Ronald Reagan Beliefs

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Kevin Aldridge Mr. Carrick History P5 28 April 2014 President Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan served two terms as the 40th president of the United States of America. Reagan was known for having a strong faith in the goodness of people. In college he was known as, “the jack of all trades” for excelling in everything he did (“Life Before the Presidency”). President Reagan’s beliefs gave him lots of respect from citizens around the world. One of his main beliefs was that peace comes with strength. I believe that Ronald Reagan was a great president because of his leadership qualities, domestic policies, and foreign policies. Ronald Reagan grew up with an alcoholic father, Jack Reagan (“Life Before the”). After his death, Ronald’s mother, Nelle, …show more content…

Reagan increased defense spending by 35 percent and built up our military (“President Reagan’s Foreign Policy: Making the World Over Again”). President Reagan was well respected as Commander in Chief of our armed forces. He also believed in anti-terrorism and he sent troops to Grenada to prevent the communist takeover (“President Reagan’s Foreign”). Growing up in the heartland of America president Reagan learned the importance of being a good neighbor. He paid special attention to Canada and Mexico and built strong relationships with the two countries (“President Reagan’s Foreign”). During the cold war, Reagan defeated the Soviets with the strategy of seeing how the Soviets would react to the drastic increase in US defense spending (“President Reagan’s Foreign”). He knew that the one thing the USSR respected was strength. The “Star Wars Program” was one of the driving forces behind peace negotiations. Reagan also negotiated a treaty with Russia’s leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty eliminated intermediate range nuclear missiles (“President Reagan’s Foreign”). He also declared war against international terrorism and sent American troops to Libya after finding evidence that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in West Berlin (Freidel). During the Iran-Iraq war, President Reagan kept the free flow of oil by putting naval escorts in the Persian Gulf (Freidel). Reagan also supported anti-communist insurgencies in Africa, Asia, and Central America (Freidel). In 1987 Ronald Reagan delivered a speech to the world where he was quoted as saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The speech was given at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin (“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall: President Ronald Reagan”). This speech signified the beginning of the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. President Reagan’s foreign policy tactics are another reason why he was

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