Ronald Reagan & the Conservative Resurgence

1. Ronald Reagan & the Conservative Resurgence

2. Ronald Reagan is sixty-nine when elected president. The oldest president ever elected, but few consider him a senior citizen.

3. He had been a Hollywood film star and he knows how to use television as no president before him.

4. Assassination Attempt • A few months after he takes office, a would-be assassin takes aim at the president on a Washington street and puts a bullet into his lung.

5. As Reagan is wheeled into the operating room, he says to his wife, Nancy. “Honey, I forgot to duck.”

6. Reagan’s Domestic Policies • Reagan helped the domestic economy grow through Reaganomics. Includes 4 pillars: • Reduce government spending • Reduce tax rates • Reduce government regulation • Control the money supply to reduce inflation

7. He wants to cut spending on welfare programs, eliminate most government regulation of business, take the federal government out of the field of education, balance the budget, and increase military spending. • Reaganomics is also known as supply-side economics or the trickle down theory.

8. Health Issues in the 80’s • Access to good health care is not equal to that in most developed nations. AIDS is ignored as it develops into a national epidemic. The epidemic spread rapidly around the world and concern over prevention and cure intensified.

9. Drug Abuse in the 80’s • The use of drugs started to increase dramatically, along with the illegal drug trade • Nancy Reagan started the “Just Say No” campaign to battle drug abuse in the United States

10. Education in the 80’s • A national report found that most American children lagged behind students of other industrial nations • This lead to a national push of improving skills in basic subjects and increased pay for teachers

11. New Technologies • New technologies created in the 1980’s have now become everyday items • Innovations such as GPS, plastic satellites and velcro were created by NASA for space exploration • Telecommunications developed for the military have led to the widespread use of cell phones and micro-technology

12. International Policies • Reagan came up with a new strategy to fight the Cold War called “Peace through Strength”. It encouraged the presence of a strong military which would deter aggression against the U.S. and its allies. • Reagan’s leadership helped bring an end to the Cold War and improved relations between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

13. Problems in the Middle East • Problems continued in the Middle East under Reagan’s presidency • In 1983 U.S. and French barracks in Lebanon were attacked by suicide bombers • 241 American and 58 French serviceman were killed in the attacks

14. Iran-Contra Affair • This was a political scandal involving a plan designed to obtain the release of American hostages in Iran • The plan involved the sale of U.S. weapons to Iran, despite an embargo on such sales. Funds generated from the sale of weapons would be diverted to help support the Contras in Nicaragua. • In 1986 the legality of these transactions was fully investigated and Lt. Oliver North was found guilty.

16. Fall of the Berlin Wall • Ronald Reagan stood before the Berlin Wall and famously said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” • A short time later the wall came down, and eventually the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

17. Conservative Resurgence • The conservatives wanted to move away from the liberal changes made in the 1960’s • The goal of this conservative resurgence was to have limited government and bring back traditional American values that were lost in the 1960’s • Billy Graham was one leader of the conservative movement. He is an evangelical preacher who counseled majority of U.S. presidents from Truman through Obama

18. The Moral Majority • Political organization founded in 1979 that supported conservative candidates and lobbied for prayer in public schools; Jerry Falwell was one leader of the organization

19. The Heritage Foundation • Conservative think tank based in Washington D.C., who has influenced national policy since Reagan • Their stated mission is to “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.”

20. National Rifle Association • A non-partisan, non-profit organization which seeks to protect American’s 2nd Amendment right. • The organization promotes firearm ownership rights, marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and self-defense.

21. Phyllis Schlafly and the Equal Rights Amendment • Phyllis Schlalfy was a political conservative known for her anti-feminism and campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment; she believed you could be a mother and have a career too • The Equal Rights Amendment was suppose to give women more rights in the workplace and better pay, however the amendment failed to be ratified

22. The Contract with America • This was a document developed by the U.S. republican party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign • The contract outlined actions the Republicans promised to take if they became the majority party in the House of Representatives