At the
end of his two terms in office, Ronald Reagan viewed with
satisfaction the achievements of his innovative program known
as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to reinvigorate the
American people and reduce their reliance upon Government. He
felt he had fulfilled his campaign pledge of 1980 to restore
"the great, confident roar of American progress and
growth and optimism."
On
February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and
John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in
nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College.
There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the
football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he
became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him
a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he
appeared in 53 films.
He has
two children, Maureen and Michael, from his first marriage, to
actress Jane Wyman. In 1952 he married Nancy Davis, also an
actress; their children are Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott.
As
president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled
in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry;
his political views shifted from liberal to conservative. He
toured the country as a television host, becoming a spokesman
for conservatism. In 1966 he was elected Governor of
California by a margin of a million votes; he was re-elected
in 1970.
Ronald
Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and
chose as his running mate former Texas Congressman and United
Nations Ambassador George Bush. Voters troubled by inflation
and by the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran swept
the Republican ticket into office. Reagan won 489 electoral
votes to 49 for President Jimmy Carter.
On
January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he
was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and
returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous
incident caused his popularity to soar.
Dealing
skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to
stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase
employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon
a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures,
refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense
forces led to a large deficit.
A
renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and
Bush win a second term with an unprecedented number of
electoral votes. Their victory turned away Democratic
challengers Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.
In 1986
Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which
eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people
with low incomes. At the end of his administration, the Nation
was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime
prosperity without recession or depression.
In
foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve "peace through
strength." During his two terms he increased defense
spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the
Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate
intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war
against international terrorism, sending American bombers
against Libya after evidence came out that Libya was involved
in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub.
By
ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the
free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the
Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti- Communist
insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.
Overall,
the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal
of peace through strength seemed to be within grasp.
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Ronald
Reagan