website.  https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/

Schweizer, Peter.  Reagan’s War: The Epic Story of His Forty-Year Struggle and Final Triumph Over Communism . New York: Doubleday, 2002.

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Essay #90 – First Inaugural Address by Ronald Reagan

The backdrop for President Reagan’s inaugural on January 20, 1981 was unforgettable. The United States had endured a decade of decline in our economy at home and our prestige abroad. Some Americans feared our best days were behind us as they had struggled through years of staggeringly high inflation, persistent unemployment, and shrinking incomes. The gears of American industry were slowed by an ever-expanding barrage of high-handed bureaucracies and policies established by administrations dating back to the New Deal.

But on that cold January day, a special man and a big moment came together. In his inaugural address the new president offered a new direction, but one based on the clear, foundational principles of the U.S. Constitution.

In the address, Reagan described the nation’s severe economic challenges, what he called “this present crisis,” as well as his administration’s objective – “a healthy, vigorous, growing economy.” He then used some of the sharpest language of any modern president to underscore the Constitution’s spirit of limited power guided by the people’s approval. “We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around,” he said. “Our government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.”

At the time of this address, I was a young, small businessman in the plastics and packaging industry. Like many Americans, I was dealing with the effects of out-of-control taxation and regulation. To me, government was killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

To this day, the simplicity of Reagan’s speech and his strong admonitions guides my work in the House of Representatives. He wanted government “to stand by our side, not ride on our back.” He established as “first priorities” the reawakening of America’s manufacturing base and the reduction of punitive taxes.

The latter goal was accomplished seven months after his inauguration and five months after an assassination attempt. On August 13, 1981, President Reagan signed the Kemp-Roth tax cuts, which slashed tax rates for individuals and businesses, rates which had grown to as high as 70 percent. These tax cuts and other initiatives during Reagan’s two terms led to an economic resurgence.

During the 1980s the economy grew by one-third. Seventeen million new workers were working longer hours per day. Household incomes rose. Unemployment dipped to the 5 percent range. Productivity and manufacturing surged, as did the savings rate. Inflation, once at double-digit levels, stabilized and decreased significantly. And interest rates, which had climbed to more than 18 percent in 1981, steadily fell during the Reagan era. It was, as described in the famous 1984 campaign ad, “morning in America.”

But this economic rebound grew from a clear recognition that federal power is constitutionally limited and that ultimately the people make the wisest economic decisions, not bureaucracies in Washington. President Reagan faced his administration’s challenges with this basic truth in mind. His first inaugural address made a transformational impact still remembered” and relevant” today as our nation faces big government power grabs such as ObamaCare.

If America’s long tradition of enlightened self-government is to survive, the people must not only be acquainted with our founding documents; they must also understand the thinking that produced them. The Constitution is not only the starting point of the American republic, as President Reagan made clear; it is the culmination of several centuries of serious thinking about the role of individuals in relation to each other and the Creator, and the most helpful way for each of us to secure our God-given liberties. I want to thank Janine Turner and Cathy Gillespie. I am humbled by their invitation to appear as a guest essayist. Let me also thank everyone at Constituting America for their hard work to, as they put it, “make the Constitution cool” for kids and adults and accurately teach the history of our great nation.

Read Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Speech here .

The Honorable John Boehner represents the 8th Congressional District of Ohio, and is serving in the 113th Congress as the 53rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The most perfect final reading for this year’s program; a reading that offers hope and calls us all to action. Thank you Speaker Boehner for your comments. Similar to you, in 1981 I embarked upon a new small business that grew throughout the 1980s. The regulatory framework was a bother, but not a burden. I would not even attempt to start that same business today because the regulatory framework for that same business has evolved to a burden of overwhelming proportions. I pray that you and your conservative members of Congress will keep up the good fight and never give up.

Janine & Cathy, thank you again for a fourth stimulating study – 360 days of knowledge and wisdom. Your programs plus Hillsdale courses on the Constitution and Progressivism have provided me not only knowledge of our founders and their wisdom in the design of our country’s structure, but also confidence to engage others who don’t understand the path they have intentionally or unintentionally agreed to follow with respect to the direction of our Constitutional Republic. I pray that your work will reach an ever increasing number of our citizens so that more of them also will gain the confidence to speak out in their communities, their online forums, and their families so that President Reagan’s optimism will reboot in our generation and bring about a renewal even stronger than that which occurred during the Reagan administration.

Blessings to both of you!

I too would like to thank Janine & Cathy for putting together another outstanding reading and essay study series. If we don’t know our Founding documents and the history behind them, this Nation is doomed! For me, the most eye-opening part of the series was to see how far back the Progressive, Socialist theories that seem to permeate our government actually goes. Obama may be trying to complete the transformation of this Nation to a Marxist Utopia, but he had about 110 years of help, dating back to Woodrow Wilson’s earliest days. If we don’t know the history of our nation’s foundation, we cannot effectively fight back or fight for our Nation’s founding principles. President REagan seemed to almost be our Nation’s last hope, because even now, many of the top conservative blogger and commentators and even politicians are zooming in on Obama and not the larger picture. As dangerous as Obama is to this Nation, we have to fight the basic mindset that seems to have taken hold after 110 years of taking root. I won’t give up; I’m sure there are enough people who feel the same way. We can take our Nation back! Again, many blessings to Janine, Cathy and all the essayists who contributed to my understanding of our Nation’s true history, the forces at work and how they often collide with each other. I can’t wait to see what next year’s study will be!!

Howdy Barb & Ron and everyone who joined us this year on our 90 Day Study of the Classics That Inspired the Constitution and the Challenges it Faces Today! We hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July and are enjoying a beautiful long weekend!

We wanted to let you know that Constituting America Founder & Co-Chair Janine Turner will be reading the U.S. Constitution in its entirety on her radio show tonight! Check it out 6pmE/5pmC on XM244, Houston’s KPRC AM 950 or iHeart Radio (search for KPRC)

Thank you again for all you do for our country! Cathy Gillespie

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Ronald Reagan: Impact and Legacy

Ronald Wilson Reagan was a transformational President. His leadership and the symbiotic relationship he forged with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during their four summit meetings set the stage for a peaceful resolution of the Cold War. As the Soviet Union disappeared into the mists of history, Reagan's partisans asserted that he had "won" the Cold War. Reagan and Gorbachev more prudently declared that the entire world was a winner. Reagan had reason to believe, however, that the West had emerged victorious in the ideological struggle: as he put it, democracy had prevailed in its long "battle of values" with collectivism. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, his staunch ally, wrote that Reagan had "achieved the most difficult of all political tasks: changing attitudes and perceptions about what is possible. From the strong fortress of his convictions, he set out to enlarge freedom the world over at a time when freedom was in retreat—and he succeeded." This is true as far as it goes—the number of democratic nations as well as the reach of free-market ideology expanded on Reagan's watch. But, as Russia's recent autocratic path suggests, the permanence of these advances remains in doubt.

Scholars offer a variety of explanations for why the Cold War ended as it did and for the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union. Some historians cite the U.S. military buildup under Reagan and the pressures exerted by his pet program, the Strategic Defense Initiative. Others emphasize the increased restiveness of Eastern European nations, particularly Poland, and Soviet overreach in Afghanistan. Still others point to the implosion of the Soviet economy after 75 years of Communist rule. Although historians have reached no consensus on the weight that should be given to these various factors, it is clear that Reagan and his policies contributed to the outcome.

Reagan's economic legacy is mixed. On the one hand, tax reduction and a tightening of interest rates by the Federal Reserve led to a record period of peacetime economic growth. On the other, this growth was accompanied by record growth in the national debt, the federal budget deficit, and the trade deficit. Defenders of Reagan's economic record point out that a big chunk of the deficit was caused by increased military spending, which declined after the Soviet collapse and created the context for balanced budgets during the Clinton years. Even so, the supply-side tax cuts did not produce the increase in revenues that Reagan had predicted. The economist Robert Samuelson has suggested that Reagan's main achievement in the economic arena was his consistent support of the Federal Reserve, which under Reagan's appointee Alan Greenspan, followed monetary policies that kept inflation low. Reagan also succeeded in a principal goal of reducing the marginal income tax rate, which was 70 percent when he took office and 28 percent when he left.

Reagan also left a monumental political legacy. After he was reelected in a 49-state landslide in 1984, it became clear that Democrats would be unlikely to return to the White House under a traditional liberal banner. This paved the way for Bill Clinton's centrist capture of the Democratic nomination and the presidency in 1992. Reagan had an even greater impact within his own party. He carried Republicans into control of the Senate when he won the presidency in 1980. Although Democrats controlled the House throughout the Reagan presidency, the Republicans won control for the first time in 40 years in 1994 under the banner of Newt Gingrich's "Contract With America," a potpourri of leftover Reagan proposals. Even today, with Democrats back in control, there are more avowed Reagan Republicans in Congress than there ever were during Reagan's lifetime. In the 2008 contest for the Republican presidential nomination, virtually all the candidates proclaimed that they would follow in Reagan's footsteps.

It is an open question whether Reagan's accomplishments occurred because of his philosophy or despite it—or both. Reagan was an effective communicator of conservative ideas, but he was also an enormously practical politician who was committed to success. The welfare bill that was the signal achievement of Reagan's second term as governor of California, the reform that salvaged Social Security for a generation during his first term as President, and the tax overhaul of his second presidential term were bipartisan compromises, defying "liberal" or "conservative" labels. In the tradition of American populists, Reagan ran for office as an outsider who was determined to restore traditional values. In fact, he was a master politician who expanded the reach of his party at home and pursued his vision of a nuclear-free world abroad. He casts a long shadow.

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The Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series was founded to develop engaged, informed, and conscientious citizen leaders by hosting a national series of high school debates. The debates search for students who can effectively use logic, evidence, and personality to communicate their ideas, just as Ronald Reagan did throughout his life.

Competitors who qualify for the National Championship receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California. The three day trip will include a private tour of the library, dinner under the wings of Air Force One, and a chance to meet an extraordinary group of young leaders.

Engaging in civil discourse is a hallmark of American democracy, and this debate series encourages you to join the conversation on issues our country faces.

The Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series is comprised of five in-person and one online qualifying competition, culminating in the National Championship. The two finalists from each of the six regions, the top two extemporaneous speaker and orator from the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament, and the top two debaters from the National Urban Debate League compete in the National Championship at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Website: https://www.reaganfoundation.org/education/scholarship-programs/great-communicator-debate-series/

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Eligibility: High school students across the country.

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RONALD REAGAN

Excerpted from an essay by Peggy Noonan : In a president, character is everything. A president doesn't have to be brilliant; Harry Truman wasn't brilliant, and he helped save Western Europe from Stalin. He doesn't have to be clever; you can hire clever. White Houses are always full of quick-witted people with ready advice on how to flip a senator or implement a strategy. You can hire pragmatic, and you can buy and bring in policy wonks. But you can't buy courage and decency, you can't rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him. If he does, they will give meaning and animation to the great practical requirement of the presidency: He must know why he's there and what he wants to do. He has to have thought it through . He needs to have, in that much maligned word, but a good one nontheless, a vision of the future he wishes to create. This is a function of thinking, of the mind, the brain. But a vision is worth little if a president doesn't have the character--the courage and heart--to see it through.... (Reagan) had the vision. Did he have the courage without which it would be nothing but a poignant dream? Yes. At the core of Reagan's character was courage, a courage that was, simply, natural to him, a courage that was ultimately contagious. When people say President Reagan brought back our spirit and our sense of optimism, I think what they are saying in part is, the whole country caught his courage. There are many policy examples, but I believe when people think of his courage, they think first of what happened that day in March 1981 when he was shot. He tried to walk into the hospital himself but his knees buckled and he had to be helped. They put him on a gurney, and soon he started the one-liners. Quoting Churchill, he reminded everyone that there's nothing so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect. To Mrs. Reagan, it was, "Honey, I forgot to duck." To the doctors, "I just hope you're Republicans." To which one doctor replied, "Today Mr. President we're all Republicans." Maybe he caught Reagan's courage too. But Reagan the political figure had a form of courage that I think is the hardest and most demanding kind. A general will tell you that anyone can be brave for five minutes; the adrenaline pumps, you do things of which you wouldn't have thought yourself capable. But Reagan had that harder and more exhausting courage, the courage to swim against the tide. And we all forget it now because he changed the tide. Looking back, we forget that the political mood of today, in which he might find himself quite comfortable, is quite different from the political mood the day he walked into politics. But he had no choice, he couldn't not swim against the tide. In the fifties and sixties all of his thoughts and observations led him to believe that Americans were slowly but surely losing their freedoms. When he got to Hollywood as a young man in his twenties, he shared and was impressed by the general thinking of the good and sophisticated people of New York and Hollywood with regard to politics. He was a liberal Democrat, as his father was, and he felt a great attachment to the party. He was proud that his father had refused to take him and his brother Moon to the movie, Birth of a Nation , with its racial stereotypes. And he bragged that his father, Jack, a salesman, had, back long ago when Reagan was a kid, once spent the night in his car rather than sleep in a hotel that wouldn't take Jews. Ronald Reagan as a young man was a Roosevelt supporter, he was all for FDR, and when he took part in his first presidential campaign he made speeches for Harry Truman in 1948. When Reagan changed, it was against the tide. It might be said that the heyday of modern political liberalism, in its American manifestation, was the 1960s, when the Great Society began and the Kennedys were secular saints and the costs of enforced liberalism were not yet apparent. And that is precisely when Reagan came down hard right, all for Goldwater in 1964. This was very much the wrong side of the fashionable argument to be on; it wasn't a way to gain friends in influential quarters, it wasn't exactly a career-enhancing move. But Reagan thought the conservatives were right. So he joined them, at the least advantageous moment, the whole country going this way on a twenty-year experiment, and Reagan going that way, thinking he was right and thinking that sooner or later he and the country were going to meet in a historic rendezvous. His courage was composed in part of intellectual conviction and in part of sheer toughness. When we think of Reagan, we think so immediately of his presidency that we tend to forget what came before. What came before 1980 was 1976--and Reagan's insurgent presidential bid against the incumbent Republican President Jerry Ford. Ford was riding pretty high, he was the good man who followed Nixon after the disgrace of Watergate; but Ford was a moderate liberal Republican, and Reagan thought he was part of the problem, so he declared against him. He ran hard. And by March 1976 he had lost five straight primaries in a row. He was in deep trouble--eleven of twelve former chairmen of the Republican National Committee called on him to get out of the race, the Republican Conference of Mayors told him to get out, on March 18 the Los Angeles Times told him to quit. The Reagan campaign was $2 to $3 million in debt, and they were forced to give up their campaign plane for a small leased jet, painted yellow, that they called "The Flying Banana." On March 23, they were in Wisconsin, where Reagan was to address a bunch of duck hunters. Before the speech, Reagan and his aides gathered in his room at a dreary hotel to debate getting out of the race. The next day there would be another primary, in North Carolina, and they knew they'd lose. Most of the people in the room said, "It's over, we have no money, no support, we lost five so far and tomorrow we lose six." John Sears, the head of the campaign, told the governor, "You know, one of your supporters down in Texas says he'll lend us a hundred thousand dollars if you'll rebroadcast that speech where you give Ford and Kissinger hell on defense." The talk went back and forth. Marty Anderson, the wonderful longtime Reagan aide who told me this story, said he sat there thinking, 'This is crazy, another hundred grand in debt....' The talk went back and forth and then Reagan spoke. He said "Okay, we'll do it. Get the hundred thousand, we'll run the national defense speech." He said, "I am taking this all the way to the convention at Kansas City, and I don't care if I lose every damn primary along the way." And poor Marty thought to himself, 'Oh Lord, there are twenty-one....' The next night at a speech, Marty was standing in the back and Frank Reynolds of ABC News came up all excited with a piece of paper in his hand that said 55-45. Marty thought, 'Oh, we're losing by ten.' And Reynolds said, "You're winning by ten!" Reagan was told, but he wouldn't react or celebrate until he was back on the plane and the pilot got the latest results. Then, with half the vote in and a solid lead, he finally acknowledged victory in North Carolina with a plastic glass of champagne and a bowl of ice cream. Ronald Reagan, twenty-four hours before, had been no-money-no-support-gonna-lose-dead--but he made the decision he would not quit, and at the end he came within a whisker of taking the nomination from Ford..... We have all noticed in life that big people with big virtues not infrequently have big flaws, too. Reagan's great flaw it seemed to me, and seems to me, was not one of character but personality. That was his famous detachment, which was painful for his children and disorienting for his staff. No one around him quite understood it, the deep and emotional engagement in public events and public affairs, and the slight and seemingly formal interest in the lives of those around him. James Baker III called him the kindest and most impersonal man he'd ever known, and there was some truth to that.... He had a temper. He didn't get mad lightly, but when he did it was real and hit like lightning.... Reagan is always described as genial and easygoing, but Marty Anderson used to call him "warmly ruthless." He would do in the nicest possible way what had to be done. He was as nice as he could be about it, but he knew where he was going, and if you were in the way you were gone. And you might argue his ruthlessness made everything possible.

103 Ronald Reagan Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best ronald reagan topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting ronald reagan topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about ronald reagan, ❓ questions about ronald reagan.

• Ronald Reagan Cigarette Advertisements Pics Analysis In particular, it is necessary to show how the designers persuade the audience to purchase cigarettes, namely Chesterfield. In this case, one should speak about the credibility of the actor who promotes Chesterfield cigarettes.
• The Reagan-Bush Years: 1981-1993 The 1980s would not be considered a Go-Go economy as there was significant instability in the earlier years of the decade with the adoption of Reaganomics.
• Ronald Reagan’s Presidency and His Incompetence The main goal of this paper is to analyze Reagan’s era to identify episodes that highlight his incompetence to exercise the power of being president Various specialists highlight that the period of Ronald Reagan’s presidency […]
• American History Since 1877 (Through Reagan) The awful inflation in the nation’s past of peacetime, the uppermost interest rates in the era, the ensuing severe housing slump, sinking and completely disheartened securities marketplaces, a still economy with large-scale joblessness soon, and […]
• Reagan’s The Space Shuttle ‘Challenger’ Tragedy Address The speech was given to address the American grief about the disaster that happened to the Space Shuttle Challenger and support the families and the nation.
• Reagan’s Fiscal Policies: Aims and Impacts In 1982, Reagan suggested several changes in policies that addressed the problem of inflation, slow economic growth, and the increase in national output.
• Ronald Reagan’s American Presidency and Revolution It’s during the leadership of Reagan that the Soviet Union fall and the cold war was ended and this elevated the U.
• Reaganomics: Impact on the USA Economy in 1981 The main idea of the act lay in the idea of costs compensation by the income which would come thanks to the tax decrease: and the economy would gain from the fact that money would […]
• Key Elements in Ronald Reagan Domestic Policy He argued that the increase in the volume of money in circulation which led to inflation was a result of the increased money supply.
• The Period of the Ronald Reagan Government The Communist ideals had begun diffusing to even more states, and it was with declaration and willpower that Reagan proved the power of the United States. The fact is that, during the late 1970s and […]
• Masculinity as a Concept in the Reagan Era To understand what these terms mean to different people, it would be essential to look at the political scene that has been referred to the Reagan era.
• The Political Rise of Ronald Reagan In the early 1980s, the CIA began arms shipment to the mujahidin in Afghanistan in order to maintain resistance through guerilla war against the Soviet Union.
• Ronald Reagan as a President and a Person He was against the ideas of communism, and he thus worked hard to ensure that communism did not find a place in Hollywood.
• Lyndon Johnson’s and Ronald Reagan’s Speech The address given by President Lyndon Johnson at the University of Michigan reflects the aspirations of many people for social change.
• Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative or Star Wars The success of the Strategic Defence Initiative is a good reason to support the expansion of the program. It is not possible to discuss the causes of disintegration of the USSR that resulted in ending […]
• Is Obama “The Reagan of the Left”? This fact, alongside Obama’s ambitious nature and his investment in the progress of American prosperity, is the reason why he is sometimes referred to as “the Reagan of the Left”.
• The Speeches of Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan Johnson and Reagan used similar reasoning lines, emphasized the need to realize the dream of the Founding Fathers, and used strong arguments and language mean to persuade their audiences.
• Reagan’s Era in “The Triumph of Conservatism” by Oakes The relative rise of conservatism in the XX century United States began around 1950s, and continued through 1970s, at that time the movement was marked by the general diligence, as well as the beginning of […]
• Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton – Leaders Comparison Economic growth as a result of Reagan’s and Clinton’s presidency can be seen as one of the main reasons to consider both presidents effective leaders.
• Ronald Reagan Revolution Through Obama This strategy weakened the economy of the Soviet Union as it tried to keep the pace to be recognized globally like the US, and in the process, the move stopped the advancement of the soviet […]
• American History Analysis. Reflecting on the Life of President Reagan Reflecting on the life of President Reagan, this book, written in prose form defines the thoughts of President Reagan on various aspects of America from the social, political, security, and the need for appreciation of […]
• President Reagan’s Thoughts on Abortion In prochoice view, the rights and happiness of the mother supersedes the need to protect the life of the unborn child.
• Reagan’s Supply side Economics: Did it work? If not, why not? However, the impact of the tax cut would be determined through examination of the growth of the economy, the initial amount of taxes, and the category of taxes to be reduced.
• Sumner, Wilson, Reagan, and Obama In this work, I take the view that while government has at time proven to be the very burden, the citizens need to be protected from, when run in line with the constitution and with […]
• Reagan and the Arms Race S and the Soviet Union, therefore this paper is going to focus on this and bring out the reasons behind the arms race.
• Speech Analysis: Ronald Reagan vs. Barack Obama Thus, the need of this speech was influenced by the political circumstances of that time of ensuring the freedom of Berliners and thwarting the advancement of communism in the heat of the cold war.
• Ronald Reagan and Beowulf: Heroes Near and Far
• The Political Tensions and Infighting that Culminated President Ronald Reagan’s Time
• Ronald Reagan Introduces Bilingual Education System for US Schools
• Ronald Reagan and the Enemy Missile Defense Program
• Ronald Reagan And His Career And Changing The World
• The Role Ronald Reagan Had In Ending The Cold War
• Ronald Reagan, the Most Effective President Since 1950
• Ronald Reagan’s Berlin Speech In 1987
• President Ronald Reagan’s Speech at the Berlin Brandenburg
• The Life And Career Of Ronald Reagan
• The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: The Ronald Reagan
• Ronald Reagan and the Triumph of American Conservatism
• Star Wars Missile Defense Program of President Ronald Reagan
• Military Buildup and the Strategic Defense Initiative: The Role of Ronald Reagan
• Ronald Reagan: Nomination for a Twentieth Century Genius Award
• The Shuttle Challenger Tragedy Address: A Speech by Former President Ronald Reagan
• Ronald Reagan: The 40th President Of The United States
• The Soviet Foreign Policy of Ronald Reagan
• Leadership Style and Legacy of Ronald Reagan
• The Challenger Shuttle Disaster and Ronald Reagan: A Neo-Aristotelian Analysis
• Ronald Reagan Scholarship For Leadership
• Rivalry Between Ronald Reagan And Richard Nixon
• Ronald Reagan Revolution Through President Obama
• Ronald Reagan Domestic and Foreign Affairs, Political Science
• Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev Discussion on Resolving the Cold War
• Individualism and Its Corruption of the Political Legacy of President Ronald Reagan
• Ronald Reagan Domestic and Foreign Affairs
• Why Ronald Reagan Was Not Responsible for Ending the Cold War
• The Political and Personal Life of Ronald Reagan in A Different Drummer, a Biography
• Yale’s Five Stage Developmental Model – Ronald Reagan
• How Was Ronald Reagan Instrumental in the Collapse of the Soviet Union
• Ronald Reagan’s Space Shuttle Challenger
• Ronald Reagan’s Legacy: Influential Or Not
• The Richard Nixon Era And Ronald Reagan ‘s War On Drugs
• Ronald Reagan Prolonged The Cold War
• The Flaws and Failure of the Supply-Side Economics of Ronald Reagan
• Evaluating the Main Successes of President Ronald Reagan’s Presidency
• Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Declining Union Organization
• Transformational Leaders, Deng Xiaoping, Ronald Reagan, And Chinese Human Rights
• Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter on Central America
• What Did Reagan Promise in the 1980 Election?
• How Did Reagan Build up the Military?
• What Effect Did the Reagan Administration Have on the Court System?
• Did Ronald Reagan End the Cold War?
• What Changes Did Reagan Bring to American Politics?
• Why Did Jimmy Carter Win the Presidential Contest in 1976 and Yet Lose to Ronald Reagan Only Four Years Later?
• What Was the Purpose of Ronald Reagan’s Challenger Speech?
• Was There a Recession Under Reagan?
• How Did Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan Mutually End the Cold War?
• What Did the Reagan Doctrine Do?
• Why Was Not Ronald Reagan Responsible for Ending the Cold War?
• How Was Ronald Reagan Instrumental in the Collapse of the Soviet Union?
• Was Reagan a Strong, Independent President or Merely a Puppet as Many Recent Historians Have Suggested?
• How Would You Characterize US-USSR Relations During Reagan’s First Term?
• What Factors in Reagan’s Boyhood Contributed to His Character Development?
• Is President Ronald Reagan Overrated or Underrated?
• What Were the Most Significant Achievements of Reagan’s Second Term?
• Was Ronald Reagan a Good President and Why?
• How Did Reagan Impact the Economy?
• What Challenges Did Ronald Reagan Face During His Presidency?
• How Many Jobs Did Reagan Create?
• What Did Ronald Reagan Believe In?
• Was Reaganomics a Success?
• What Was Reagan’s Peace Through Strength?
• Why Was Reagan Called the Great Communicator?
• What Were the Three Goals of Reaganomics?
• Why Did Reagan Feel That Star Wars Was So Important?
• What Was a Central Aspect of Reagan’s Economic Policies?
• How Did Ronald Reagan’s 1984 Reelection Ad “Morning in America” Capture His Attitude About the Nation’s Future?
• Why Was Ronald Reagan Known as the Great Communicator?
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Scholarship Essays

GE Ronald Reagan Scholarship Essay Example on Leadership and Service

Before he became america's 40th president, ronald reagan pursued leadership roles to inspire and advocate for those around him. describe how your leadership and service has made a positive difference in your school, in your community, in your family and/or on the job, and how it will continue to make a difference in college and beyond.

Deep in the Dominican Republic where my father grew up, the established belief of the farmers was that their lifestyle was unaffected by outside influences. Therefore, the natives decided not to leave the farms of La Vega. My father saw things differently. As a child, hearing my father create change astounded me. How could a leader rise from nothing? Trying to find the solution has led to my rise as a leader. Whether it be through tutoring summer school students or speaking to thousands, I have emulated the characteristics of a leader my father had growing up.

The son of a farmer and brother to eleven siblings, my father yearned to understand the world. Dominican education stopped at ten, but my father's did not. While goats grazed, my father read the few books available to him. To support the family, he tended neighboring farms; work became the top priority. Nevertheless, my father could not contain his zeal for knowledge. At sixteen, he took a national examination for admission to the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, the nation's premier institution. Astonishingly, he was accepted with a full scholarship, the first in La Vega to gain this honor. His passion for learning eventually earned him another scholarship to study in America.

Though I was not raised in La Vega, I draw inspiration from my father's example. He has bestowed upon me a deep gratitude for education, a passion for learning, and the spirit to pursue my endeavors. His story taught me that the path set before us may not be meant for us. In my youth, I wasted the value of my father's experiences. I never challenged myself because I held the naïve reasoning that intelligence was predetermined. While my peers won academic awards, I watched from the sidelines. The true leader within me awoke one night while babysitting.

Being a thirteen-year old teenager, I reluctantly agreed to watch my cousin, Sophia. While anticipating SpongeBob's next move, Sophia appeared stymied by a problem. SpongeBob had gone to commercial, so I approached her. At first she appeared reticent, but at that moment an inner self took control. Almost by instinct, I offered to help her. As she smiled, I analyzed the problem set. The situation: multiplication. I muted the TV while explaining it in child jargon. Watching the spark ignite in her eyes after understanding multiplication sparked a fire within me. At that moment, I realized I had the ability to create change. The question that arose was not how SpongeBob ended, but why I was wasting my ability to shape people's lives.

My solution since my epiphany has bore exponential results. I have led my "village" of Lodi by example. In high school, I dissected poetry as I dissected frogs. I overcame my early struggles, going from a remedial to principal AP calculus student. I learned to continue a problem until I solved it, no matter how difficult. Knowledge soon propelled me to take a bus to the summer course Plane Geometry Honors. To fund my passion, I sold my Xbox. Outside of school was no different. My readings, such as Ayn Rand's Fountainhead, caused me to think ambiguously. Looking back, I am still amazed at my transformation. Going from rudimentary to AP courses was difficult at first, but rather than detest it, I loved it. My guidance counselor was shocked that I went from barely passing to principal's list. Nevertheless, rather than work for good grades, I worked to fuel my passion for learning.

My success has driven me to create change in others as I did in myself. Taking the next step towards leadership, I ran to become President of Lodi High School, with my platform of creating change granting me victory. Being elected president has strengthened my ability to be a leader. I have urged students that anyone can go from failing to principal's list as I did. Creating both a College Prep and Tutoring Center are just two of the many endeavors I have taken in changing the lives of others. Since my epiphany, I have tutored students. Teaching topics ranging from multiplication to trigonometry for an accumulative of over five hundred hours made me realize that if I can harness success within students, I can be a true leader. Creating optimism within students, I volunteered to speak with the message that change within yourself is possible. While many would argue that intelligence is given, I would argue that it is earned. My efforts have led to lower failure rates as well as a sense of hope. Seeing student reports from D's to B's makes me feel accomplished as a leader.

I have been a leader in people's lives just as my father was in mine. I wanted to be the person people could both relate and look up to as a source of success. Taking AP classes and tutoring students have been rewards in themselves, but I use my experiences to prove to others that success is not something given, it is earned; everyone can achieve it! My desire to expose the success within people has led me to become a true leader. Nevertheless, I realize there is more to be done, and I plan to lead those around me in college and beyond with my message that success in any aspect is earned through persistence and passion. When the time comes, I hope to inspire those around me, just as my father did for me. Then, my journey will have been worth it.

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The Contest Over National Security with Dr. Peter Roady

April 15, 2024.

On this episode of Rendezvous With History, Reagan Institute Director of Scholarly Initiatives Dr. Anthony Eames sits down with Professor Peter Roady who is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Utah. They discuss his latest book entitled, The Contest over National Security: FDR, Conservatives, and the Struggle to Claim the Most Powerful Phrase in American Politics. Professor Roady outlines the policy and political philosophy that guided FRD’s view of U.S. National Security not only militarily, but politically and economically. He also describes the conservative response to FDR’s national security and economic polices, and how this backlash has shaped U.S. National Security policy to this day.