Ronald Reagan-America's Hero

Ronald Reagan once said, "As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it, now or ever" (Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy). Ronald Reagan’s legacy was built around America’s freedom and how he defended it. He was born February 6, 1911 in a small town of Tampico, Illinois. He later became the Governor of California in 1976 and then was re-elected in 1970; after that Reagan ran for president in the 1980 election and won. He then was later re-elected for president the following term (Presidential Administration,Newsmaker). He died in 2004 battling Alzheimer's. A hero must have diplomacy, bravery, and empathy. Bravery is an essential part of being a hero because it allows them to stand up against injustices that others are too afraid to do on their own. A hero must possess the ability to use diplomacy to de-escalate situations. They must be empathic because it allows them to connect with the general population and will be able to help people’s lives. In the midst of the Cold War, Ronald Reagan emerged as a inspiring leader because of his attempts to relieve tension by using diplomacy, using his empathic standpoint help him to connect with the average American and fix their problems, and using his bravery in key moments to let oppressive nations know that their actions will not be tolerated.

Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wallhttps://www.fletcherarmstrongblog.com/tag/ronald-reagan/Ronald Reagan used diplomacy to shine light on important issues and events happening around the world. At the time, people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) were starving, dying, and being oppressed by an uncaring leader under a strict communist government. Ronald Reagan directly opposed the restrictive government and was most noted for his speeches at the Brandenburg Gate in Germany next to the infamous Berlin Wall. One famous excerpt came when Reagan demanded that the Soviet Union’s leader, “Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” (Remarks at Brandenburg ). Before Reagan, no American president or other world leader had confronted the oppressive nation. Reagan’s outspoken disapproval of the USSR made it clear that he would not tolerate this continued abuse. He wanted to let Gorbachev, the leader of U.S.S.R at the time, know that his dictatorship was over and the Berlin Wall will not stand any more under Gorbachev’s regime. This shows why he was a hero because he stood up to an unjust dictator that no one else wanted to without using brute force. Reagan knew that if he used his power effectively he would be able to captivate the attention of millions. Keeping the American dream alive was another major theme of Reagan's first term in office. “He saw the dream as under attack by a host of economic and social factors, chief among them high tax rates, inflation, increasing debt, out-of-control government spending, and the demoralization of the American people.” (Medhurst, Martin J ) His biggest concern was not enemies but the tax system and economy. He was able to pass a tax reform act in 1986 which lowered income taxes and provided relief for struggling families. Before that, he had also passed several acts and laws to help the working class (On Tax Reform).  These actions helped the American people bounce back from this recession and bring the economy up to record levels. By using diplomacy to work with lawmakers to get his laws passed, Reagan was able to improve the morale of the masses. With in Reagan’s two presidential terms, his diplomacy captivated the American people and other nations and help end the U.S.S.R and reform the tax system.    

Ronald Reagan’s empathic standpoint helped him fix the concerns of the American people. “From the outset, he wanted to make clear that he still believed in the American Dream and so, too, did the American people. For Reagan, no group better represented the essence of that dream than immigrants” (Medhurst, Martin J). Ronald Reagan understood the concerns the American people had and empathized with their struggles. He knew that the American people worked hard for every dime and nickel they could get and wanted to help them achieve success. By connecting with the American people, he understood their problems and then worked hard for change within the government in order to fix them, demonstrating his heroism. Reagan understood that the American people felt betrayed and overtaxed by their government (Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy ). To aid them, Ronald Reagan reduced government spending to help with high taxes and tightened the money supply to reduce inflation (Amadeo, Kimberly). This helped him connect with the people by resolving one of their many issues. While previous presidents ignored the problems of the working class, Reagan refused to turn his back on the working class. Instead, he used his empathy to understand their struggles and then fix them. He also did everything in his ability to change how the government operated and how it spent its money. Ronald Reagan showed understanding in and out of the oval office. It was one of his main goals during presidency to let the citizens of the United States of America to know he realized  their problems and he would fight for their rights.

Ronald Reagan inaugural addresshttps://www.ff.org/ronald-reagans-first-inaugural-address-we-are-a-nation-that-has-a-government-not-the-other-way-around/Ronald Reagan was brave when no else wanted to be, breaking down feared enemies of freedom. Reagan wanted to let nations that oppress their citizens know, “peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it, now or ever" (Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy). When president Reagan came into office, the U.S. was under attack by the idea of communism and the threat of nuclear war. Reagan reassured the American people that these threats will not be tolerated, no matter the circumstance. He did this by publicly addressing these threats in his speeches and interviews. He also used his speeches to pressure other nations to help the U.S.A. to combat these threats. Reagan’s bravery made him a hero because he stood up for what was right and refused to tolerate threats to the American way of life. He was able to rally countries to stand up to the U.S.S.R and to unite the American people under the flag of freedom against enemy authoritarian governments. Ronald Reagan believed in the core values of America and their ability to give hope to people in oppressed societies. At the annual Washington Conference in 1983, Reagan said, " The American Dream lives - not only in the hearts and minds of our own countrymen but in the hearts and minds of millions of the world's people in both free and oppressed societies who look to us for leadership” (Medhurst, Martin J). He saw that if America continued to believe in the founding values of America, the world could resolve any issue regarding freedom. He also believed that the country would continue to thrive if its people continued to believe in these core values. Reagan’s bravery made him a hero because he used it to take a stand on freedom and was able to eliminate the divisions amongst the American people. Many good things came out of his braveness like the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the fall of communism and the tax overhaul (Schaaf marta,Remarks at Brandenburg). Ronald Reagan showed that he was brave throughout his two terms of presidency by using his speeches and his power to pressure unjust nations to change their beliefs and actions.   

Ronald Reagan is a hero because he exemplified the three heroic characteristics of diplomacy, empathy and bravery. Ronald Reagan was able to overhaul the tax system, bring down the Berlin Wall and Communism, and strike fear into the enemies of the United States of America.  Ronald Reagan inspires me because he was able to bring the country to together and able to bring down the U.S.S.R., feats that many people at the time thought were impossible, yet he accomplished anyway. His dedication and hard work also inspire me. Reagan worked his way up to his position; by starting in a small apartment, in a small town, with a poor family, he proved that the American Dream still existed (Newsmaker,The white House). Even though Ronald Reagan went through many hardships in his life, he never gave up and reached his goal to positively impact the American people. These accomplishments have earned not only my respect, but the respect of the nation from then, to now, and for generations to come.

work cited 

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Schaaf, Marta. "Ronald Reagan." ["Ronald Reagan"]. Ronald Reagan, 8/1/2017, pp. 1-2. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=17887044&site=host-live.