Ronald Reagan: Centennial & Legacy

Last month, Ronald Reagan, our 40th President, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. To celebrate his life and legacy, HBO featured a special documentary—"Reagan." President Reagan is specially revered as the modern hero (replacing Abraham Lincoln) of conservative Republicanism and his Presidency is often referred to as "The Reagan Revolution."

On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College. There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he appeared in 53 films.

From his first marriage to actress Jane Wyman, he had two children, Maureen and Michael. In 1952 he married Nancy Davis, who was also an actress, and they had two children, Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott.

As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry; his political views shifted from liberal to conservative. He toured the country as a television host, becoming a spokesman for conservatism. In 1966 he was elected Governor of California by a margin of a million votes; he was re-elected in 1970.

Ronald Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate former Texas Congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush. Voters troubled by inflation and by the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran swept the Republican ticket into office. Reagan won 489 electoral votes to 49 for incumbent President Jimmy Carter.

On January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar.

Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit.

A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and Bush win a second term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes. Their victory turned away Democratic challengers Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.

In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people with low incomes. At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.

In foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve "peace through strength." During his two terms he increased defense spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war against international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after evidence came out that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub.

By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.

Overall, the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal of peace through strength seemed to be within grasp.

Students can learn more about Ronald Reagan and his legacy through a ProQuest model BookCart learning activity—"Ronald Reagan Centennial and Legacy."

BookCart learning activities are a one-stop solution for teachers and students in conducting 21st Century inquiry-based learning activities. The learning activity for this month is just one of hundreds of BookCarts that teachers and librarians can copy into their local collection and use right away. Here's how to do it:

• Logon to the eLibrary CE TEACHER EDITION.
• Click the BOOKCART ADMIN tab at the top of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab.
• Type "Ronald Reagan Centennial and Legacy" in the SEARCH box.
• Click the COPY icon (middle one) in the ACTIONS column to the right of this title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart to customize it for their students:

• Click the new BookCart TITLE with the prefix "COPY OF".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in the EMAIL box (required info).
• Option: Edit any ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for your students in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Option: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box to customize for your students.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

President Reagan is among our most admired conservative Presidents. However, there are many of his policies and actions that don't align with many of the conservative Republican principles of today. Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words and cite at least three sources.

For best results, students should use the Pathfinder listed below for their search. The report should address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):

• What leadership experiences did Reagan have to prepare him for the Presidency?
  
  
• What policies did Reagan pursue that current conservatives support and how?
  
  
• What policies did Reagan pursue that current conservatives would reject and why?
  
  
• How would you rate the Reagan Presidency and why?

Select Advanced Search option > Type "Ronald Reagan" in the Search box > Enter "Ronald Reagan OR President" in the Document Title box

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.

March is Greek-American Heritage Month. Many of the world's greatest authors lived in ancient Greece.

Assign students to select one of the more famous authors of ancient Greece. Students should write a report of at least 150 words (or a presentation of at least seven slides) that cites at least three resources from the Search Pathfinder listed below. Students should select one of the three Study Questions listed at the bottom of the Ancient Greece study page.

Click Literature > Select the Study Pages tab > Period Pages > Ancient Greece

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.

March is Women's History Month. History Study Center provides a variety Study Units of different eras of the struggle for women's rights and the notable leaders of that era.

Students should select one of the leaders and write a report of at least 150 words (or a presentation of at least seven slides) that cites at least three sources from the Search Pathfinder listed below. The report should address at least three of the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):

• What experiences and background did this woman have to prepare her for leadership in the struggle for women's rights?
  
  
• What gender issue did this leader focus on and why?
  
  
• What strategy did she employ to provide leadership, was it successful, and why or why not?
  
  
• Who else was involved in working with her and why?

Click History > Select the Study Units tab > Type "Feminism" in the Study Unit Title box > American Feminism

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.