Ronald Reagan

Republican1981-1989

VP:George

H.W. BushRepublicanBorn/died:

1911 –2004

From: California

Political Background

1967-75 Serves as California governor

1976 Falls 80 ballots shy of becoming the Republican nominee for president

1981-1989 Serves as fortieth U.S. president

Election of 1980

• Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush (Republican)

• Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale (Democratic)

• John Anderson/VP not chosen (National Unity)

• HUGE Win for Reagan - Carter unpopular from the Iran Hostage Crisis and U.S. economy

• Election Results1. Popular Vote: 43904,153 (R),

35,483,883 (D), 5,720,060 (I)2. Electoral Vote: 483 to 49 0 (I)

−Republicans - majority in the Senate – first time since 1954

Green=Reagan Blue=Carter

Remember what is going on????

• Iran Hostage Crisis…

• 1979 – Iran - Khomeini and followers overthrow Shah (kept oil flowing to US, but alienated Iranian population). Iranian oil production stopped!

• November 1979 – stormed US embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages

• April 1980 – “Operation Eagle Claw” – failed rescue attempt –

“The President accepts full

responsibility for the decision to

attempt this rescue.”

• Drags out through the rest of Carter’s presidency….

An armed student patrols the outside of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, on April 26, 1980, walking past a "Death To Carter" sign on the wall. With the news of the abortive U.S. mission to rescue the hostages, there was a dramatic increase in such security patrols.

Iran Hostage Crisis Ends• The embarrassment

to Carter’s administration was bad but… Carter eventually secured the release of the hostages

• 52 men were held hostage for 444 days – released January 20, 1980 - Ronald Reagan had just completed his inaugural address!

Impact of Hostage Crisis• United America,

rise in Patriotism!!−TV

• Anti-Iranian

• 7 Memorable Walter Cronkite Broadcasts - The Daily Beast

Assassination Attempt

• Two months into office (March 31, 1981), Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr

• Hinckley shot six rounds: one bullet ricocheted off the limousine and went into Reagan’s left side, bounced off a rib and stopped an inch from his heart, another bullet hit press secretary James Brady in the head and left him paralyzed, two others were severely wounded

John Hinckley Jr. Assassination Attempt on President Ronald

Reagan

Found not guilty by reason of insanity!!

Reagan Assassination Attempt - YouTube

Leads to the Brady Act…

• The Brady Act - background checks on individuals before a firearm may be purchased from a federally licensed dealer, manufacturer or importer—unless an exception applies.

WELCOME BACK REAGAN!

Let’s cut some taxes!

Reaganomics• Economic Recovery Tax of 1981 –

lowered taxes (25%) and cut federal spending for a variety of programs from job training, student loans to Medicare

• Reaganomics gave tax cuts to the consumers - consumers had more money to spend, spurring the economy

• “Trickle Down” economics – when wealthy prospered, their increased profits/spending benefited the middle class/poor

• 1982 – Worst Recession since the 30’s – unemployment up to 11%

• As Reaganomics took hold, economy got better (helps 1984 election)−1980 – inflation 12.5%. 1988 - 4.4%

Appointment of Conservative Supreme Court Justices

• Sandra Day O’Conner – first woman justice

• Antonin Scalia

• William Rehnquist –

chief justice

• All 3 were conservative justices

ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)

Failure to Ratify• Women’s movement remained

strong in the 70s and 80s

• After initial support of the ERA, the ratification process bogged down

• ERA failed in 1982, three states short of the required ¾

Strategic Defense Initiative

(SDI)

• Largest amount of defense budget was spent on SDI

• Proposed a technological system called “Star Wars” – in theory it could detect and intercept missiles fired at the U.S.

• Reagan’s SDI Speech to Congress

Lebanon, Israel, and the PLO (setbacks)

• 1982 – Israel invaded Lebanon to stop PLO terrorists from invading Israel

• US begins evacuating PLO, peacekeeping forces to Lebanon

• 1983 – Beirut – suicide bomber at US embassy killing 63

• 1983 – suicide bomb at Marines

barracks killing 241 MARINES

(not good…) Reagan pulls the

Marines out of Lebanon

US invades Grenada• Coup to est a pro-Cuban regime• Oct. 1983 – Reagan orders Marines

to invade island to prevent communism

• We overthrew rebels, set up pro-US gov’t (Yay!!)

• 1912 – Taft sent Marines (part of???)−Left in 1933 when Somoza family came to

power – we like them…

• Civil War 1977-1979 and Sandinistas take over government (Carter supports, but Reagan will NOT!)

Problems with Nicaragua

• Reagan supports guerilla forces known as the Contras, fighting against Sandinistas. CIA sent to direct operations.

•Congress passed Boland Amendment – no aid to Contra’s – we do it anyway…

Remembering…40 Years Later

Election of 1984• Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush

(Republican)• Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro

(Democratic)- VP was a woman- 1st woman ever on major ticket

• Election Results- Reagan won huge1. Popular Vote: 54,455,075 to

37,577,1852. Electoral Vote: 525 to 13

Green=Reagan Blue=Mondale

• The election was most notable for former VP Mondale’s selection of Ferraro as his running mate – the first female from a major party to run on a national ballot

U.S./S.U.“the Evil Empire”

• 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev – new Soviet leader− Glasnost – greater political

freedom for Soviet citizens− Perestroika – less

government control of economy

− End to arms race

• INF Treaty – remove/ destroy all intermediate-range missiles, each can make on-site inspections of other military inspections

Strategic Arms Reduction Talks

(START) - 1982

• arms control negotiations between the US and the USSR - aimed at reducing arsenals of nuclear warheads and of the missiles and bombers capable of delivering such weapons.

• The talks spanned a period of 20 years that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War

1987 – demands Gorbachev “tear down this wall”

A piece of the Berlin Wall housed at the

Reagan Library

• Reagan will be instrumental in the downfall of the Soviet Union. Reagan called the SU an “evil empire”

Challenger Explosion

Iran Contra Scandal• 1980 – Iran/Iraq at war• 1983 – pro-Iranian terrorists

took 7 American’s hostage in Lebanon

• We begin giving weapons to Iran in exchange for help in freeing hostages. We used profits to fund Contras – PUBLIC DOESN’T KNOW!!!

• Guess what?? THIS IS ILLEGAL!

• Reagan denies knowing about this… Popularity drops, but still leaves office as one of the most popular presidents in history

• Stock Market Crash – October 19, 1987 – stocks plummeted! Lost 36% in value during October

• Economic downturn balanced out by 1988

Bombing of Libya• African nation of Libya - accused

of encouraging terrorist activities that included a takeover of an Italian oceanliner in 1985, hijacking an airplane and redirecting to Beirut, holding hostages for 39 days, bombing a disco, killing 2 American servicemen

• Reagan – ordered air strikes against Libya