Ronald Reagan: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Article Images

Line 333:

==Legacy==

[[Image:President Reagan speaking in Minneapolis 1982.jpg|thumb|Ronald Reagan at a rally for Senator [[David Durenberger]] in Bloomington, Minnesota 1982]]

Reagan's legacy is mixed, with supporters pointing to a more efficient and prosperous economy,<ref>Appleby, Joyce (2003), p. 924</ref> a peaceful end to the Cold War, and a world safer from the threat of nuclear war.<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 324</ref> Critics argue that his economic policies caused huge budget deficits, quadrupling the United States national debt,<ref name="Cannon128"/> and that the Iran-Contra ~~affai~~affair lowered American credibility.<ref>{{cite web |author=Larry Gilman||url=http://www.espionageinfo.com/Int-Ke/Iran-Contra-Affair.html|title=Iran-Contra Affair| publisher =Advameg Inc.|accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref>

Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., President of the [[Heritage Foundation]] said that Reagan "helped create a safer, freer world," and said of his economic policies: "He took an America suffering from 'malaise'... and made its citizens believe again in their destiny."<ref>{{cite web |author=Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.||url=http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed060904b.cfm|title=The Legacy of Ronald Reagan| publisher =The Heritage Foundation| date=[[June 9]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref> [[Howard Kurtz]] of ''[[The Washington Post]],'' however, stated that Reagan was "a far more controversial figure in his time than the largely gushing obits on television would suggest,"<ref>Howard Kurtz, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21671-2004Jun7.html "Reagan: The Retake"]. ''The Washington Post'', June 7, 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2005.</ref> and Mark Weisbrot, co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, says Reagan's "economic policies were mostly a failure."<ref>{{cite web |author =Mark Weisbrot||url=http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0607-09.htm|title=Ronald Reagan's Legacy| publisher =www.commondreams.org| date=[[June 7]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref>

[[Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Ronald Reagan.png|thumb|right|Ronald Reagan's [[approval rating]]s (Gallup 1981–89)]]

{| class="prettytable" style="float:left;font-size:90%; background:white  "

| colspan="4"|'''Ronald Reagan's [[Approval rating|Approval Ratings]]'''

! | Date

! | Event

! | Approval (%)

! | Disapproval (%)

| | [[March 30]] 1981

| | Shot by [[John Hinckley, Jr.|Hinckley]]

| style="text-align: center" | 73

| style="text-align: center" | 19

| | [[January 22]] 1983

| | High unemployment

| style="text-align: center" | 42

| style="text-align: center" | 54

| | [[April 26]] 1986

| | Libya bombing

| style="text-align: center" | 70

| style="text-align: center" | 26

| | [[February 26]] 1987

| | Iran-Contra affair

| style="text-align: center" | 44

| style="text-align: center" | 51

| | [[January 20]] 1989

| | End of presidency

| style="text-align: center" | –

|- bgcolor="white"

! n/a

! '''Career Average'''

! '''57'''

! '''39'''

| | [[July 30]] [[2001]]

| | (Retrospective)<ref>;{{cite web| url= http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll_reagan010806.html | title= Improving With Age: Reagan Approval Grows Better in Retrospect| accessdate=2006-09-12| author = Sussman, Dalia | date= [[2001-08-06]] |publisher=ABCNEWS.com | accessdate = 2007-04-08}}</ref>

| style="text-align: center" | 64

| style="text-align: center" | 27

=== Popularity ===

Reagan did not have the highest approval ratings as president,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html?printVersion=true|title=How the Presidents Stack Up| publisher =''The Wall Street Journal'' Online| accessdate=2007-09-07}}</ref> but his popularity has increased since 1989. A [[Gallup Organization]] February 2001 poll asked respondents to name the greatest president in U.S. history; Reagan came in first, capturing 18% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/02/19/politics/main273106.shtml|title=Reagan Tops Presidential Poll| publisher =CBS News| accessdate=2007-09-07}}</ref> In February 2007, another Gallup poll ranked him as number two with 16% of the vote after [[Abraham Lincoln]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pollingreport.com/wh-hstry.htm |title= Presidents and History | publisher = pollingreport.com | accessdate=2007-03-18 }}</ref> He ranked third with a 72% approval rating in a [[Rasmussen Reports]] July 2007 poll on presidents who served after [[World War II]],<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/post_war_presidents_jfk_ike_reagan_most_popular | title=Post-War Presidents: JFK, Ike, Reagan Most Popular| accessdate=2007-09-19|publisher=Rasmussen Reports Inc.}}</ref> fifth in an ABC 2000 poll of the public, and ninth in another Rasmussen 2007 poll of Americans. In a [[Siena College]] survey of over 200 historians, however, Reagan ranked sixteenth out of 42.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://lw.siena.edu/sri/results/2002/02AugPresidentsSurvey.htm | title= Presidential Survey| accessdate=2007-08-28}}</ref>

=== Honors ===

Reagan received a number of awards in his pre- and post-presidential years. After he was elected president, Reagan received a lifetime gold membership in the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the [[United States Military Academy]]'s [[Sylvanus Thayer Award]].<ref name= "Association of Graduates USMA">{{cite web |url= http://www.aogusma.org/aog/awards/TA/awardees.htm | title= Association of Graduates USMA: Sylvanus Thayer Award Recipients | publisher = Association of Graduates, West Point, NY | accessdate= 2007-03-22}}</ref>

Reagan received an [[List of honorary British Knights|honorary]] British knighthood, [[Order of the Bath|The Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] in 1989. This entitled him to the use of the post-nominal letters GCB, but did not entitle him to be known as "Sir Ronald Reagan." Only two American presidents have received the honor—Reagan and George H.W. Bush.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4883.asp | title= Order of the Bath |accessdate= 2007-03-22 |publisher = The Official Website of the British Monarchy}}</ref> Reagan was also named an honorary Fellow of [[Keble College, Oxford]]. Japan awarded Reagan the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum|Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum]] in 1989, the only American president to receive the award.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www8.cao.go.jp/english/decoration/kikka.html |title= Supreme Orders of the Crysanthemum | publisher = Cabinet Office, Government of Japan | accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref>

In 1993, Reagan's former Vice-President and sitting President George H.W. Bush awarded Reagan the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest honor that the United States can give.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://medaloffreedom.com/1993Recipients.htm |title= 1993 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients | publisher = medaloffreedom.com | accessdate=2007-03-22 }}</ref> Reagan was also awarded the [[Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom]], the highest honor bestowed by the Republican members of the Senate.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/e-activists/medal_of_freedom.shtml |title= Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom | accessdate=2007-03-22 |publisher= www.nrsc.org}}</ref>

[[Image:GHW Bush presents Reagan Presidential Medal of Freedom 1993.jpg|thumb|right|Former President Ronald Reagan returns to the White House to receive the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] from President George H.W. Bush in 1993]]

On [[February 6]], [[1998]], Washington National Airport was renamed [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]] by a bill signed into law by President Clinton. Three years later, the [[USS Ronald Reagan|USS ''Ronald Reagan'']] was christened by Nancy Reagan and the United States Navy. It is one of few ships christened in honor of a living person, and the first to be named in honor of a living former president.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.reagan.navy.mil/ |title= USS Ronald Reagan Official Site | publisher = U.S. Navy | accessdate=2007-03-20}}</ref> Also in 1998, the [[Ronald Reagan Building|Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center]] was dedicated in Washington, D.C. <ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.itcdc.com/ |title= Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center | publisher = U.S. General Services Administration | accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> Reagan was among 18 included in [[Gallup's List of Widely Admired People|Gallup's List of Widely Admired People of the 20th Century]], from a poll conducted of the American people in 1999.

Congress authorized the creation of [[Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site]] in Dixon, Illinois, in 2002, pending federal purchase of the property. On [[May 16]] of that year, Nancy Reagan accepted the [[Congressional Gold Medal]], the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, on behalf of the president and herself.<ref name= "Congressional Gold Medal Recipients">{{cite web | url= http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html | publisher = Office of the Clerk: US House of Representatives | title= Congressional Gold Medal Recipients 1776 to present |accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref>

The [[United States Postal Service]] issued a President Ronald Reagan commemorative postage stamp in 2005.<ref name = "Reagan Stamp">{{cite press release |url= http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_077.htm |title= Postmaster General, Nancy Reagan unveil Ronald Reagan stamp image, stamp available next year | publisher = USPS | date = [[November 9]], 2004 | accessdate=2007-05-13}}</ref> On [[May 14]], [[CNN]], along with the editors of ''[[Time magazine|TIME]]'' magazine, named him the "most fascinating person" of the network's first 25 years.<ref name = "Top 25 Most Fascinating People">{{cite web |url= http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/02/cnn25.top.fascinating/index.html |title= Top 25: Fascinating People | publisher = CNN | date = [[June 19]] 2005 | accessdate=2005-06-19}}</ref> ''TIME'' also named Reagan one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.<ref name= "Time 100">{{cite web |url= http://www.time.com/time/time100/index_2000_time100.html| title= Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century | date = 2003 | publisher = Time Magazine | accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref> On [[June 26]], [[2005]], the [[Discovery Channel]] asked its viewers to vote for [[The Greatest American]] in an unscientific poll; Reagan received the honorary title.<ref>{{cite web | title= Greatest American | publisher = Discovery Channel |url= http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatestamerican/greatestamerican.html| accessdate= 2007-03-21}}</ref>

In 2006, California Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] and First Lady [[Maria Shriver]] inducted Reagan into the [[California Hall of Fame]], located at [[The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts]]. In 2007, Polish President [[Lech Kaczyński]] posthumously awarded Reagan the highest Polish distinction, the [[Order of the White Eagle]].<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/visitorguide/events/Kaczynski%20media%20rules%207-11-07.pdf |format=PDF|title= President of Poland Lech Kaczynski to present Poland's highest award posthumously to president Reagan| publisher = The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation | date = [[July 12]], 2007 | accessdate=2007-07-17 }}</ref> Reagan backed the nation of [[Poland]] throughout his presidency, supporting the anti-communist [[Solidarity]] movement, along with [[Pope John Paul II]].<ref>{{cite web |author = Bernstein, Carl||url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974931,00.html?iid=chix-sphere|title=The Holy Alliance| publisher =Time| date=[[February 24]], [[1992]]|accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>

==Footnotes==

==References==

[[Image:REAGANHAY.jpg|thumb|right|The Reagans attend a PBS Special Broadcasting Play in Santa Ynez, California]]

*{{cite book|last=Appleby|first=Joyce|coauthors=Alan Brinkley, James M. McPherson|title=The American Journey|publisher=Glencoe/McGraw-Hill|date=2003|location=Woodland Hills, California|id = 0078241294 }}

* Bennett, James. (1987) ''Control of Information in the United States.'' Westport, Connecticut: Meckler Corporation.

* {{cite book|last = Beschloss|first=Michael|title=Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How they Changed America 1789–1989|year =2007|publisher=Simon & Schuster}}

* {{cite book|last=Cannon|first=Lou|authorlink=Lou Cannon|title=President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime|year=2000|publisher= Public Affairs |location= New York |isbn= 1891620916}}

* {{cite book | title = Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio: A History Illustrated from the Collection of the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum | first = Lou | last = Cannon | authorlink = Lou Cannon | coauthors = Michael Beschloss | publisher = PublicAffairs | isbn = 1891620843 | year = 2001}}

* {{cite book|last=Conason|first=Joe|title=Big Lies| year=2003 | publisher=Thomas Dunne Books | location=New York | isbn=978-0312315610}}

* Curry, Richard. (1992) ''Thought Control and Repression in the Reagan-Bush Era.'' Los Angeles, California: First Amendment Foundation.

* {{cite book |last= Diggins |first= John Patrick |title= Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History | year= 2007| publisher= W. W. Norton |location= New York|isbn= }}

* {{cite book |last=Fischer |first= Klaus |title= America in White, Black, and Gray: The Stormy 1960s |year= 2006 | publisher= Continuum |location= London}}

*{{cite book |last= Freidel |first= Frank |coauthors= Hugh Sidey |title= The Presidents of the United States of America |year= 1995|publisher= White House Historical Association |location= Washington, D.C.|isbn= 0912308575}}

* {{cite book |last= Gaddis | first= John Lewis | title= The Cold War: A New History |year= 2005 |publisher= The Penguin Press |location= |isbn= }}

* {{cite book | last = Karaagac | first = John | title = Ronald Reagan and Conservative Reformism | publisher = Lexington Books | date = 2000 | isbn = }}

* {{cite book | last = LaFeber | first = Walter | title = America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945–1971 | publisher = Wiley | location = New York | date = 2002 | isbn = }}

* {{cite book |last= Matlock |first= Jack |title= Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended |year= 2004 |publisher= Random House |location= New York |isbn=0679463232 }}

* {{cite book | last = Morris | first = Edmund | title = Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan | year =1999 | publisher = Random House}} includes fictional material

* {{cite book |author=Murray, Robert K. & Blessing, Tim H. |title= Greatness in the White House|year= 1993| publisher=Penn State Press}}

* {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |authorlink= Nancy Reagan |title= I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan | year= 2002| publisher= Random House|location= United States |isbn= 0375760512}}

* {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |title= My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan | year= 1989| publisher= Random House|location= New York |isbn= }}

* {{cite book |last= Reagan|first= Ronald |title= An American Life |year= 1990|publisher= Simon and Schuster|location= New York|isbn= 0743400259}}

* {{cite book |last= Reeves |first= Richard |authorlink= Richard Reeves |title= President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination |year= 2005 |publisher= Simon & Schuster |location= New York |isbn= 0743230221}}

* {{cite book |last= Regan |first= Donald |authorlink= Donald Regan |title= For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington | year= 1988| publisher= Harcourt|location= New York |isbn=0151639663}}

* {{cite book |last= Walsh |first= Kenneth |title= Ronald Reagan |year= 1997 |publisher= Random House Value Publishing, Inc. |location= New York |isbn= 0517200783}}

==Further reading==

==External links==

*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rr40.html White House biography]

*[http://www.ronaldreagan.com/index.php RonaldReagan.com]

*[http://www.reaganlibrary.com The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]

*[http://ronaldreagantrail.net The Ronald Reagan Trail]

*[http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/reagan Extensive essay on Ronald Reagan and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]

*[http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/digitalarchive/speechDetail/32 Full audio of 14 Reagan speeches via the Miller Center of Public Affairs (UVa)]

*[http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/digitalarchive/oralhistories/reagan Extensive collection of Oral History Transcripts on the Reagan Administration from the Miller Center of Public Affairs (UVa)]

*[http://www.eureka.edu Eureka College]

*[http://ronaldreagan.hagbergmedia.com/video_and_audio Video & Audio clips]

*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/reagan_ronald_w.shtml BBC historic figures]

*[http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/reagan/ CNN Biography with speeches]

*{{imdb name|id=0001654|name=Ronald Reagan}}

* {{audio|ReaganBeginsBombingRussia.ogg|Hear the recording}}

* Audio via [[National Public Radio|NPR]]: [http://www.npr.org/news/specials/obits/reagan/audio_archive.html]

{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the United States]]|years=January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989}}

{{s-bef|before=[[François Mitterrand]]''' ''[[France]]''}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Margaret Thatcher]]''' ''[[United Kingdom]]''}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[GOP|Republican Party]] nominee for [[Governor of California]]|years=[[California gubernatorial election, 1966|1966]], [[California gubernatorial election, 1970|1970]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets|Republican Party presidential candidate]]|years=[[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]], [[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Screen Actors Guild|President of Screen Actors Guild]]|years=1947 – 1952}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Screen Actors Guild|President of Screen Actors Guild]]|years=1959 – 1960}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Person of the Year|Time's Man of the Year]]|years=1980}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Oldest living United States president|Oldest U.S. President still living]]|years=January 20, 1981 – June 5, 2004}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Person of the Year|Time's Men of the Year]]|years=1983|regent1=[[Yuri Andropov]]}}

{{s-bef|before=[[U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1998)|John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Persons who have [[lying in state|lain in state or honor]] in the [[United States Capitol rotunda]]|years=June 9, 2004 – June 11, 2004}}

{{Persondata

|NAME=Reagan, Ronald Wilson

|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Ronald Reagan

|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States|American]] [[actor]] and [[politician]], 33rd Governor of [[California]], 40th [[President of the United States]]

|DATE OF BIRTH=[[6 February]] 1911

|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Tampico, Illinois]], [[United States]]

|DATE OF DEATH=[[5 June]] 2004

|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California|Bel-Air]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States]]

}}

[[Category:1984 in the United States]]

[[Category:Ronald Reagan]]

[[Category:1911 births]]

[[Category:2004 deaths]]

[[Category:American anti-communists]]

[[Category:American film actors]]

[[Category:American B-movie actors]]

[[Category:American actor-politicians]]

[[Category:American adoptive parents]]

[[Category:American ranchers]]

[[Category:American diarists]]

[[Category:American memoirists]]

[[Category:American Presbyterians]]

[[Category:California politicians]]

[[Category:California Republicans]]

[[Category:Chicago Cubs]]

[[Category:Cold War leaders]]

[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]

[[Category:Conservatives]]

[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease]]

[[Category:English Americans]]

[[Category:Governors of California]]

[[Category:Hollywood Walk of Fame]]

[[Category:Iran-Contra Affair]]

[[Category:Irish-American politicians]]

[[Category:Irish-Americans]]

[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]

[[Category:People from Lee County, Illinois]]

[[Category:People from Los Angeles]]

[[Category:People from Whiteside County, Illinois]]

[[Category:Presbyterian politicians]]

[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]

[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]

[[Category:Reagan family]]

[[Category:Republican Party (United States) presidential nominees]]

[[Category:Ronald Reagan| ]]

[[Category:Scots-Irish Americans]]

[[Category:Scottish-Americans]]

[[Category:Shooting victims]]

[[Category:Time magazine Persons of the Year]]

[[af:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ar:رونالد ريغان]]

[[frp:Ronald Reagan]]

[[bn:রোনাল্ড রেগান]]

[[bs:Ronald Reagan]]

[[bg:Роналд Рейгън]]

[[ca:Ronald Reagan]]

[[cs:Ronald Reagan]]

[[co:Ronald Reagan]]

[[cy:Ronald Reagan]]

[[da:Ronald Reagan]]

[[de:Ronald Reagan]]

[[et:Ronald Reagan]]

[[el:Ρόναλντ Ρήγκαν]]

[[es:Ronald Reagan]]

[[eo:Ronald Reagan]]

[[eu:Ronald Reagan]]

[[fa:رونالد ریگان]]

[[fr:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ga:Ronald W. Reagan]]

[[gl:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ko:로널드 레이건]]

[[hy:Ռոնալդ Ռեյգան]]

[[hr:Ronald Reagan]]

[[io:Ronald Reagan]]

[[id:Ronald Reagan]]

[[is:Ronald Reagan]]

[[it:Ronald Reagan]]

[[he:רונלד רייגן]]

[[hi:रोनाल्ड रीगन]]

[[ka:რონალდ რეიგანი]]

[[la:Ronaldus Reagan]]

[[lv:Ronalds Reigans]]

[[lt:Ronald Reagan]]

[[hu:Ronald Reagan]]

[[mr:रोनाल्ड रेगन]]

[[nl:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ja:ロナルド・レーガン]]

[[no:Ronald Reagan]]

[[nn:Ronald Reagan]]

[[oc:Ronald Reagan]]

[[pl:Ronald Reagan]]

[[pt:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ro:Ronald Reagan]]

[[rm:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ru:Рейган, Рональд]]

[[sq:Ronald Reagan]]

[[simple:Ronald Reagan]]

[[sk:Ronald Reagan]]

[[sl:Ronald Reagan]]

[[sr:Роналд Реган]]

[[sh:Ronald Reagan]]

[[fi:Ronald Reagan]]

[[sv:Ronald Reagan]]

[[ta:ரோனால்டு ரேகன்]]

[[th:โรนัลด์ เรแกน]]

[[vi:Ronald Reagan]]

[[tr:Ronald Reagan]]

[[uk:Рейган Рональд Вілсон]]

[[yi:ראנאלד רעיגען]]

[[zh:罗纳德·里根]]