Abstract
According to John F. Wilson, American culture can be viewed as characterized by religious meanings. Among this cluster of meanings can be found ideas of America as a perfected and pure society where opportunity abounds and which is receptive to all the homeless and the deprived of the world. America is seen as “fulfilment of the dreams and aspirations of the ages.”2 Occasionally this has been evident in visions of America as the Eldorado where fortune awaits for the migrant ready to take it. Or, as Reagan put it, “The streets of America would not be paved with gold, they would be paved with opportunity.”3 At other times America could be seen as synonymous to religious liberty and freedom. In both cases it was the “New World,” where men could start their lives over again, leave the history behind, and see what opportunities would wait for them in this New Eden. Multiple religious meanings set the foundations for all the narratives that describe this near-perfect society.
Together, let us take up the challenge to reawaken America’s religious and moral heart, recognizing that a deep and abiding faith in God is the rock upon which this great Nation was founded.
Ronald Wilson Reagan1
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Notes
Reagan (May 6, 1982)Remarks at a White House Ceremony in Observance of National Day of Prayer. s.
Wilson (1979) pp. 95–96. Italics mine.
Reagan (August 1, 1983) Address to the American Bar Association.s.160.
Frye (1957) p. 127.
Tillich. Cited in Mead (1977) p. 62.
Wilson (1979) pp. 24–25.
Reagan (July 26, 1984) Remarks at the St. Ann’s Festival in Hoboken, New Jersey http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/72684c.htm.
Iqbal (1992) pp. 84–85.
Durkheim (1995) p. 421. Italics mine.
James (1981) p. 12.
Durkheim (1995) p. 9.
Weber (1959) p. 355. Italics in the original.
Kelly (1984) p. 28.
Reagan (April 16, 1985) Remarks at a Conference on Religious Liberty http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/41685d.htm.
de Tocqueville (2000) pp. 43–44.
Reagan (July 4, 1984) Remarks at a Spirit of America Festival in Decatur, Alabama http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/70484e.htm.
Durkheim (1995) p. 34.
Ibid., p. 185.
Smith (1982) p. 55.
Durkheim (1995) p. 33.
Ibid., p. 44.
Mead (1975). Even named his book after this notion of Chesterton.
Ibid., p. 51.
Reagan (July 19, 1982) Remarks at a Rally Supporting the Proposed Constitutional Amendment for a Balanced Federal Budget. p. 942.
Reagan (June 3, 1988) Remarks Upon Returning From the Soviet-United States Summit Meeting in Moscow http://www.reagan.utexas. http://www.reagan.utexas.eduedu/archives/speeches/1988/060388c.htm.
Deneen (1964) p. xvi.
James (1981) pp. 48–49.
Durkheim (1995) pp. 36–37.
Ibid., p. 322.
Ibid., p. 323.
Aaltola (2007) pp. 71–72.
Kelly (1984) p. 249.
Aaltola (2007) p. 15. It has to be noted that in the endnotes referring to Mika Aaltola’s “Sowing the Seeds of Sacred” the page numbers may not correspond to the book, since I have been using a manuscript I received from the author.
de Tocqueville (2000) pp. 280–281.
Kelly (1984) pp. 18–19..
Ibid.
Schmitt (2005) p. 36.
Blumenberg. Cited in Campbell (1998) p. 46.
Ibid., p. 47.
Reagan (November 13, 1987) Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Young American Medals for Bravery and Service http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1987/111387b.htm.
James (1981) pp. 27–28. Naturally this argument is dependent upon whether one wants to consider religion as personal or as institutionalized. The church as an organization is naturally religious, but in the personal, private life of people, religion or religiosity is only a part of a greater whole.
Durkheim (1995) p. 227.
Ibid.
de Tocqueville (2000) p. 275. Italics in the original.
Weber (1987). Reagan seems to agree since he once argued that “capitalism works best and creates the greatest wealth and human progress for all when it follows the teachings of scripture: Give and you will be given unto... search and you will find... cast your bread upon the waters and it will return to you manyfold. In the Parable of the Talents, the man who invests and multiplies his money is praised.” Reagan (May 14, 1983) Radio Address to the Nation on Small Business http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1983/51483a.htm.
Edelman (1977) p. 25.
Ibid., p. 152.
Reagan (March 28, 1985) Remarks to the Students and Faculty at St. John’s University in New York, New York http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/32885b.htm.
Niebuhr (1986).
Hughes (2003) p. 54. This gave birth to the myth of Nature’s Nation. Ibid., p. 56
As an example one can use Jerry Falwell who in 1980 wrote “Any diligent student of American history find that our great nation was founded by godly men upon godly principles to be a Christian nation.” Cited in Meacham (2006) p. 219.
Declaration of Independence.
Eisenhower. Cited in Herberg (1960) p. 84.
Mead (1975) p. 8.
Phillips (2006) p. 100.
Reagan (October 4, 1988) Remarks at the Republican Governors Club Dinner http://www.reagan.utexas.eduarchives/speeches/1988/ 100488e.htm.
Speech, Welcoming the Reverend Billy Graham, September 28, 1969, Box 44 Subseries E, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
McLoughlin (1978). Cited in Gutterman (2005) p. 8.
Schurmann (1995) p. 52.
McLoughlin (1978).
Feldman (2005) pp. 13–14.
Ibid., p. 190.
Reagan (December 16, 1988) Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/121688b.htm.
Reagan (October 7, 1985) Remarks at a White House Meeting With Reagan-Bush Campaign Leadership Groups http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/100785b.htm.
Reagan (January 19, 1989) Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1989/011989b.htm.
Reagan (February 7, 1984) Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Secondary School Principals in Las Vegas, Nevada http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/20784a.htm.
Reagan (March 15, 1982) Address before a Joint Session of the Alabama State Legislature in Montgomery. s. 296.
Reagan (January 20, 1982) Remarks to the Reagan Administration Executive Forum. s. 45.
Reagan (September 25, 1982) Remarks at a Candle-Lighting Ceremony for Prayer in Schools. s. 1219.
Reagan (1984). Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast (August 23, 1984) p. 111.
Boorstin (1953) p. 159.
Reagan (1984). Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast (August 23, 1984) p. 111.
Reagan (November 3, 1984) Written Responses to Questions Submitted by France Soir Magazine http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/110384a.htm.
For a good discussion about the religiosity of Carter and Reagan see Boase (1989) pp. 1–7.
Kosmin and Lachman (1993) p. 182.
Phillips (2006) p. 187.
Safire. Cited in Kosmin and Lachman (1993) p. 158.
White (1998) p. ix.
Lakoff (1996).
Clinton (1991). Cited in Kosmin and Lachman (1993) p. 160.
Herberg (1960) p. 265.
This is what Billy Graham called Reagan in National Prayer Breakfast of 1986. See Reagan (2007) p. 389. Diary entry for February 6, 1986.
Cited in Noonan (2002) p. 98. A cynic might argue that this had something to do with Reagan’s almost pathological fear of flying, which he decided to overcome during the governorship that included a lot of travel. All his trips during the General Electric years he did by train or car.
Chernus (2006) p. 70.
Harding. Cited in Chernus (2006) p. 70.
Bruner (2006) pp. 101–102.
Reagan (2007) p. 12. Diary entry for March 30, 1981. The actual date of the entry and its validity as an autobiographical piece of evidence can be put to question, since the date specified was the date of shooting, and after that there is a thirteen-day gap in entries, which continue only after Reagan has been sent to convalesce at the White House. 88. Deaver (2003) p. 3.
Box 1–44, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Stuckey (1989) p. 17.
This is evident from the typescripts and handwritten originals of his gubernatorial papers and radio addresses held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The small number of evocations of God’s name is striking when compared to the presidential papers.
Linden (1981) pp. 26–27. Italics in the original.
Reagan (January 2, 1967) Inaugural Invocation and Prayer Breakfast Invocation Delivered by the Rev. Donald L. Moomaw http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/govspeech/01021967b.htm.
Reagan. Cited in Linden (1981) p. 86.
Kelly (1984) p. 144.
Conkin (1997) p. 1. Indeed, it was in 1830 that the Disciples of Christ and Christians broke from each other. See Ibid., pp. 25–26.
Ibid., pp. 13–16.
Kelly (1984) p. 146.
Hughes (2003) p. 122.
Ibid., p. 123.
Conkin (1997) pp. 26–27.
Reagan (August 25, 1983) Remarks at the Hispanic Economic Outlook Preview Luncheon in Los Angeles, California http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1983/82583b.htm.
Reagan (March 23, 1982) Remarks in New York City on Receiving the Charles Evans Hughes Gold Medal of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. s. 361.
Kelly (1984) p. 151.
Ibid., p. 191.
(RR) “Viewpoint,” Disc 75–04, Taping date—February 23, 1975, Box 39, Subseries C, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Herberg (1960) p. 122.
Kengor (2004) p. 34.
Herberg (1960) p. 104.
Kengor (2004) p. 34. This is essentially the same idea of “light to shine before men” as in Matthew 5:16.
See for example “the beacon of hope for all mankind” in Reagan (February 24, 1982) Remarks on the Caribbean Basin Initiative to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States. s. 215.
Conkin (1997) p. 37.
Cannon (2003) p. 14. Originally the source is Wills (2000) p. 21. Wills made a very thorough research into Reagan’s past and surely is one of the best sources of issues related to Reagan’s early life.
Reagan (October 7, 1984) Debate between the President and Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale in Louisville, Kentucky http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/100784a.htm.
Wright (1903). The hero of the book is Dick Walker, who after his mother’s death flees his violent drunkard of a father. He becomes a tramp, wandering around until he walks into a church that becomes something of an anchor in his life and a man named Udell hires him as an apprentice printer. Dick Walker grows up, becoming a Christian but not attaching himself to any denomination and being a “practical” Christian. In his adulthood he comes up with a plan to save Boyd City, the city he lives in, from moral decadence. He sees himself as inspired by God to do the work of Christ and embarks on a mission of social welfare that distinguished between the deserving and undeserving. His attempts take place on a local level of grassroots initiatives and ultimately, as is fitting for such an “educational” book, bars are closed down and whores acquire new careers while church attendance is soaring. Even Walker himself decides to join a church, and, a practicing and good Christian that he is, he naturally joins the Disciples of Christ, marries a good girl from the church, and ultimately is sent to do his good deeds in Washington D.C. as a representative elected from Boyd City. There are a lot of interesting comparisons with Reagan’s own life, if one chooses to read the book looking for them. On this see Kengor(2004) pp. 18–26 who practically casts Reagan into the role of Walker.
Reagan (1990) p. 32. The quotation is from Reagan (1984), a letter in Kinner, Anderson, and Anderson (2003) p. 6. It has to be said that his favorite book keeps on changing, but always it is something he had read in his youth. Another example is a book called Northern Trails, which, according to Reagan, gave him his love of the outdoors. On this see Reagan (November 3, 1984) Written Responses to Questions Submitted by France Soir Magazine http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1984/110384a.htm.
Reagan (1990) p. 32.
Reagan (2003) in a letter. p. 256.
We are talking about a president publicly making the claim of being born-again. Carter was certainly not afraid of expressing his beliefs. He was the first US president, as so far the only one, who has officially reported a UFO sighting.
Phillips (2006) p. 106.
Reagan (2003) in a letter p. 5.
Ibid., in a letter pp. 278–279.
Ibid.
Wills (2000) p. 134. It was indeed Cleaver who broke the engagement.
Reagan’s mother joined the same church after he and Jack moved to California in 1937. See Wills (2000) p. 29.
Kengor (2004) p. 49.
Reeves (2005) p. 74. As Kengor notes, Reagan joined the Bel Air Presbyterian after his marriage to Nancy. Kengor (2004) p. 117.
D’Souza (1997) pp. 213–214.
Reagan way by no means the only associate Graham had in the world of politics, while naturally his presidency made him the most important. Graham had friends in the Reagan administration as well, for example Alexander Haig. See Haig (1984) p. 69.
As an example, Reagan (2007) p. 31. Diary entry July 17, 1981.
Kengor (2004) pp. 119–120 discusses Moomaw’s meaning to Reagan.
Linden (1981) p. 90.
Reagan (February 4, 1982) Remarks at the Annual National Prayer Breakfast. s. 109. For more info of the relationship between Reagan and Cooke see Deaver (2003) pp. 145–147.
Reagan (1990) pp. 49, 57, 70, 123.
Reagan (January 20, 1982) Interview with Reporters From the Los Angeles Times. s. 62.
Reagan (2001) p. 85.
Reagan. Cited in Linden (1981) pp. 90–91.
Porter (1990) p. 33.
Campbell (1988) p. 79.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Reagan (February 3, 1983) Remarks at the Annual National Prayer Breakfast. s. 122–123.
Reagan spoke of his creationistic beliefs during the 1980 campaign for presidency on the 22nd of August to an audience in Dallas participating in a “Roundtable National Affairs Briefing.” Reagan argued that the theory of evolution “is a scientific theory only. And in recent years it has been challenged in the world of science and is not believed in the scientific community to be as infallible as it once was. I think that recent discoveries down through the years have pointed up great flaws in it.” Los Angeles Times, August 23, 1980, A1–A2. The descriptive name of the article by Richard Bergholtz was Reagan Tries to Cement His Ties with TV Evangelicals. While the composition of the audience undoubtedly was a reason why Reagan expressed this belief that he had kept out of his narration throughout the eight-year presidency, it cannot be discounted as merely telling his audience what it wanted to hear. The implications of admitting to such a belief were potentially extremely harmful to a presidential candidate, and the PR people of the Reagan campaign encouraged the future president to avoid such controversial opinions.
Isaiah 40:8.
Reagan (January 31, 1983) Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Religious Broadcasters http://www.reagan.utexas.edu archives/speeches/1983/13183b.htm.
Reagan (1984). Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast (August 23, 1984) p. 109.
Kengor (2004) p. 106. The text of John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
See for example Kengor (2004) p. 158.
Reagan (2003) p. 654.
Reagan (May 6, 1982) Remarks at a White House Ceremony in Observance of National Day of Prayer. s. 575.
Chronicles 7:11–16.
Clarck. Cited in Kengor (2004) p. 279.
Reagan (July 17, 1980)http://www.reaganlibrary.com/reagan/ speeches/speech.asp?spid=18.
Aaltola (2007) p. 7.
Reagan (January 25, 1984) Address before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/12584e.htm. please remove the page numbers.
Gutterman (2005) p. 9. He also notes that revivals can differ widely in their descriptions of the crises facing the society and in the development of concomitant paths to the resolutions for them.
Speech, “Dinner Speech, Hollywood Palladium, April 20, 1966,” p. 242 Folder: 1966 Campaign: RR speeches and statements, Book II (1), Box C30, Research Unit, Ronald Reagan Governor’s papers, Ronald Reagan Library.
See Hanska (2007) pp. 103–119. For Reagan “the Russians” are good and decent people like the Americans, but they are misled by the “Soviet” system, which crushes initiative, efficiency, and spiritual values. The source of evil is the totalitarian communist system that removes the freedom of the citizen with tight control. With a deeper analysis of Reagan’s speeches we can note that he even refers in negative terms to only a few communist leaders, Qaddafiand Castro in the forefront, with their names and usually chooses to talk of “Soviet leaders.” These leaders, just as the system itself, are stripped of human characteristics. In the case of the Ayatollah, “Now, I think he’s as big a Satan as he thinks I am.” Reagan (December 3, 1987) Interview With Television Network Broadcasters http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1987/120387d.htm. What Reagan did with the Soviet Union is directly comparable to what Christianity did to the notion of evil itself; it invented Satan. In a similar manner Reagan “invented” Soviet Union as the “focus of evil.” To combat fear of evil Christianity personified evil and condensed it into one force, Satan. Whether Satan (or Soviet Union) is an independent force or a tool of God, his (its) mere existence generates a driving force for action. In a way, it is this powerful antagonist that makes one strong. However powerful evil is depicted to be, once it has been personified, it can be confronted. See Hall (2006) pp. 187–188.
Reagan (October 13, 1983) Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session with Women Leaders of Christian Religious Organizations http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1983/101383d. htm.
Reagan (2001) p. 23. From a letter to Sister Mary Ignatius.
Reagan (September 18, 1982) Radio Address to the Nation on Prayer http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1982/91882b. htm.
Reagan (February 3, 1983) Remarks at the Annual National Prayer Breakfast http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1983/ 20383a.htm.
Reagan (December 24, 1983) Radio Address to the Nation on Christmas http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1983/122483a. htm.
Reagan (2007) p. 369. Diary entry for November 18, 1985.
Ochs and Capps (2001) pp. 231–239.
Reagan (January 25, 1984) Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1984/12584e.htm
Lincoln. Cited in Meacham (2006) p. 24. Italics in the original.
Wilson (1979) p. 12.
Reagan (October 27, 1983) Address to the Nation on Events in Lebanon and Grenada http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1983/102783b.htm.
Porter (1990) p. 33.
Reagan (2001) p. 17. Radio address for January 9, 1978. Original to be found in Radio address, Folder Speeches and Writings—Radio Broadcast, Taping date—January 16, 1978, “Christmas,” Holograph 1/4, Box 17, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Meacham (2006) pp. 20–23.
Reagan (2007) p. 36. Diary entry September 6, 1981.
Ibid., p. 41. Diary entry October 4, 1981.
Radio address, Folder Speeches and Writings—Radio Broadcast, Taping date— April 13, 1977, “Redwoods,” Edited Typescript 2/4, Box 8, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Reagan. Cited in Noonan (2002) p. 105.
Regan (1989).
Reagan (May 17, 1988) Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session with Reporters. http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/ 051788b.htm.
Ibid. Regan (1989) asserts that all the schedules of the president had to pass the judgment of an astrologist to determine if they were suitable and especially safe. According to him this practice came into effect after the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan by John Hinckley. Regan claims that this practice was initiated and continued due to demands from the First Lady.
Reeves (2005) pp. 455–456.
Berman (1990) p. 5.
Boyarsky (1981) p. 16.
Morris (1999) p. 345. Mrs. Dixon actually predicted that Reagan would be a president one day. Since this happened in 1966, and she predicted on the same occasion on television that the Chinese would invade Russia, the United States and the USSR would ally together against them, and that the Soviets would land the first man on the moon, there seem to be slight inaccuracies in her mystical powers. See Kengor (2004) p. 189.
Wills (2000) p. 355.
Kengor (2004) pp. 184–196 argues that Reagan disavowed astrology because of his belief in the guidance of the Christian God, and the fact that he never brought up the subject and yet he freely discussed flying saucers, ghosts, aliens, and Antichrist for example. He was not a man to hide his beliefs.
Reagan (2007) p. 604. Diary entry for May 3, 1988.
Ibid., p. 385. Diary entry for January 22, 1986. “I think the ghost of Abe Lincoln is stirring upstairs where we live.”
Reagan (September 21, 1987) Address to the 42nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1987/092187b.htm
Fisher (1982) p. 306.
Durkheim (1995) p. 429.
de Tocqueville (2000) p. 89.
Herberg (1960) p. 39.
In his diaries Reagan describes a meeting with a “cabinet room full of religious leaders covering every denomination—Protestant, Catholic & Hebrew.” It is easy to see that Reagan clearly thought along the same lines as Herberg about the faiths that are America. Reagan (2007) p. 450. Diary entry for November 14, 1986. Italics mine.
Herberg (1960) p. 38.
Ibid., p. 263.
Ibid. Italics mine.
Ibid.
Durkheim (1995) pp. 350–351. Italics mine.
Mead (1977) p. 2.
Wilson (1979) pp. 172–174.
White (1987) p. x.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Draft, Folder Hannaford/CA HQ—R. Reagan Speeches—January 7, 1980, Acceptance Speech (Research)—Convention (2/2) Box 25, Ronald Reagan 1980 Campaign Papers, Series I, Ronald Reagan Library. Underlining in the original, perhaps to place emphasis on the blessing itself.
Chernus (2009).
Reagan (July 19, 1985) Proclamation 5357—Captive Nations Week, 1985 http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/71985d. htm.
Reagan (July 3, 1986) Remarks on the Lighting of the Torch of the Statue of Liberty in New York, New York http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/70386e.htm.
Reagan (February 6, 1985) Address before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1985/20685e.htm.
Reagan (September 18, 1986) Remarks at a Senate Campaign Rally for Representative W. Henson Moore in Metairie, Louisiana http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/091886a.htm.
Smith (1982) p. xi.
Chernus (2009).
Ibid.
Aaltola (2007) p. 35.
Eck (2001) p. 31.
Madsen (1991) pp. 451–456.
Reagan (April 5, 1982) Remarks at the National Legislative Conference of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. p. 432.
Herberg (1960) p. 75.
Niebuhr and Heimert (1963) p. 63.
Herberg (1960) p. 75.
Ibid.
Bellah (1967) p. 12.
Anderson (1991).
Reagan (July 13, 1982) Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Counties in Baltimore, Maryland. s. 918. The expression “Big Brother government” had been a part of “The Speech” ever since the 1950s. See Ritter (1968) p. 52. 224. Reagan (June 5, 1985) Remarks at a Fundraising Luncheon for Senator Don Nickles in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/60585b.htm.
Reagan (June 4, 1984) Address before a Joint Session of the Irish National Parliament http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/60484a.htm.
Reagan (May 15, 1982) Radio Address to the Nation on Armed Forces Day. s. 645.
Reagan (February 9, 1982) Address before a Joint Session of the Indiana State Legislature in Indianapolis. s. 154.
Luoma-aho (2009).
Speech, Young Republicans’ Convention, Omaha June 23, 1963, Box 44 Subseries E, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Reagan (September 9, 1984) Remarks at a Polish Festival in Doylestown, Pennsylvania http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/90984a.htm.
Reagan (September 25, 1984) Remarks at the Annual Meeting of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/92584a.htm.
Reagan (January 25, 1984) Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1984/12584e.htm.
Schmitt (2005) p. 49.
de Tocqueville (2000) p. 55.
Reagan (January 10, 1989) Remarks at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library 50th Anniversary Luncheon http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1989/011089c.htm.
Reagan (April 21, 1987) Proclamation 5634—Law Day, U.S.A., 1987 http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1987/042187t. htm.
Reagan (February 12, 1982) Proclamation 4897—National Day of Prayer. s. 171.
Reagan (February 13, 1981) Message on the Observance of National Brotherhood Week. s. 100.
Reagan (November 6, 1981) Remarks in New York, New York, at the 84th Annual Dinner of the Irish American Historical Society. s. 1024. The concept of “melting pot” to describe America was first concocted, at least in a manner that attracted attention, by the Jewish writer Israel Zangwill in his 1908 play thus named. He saw America as “God’s crucible” where the “feuds and vendettas” of Europe’s religious strife would be burnt away, and the races of Europe melted and reformed. Theodore Roosevelt saw the play on its opening night and agreed that “we Americans are the children of the crucible.” Ever since the idea of a melting pot has been central to the way the popular image of creating unum out of pluribus has been expressed. Eck (2001) p. 55.
Reagan (August 15, 1988) Remarks at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/081588b.htm.
Rowland and Jones (2006) pp. 21–22. Mostly this attitude of seeing beyond the conservative rhetoric has been manifested in articles, but books have begun to emerge as well. See for example Wilentz (2008).
Reagan (April 5, 1982) Remarks at the National Legislative Conference of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. s. 433.
Niebuhr (1986) p. 84.
Reagan (August 2, 1982) Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Corn Growers Association in Des Moines, Iowa. s. 999. Italics mine.
Herberg (1960) p. 264.
Ibid.
Bellah (1967) p. 18.
Naturally there are numerous and occasionally even almost contradictory definitions of what “democracy” means, but I ask the reader not to be offended by my use of it here, which follows the common usage in American political discourse with additional elements from Republican, Conservative, and even Reaganesque interpretations.
Bellah (1967) p. 18.
Reagan (June 29, 1987) Remarks at a White House Briefing for Administration Supporters http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1987/062987a.htm.
Reagan (November 9, 1987) Remarks to Representatives of the Organization of American States http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1987/110987c.htm.
Reagan (January 30, 1984) Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Religious Broadcasters http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1984/13084b.htm.
Hughes (2003) p. 193.
Reagan (July 4, 1984) Remarks at a Spirit of America Festival in Decatur, Alabama http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/ speeches/1984/70484e.htm
Prestowitz (2003) pp. 36–37.
Reagan (2007) p. 44. Diary entry for October 16, 1981.
Reagan (January 1, 1982) Remarks to the People of Foreign Nations on New Year’s Day. s. 2.
See Reagan (January 19, 1989) Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ archives/speeches/1989/011989b.htm.
de Tocqueville (2000) p. 155.
Reagan (January 1, 1982) Remarks to the People of Foreign Nations on New Year’s Day. s. 2.
Reagan (October 1, 1984) Remarks at Naturalization Ceremonies for New United States Citizens in Detroit, Michigan http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/100184a.htm.
Reagan (April 30, 1984) Remarks at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.
Reagan (1952). Cited in Kengor (2004) p. 94.
Lyrics by Springsteen, Bruce. Available at www.brucespringsteen.net. Rather surprisingly during the 1984 campaign Reagan and his associates wanted to get the rock singer Bruce Springsteen to support the campaign, but Springsteen politely declined (White, 1998, pp. 131–134). One could claim that Springsteen in his songs rather portrayed the dark side of the American dream. If it was not the nightmare, it certainly was a moment of insomnia. In 1980 after Reagan’s electoral win, Springsteen had said to his audience that what happened last night was “pretty terrifying.” Ibid., p. 134.
X (1964).
Schurmann (1995) pp. 32–33.
Speech, “A Plan for Action: Announcement of Candidacy, January 4, 1966,” Folder: 1966 Campaign: RR speeches and statements, Book I, Box C30, Research Unit, Ronald Reagan Governor’s papers, Ronald Reagan Library. Indeed, Reagan goes further to argue that “we can demonstrate to our sister states—to the entire nation—that government should be of and by as well as for the people. That this way of ours is still the greatest adventure, the newest experiment in man’s relation to man.”
Stuckey (1989) p. 46.
Reagan (January 20,1984) Remarksto theReagan AdministrationExecutive Forum http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/ 12084a.htm.
Frye (1957) p. 106.
Ibid., pp. 83, 107.
Ibid., pp. 118–119.
White (1998) p. 33.
Muir (1995) p. 262.
Reagan (July 19, 1982) Remarks at a Rally Supporting the Proposed Constitutional Amendment for a Balanced Federal Budget http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1982/71982d.htm.
Schurmann (1995) p. 146. The irony inbuilt into Reagan’s vision of the continuous American Revolution through the ages has to be noted, since before his presidency he commented on the “perpetual revolution” that Mao Tse-tung kept China in for 27 years, and how this may sweep the revolutionaries away and cause hindrance to getting a stable leadership established. Communist revolution just is not as good as the American Revolution, while both are in a sense just as perpetual. For this see Radio address, Folder Speeches and Writings—Radio Broadcast, Taping date—1976, September “Mao’s China,” Edited typescript, Box 2, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Speech, Men of All Saints Episcopal Church Dinner, Los Angeles, March 21, 1969, Box 44 Subseries E, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Speech, Marlborough College Preparatory School for Girls Commencement Exercises June 6, 1974, Box 44 Subseries E, Reagan, Ronald: Pre-presidential papers, Series I Speeches and writings, Ronald Reagan Library.
Schurmann (1995) p. 216.
Reagan (July 3, 1986) Remarks at the Opening Ceremonies of the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebration in New York, New York http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/70386d. htm.
Erickson (1985) p. 3. Italics mine.
Reagan (April 28, 1981) Address before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Program for Economic Recovery. http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1981/42881c.htm.
Lewis (1987) p. 284.
Reagan (September 5, 1984) Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at the “Choosing a Future” Conference in Chicago, Illinois http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/90584a.htm.
Durkheim (1995) p. 425.
Boorstin (1962) p. 239.
Ibid., p. 240.
Reagan (February 22, 1982) Remarks at a Mount Vernon, Virginia, Ceremony Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the Birth on George Washington. s. 200.
Nixon (1968) Acceptance speech for the Republican Presidential Candidate Nomination. Cited in White (1998) p. 26.
Wallace (1997) p. 8. Italics in the original.
Speakes and Pack (1988) p. 70.
At the same time he often told a story of his friend Franklin Burghardt who played in the same football team, and the racist encounter with a player from the other team who finally confessed that Burgie was the “whitest man he ever knew.” During the presidency the story had been changed so that Burghardt was “the greatest human being,” but otherwise the anecdote was the same. Reagan (January 15, 1986) Remarks to the Students and Faculty at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/11586b. htm. Another story concerning Burghardt was that once when the team could not get a hotel because of him and two other blacks on the team, Reagan took them overnight to his parents’ house. Burghardt himself confirmed this latter anecdote to be true. Thus, it is just another example of Reagan perfecting his America that he chose not to take these two incidents as proof of the racism in his youth.
Reagan (May 19, 1981) Remarks at the White House Luncheon Honoring the Astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia. s. 441.
Deaver (2003) p. 5.
Warner (1962) pp. 128–130.
Zelinsky (1988) p. 57.
Lyotard (1993b) p. 29. Italics in the original.
Reagan (June 3, 1984) Toasts of the President and Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald of Ireland at a Dinner Honoring the President in Dublin http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/60384b. htm.
Lyotard (1993b) p. 41.
Reagan (January 25, 1984) Address before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/12584e.htm. please remove the page number…
Rushing (1986) p. 421.
Reagan (May 1, 1982) Remarks at Dedication Ceremonies for the U.S. Pavilon at the Knoxville International Energy Exposition (World’s Fait) in Tennessee. s. 549.
Niebuhr (1954) p. 72.
Reagan (August 15, 1988) Remarks at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/081588b.htm
Fisher (1982) p. 301.
White (1998) pp. 34–35.
Fisher (1982) p. 301.
Reagan (July 22, 1982) Remarks at the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ Club in St. Louis, Missouri. s. 963.
Reagan (September 17, 1982) Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for United States Citizens in White House Station, New Jersey. s. 1178.
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© 2012 Jan Hanska
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Hanska, J. (2012). American Religion. In: Reagan’s Mythical America. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137273000_3
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