This week we will discuss the radicalization of the two political parties during the 1960s. The Democratic Party lurched "leftward" (more liberal) on the strength of anti-war sentiments and the most out-spoken elements of the counter-cultural revolution. By 1972 the party would nominate Sen. George McGovern, a candidate so liberal that most of America (including his home state of South Dakota) would be unable to support his run for the presidency.
On the other hand, a new conservatism was born during the 1960s that had several influences. First there were those who were opposed to the counter-cultural revolution. They saw the attacks on America's institutions by "hippies" as an insult and a dangerous opportunity for communists during the Cold War. This branch of conservatism was moved by issues and philosophies and tended to be very religious. One of the issues that was important to these cultural (or social) conservatives was the legalization of abortion, which became law as a result of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973.
Another branch of conservatism was primarily concerned with the perceived dangers of government over-spending as a result of the "Great Society" programs. While the US was used to deficits (going into debt) during wars, it became the regular practice to spend more than was coming in to fund things like Medicare, welfare, and public schools. Today the US is more than $12,000,000,000,000 in debt, and the amount grows every minute! This branch of conservatives are known as "fiscal conservatives", and the primary goal of this group is to cut government spending to balance the budget. Of course, many people consider themselves to be both social and fiscal conservatives, but it's important to remember that that is not always the case.
For your assignment this week I'd like you to research one of the following leaders of the political parties and discuss that individual's impact on American politics:
Democrats: Robert Kennedy, George McGovern, Eugene McCarthy
Republicans: Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan
Provide a brief biographical sketch of your subject and explain his political views. How do you think that individual changed his party? You might begin your research at the following link: http://virtualology.com/famousamericans/
Cite your sources and follow the grading expectations of every other assignment for this year. Thanks and God bless!
Ronald W. Reagan – 40th President
ReplyDeleteRonald Reagan… born on February 6, 1911. He attended Eureka College where he earned a BA in economics and sociology. After showing major interests in sports, politics, and drama, we see them throughout his life. He became a “movie star” playing in over fifty films and hosting a television show. After his acting career, he dove into the world of politics by being elected the governor of California in 1966. He was originally a democrat but changed his political affiliation to republican in 1962. He married Jane Wyman, divorced, and then married Nancy Davis.
Reagan brought something different to the Republican party. He did things in a bold manner. As soon as he was elected into office, he sent enforcements to get the American hostages in Iran. He didn’t spend the government money over-excessively. He brought a feel of getting things done in a strong way. How this shaped the Republican party… I believe Reagan painted the image of the Republican party as ready. His “peace through strength” policy showed the country that he would not just give up on things. Although he did have many health problems toward the end of his term and he also had the Iran-Contra Affair that damaged his government running style, I believe he changed the former attitude that had been set by President Carter. Carter was focused on peace, but Reagan took that and added his strength to the peace policy to add an attitude of control to our government.
My subject is Robert F. Kennedy.
ReplyDeleteRobert Kennedy was born on November 20, 1925. His parents were Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose E. Fitzgerald, and he was the seventh child in his family. When he was twelve, he sailed to England, where his father was serving as the ambassador to the united kingdom. Before world war ll, he returned to america. Between his kindergarten and highschool senior years, he attended seven different schools. Two months before his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He reported to the V-12 Navy College Training program at Harvard. He participated in the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy shakedown cruise of the caribbean.On May 30, 1946, he recieved an honorable dishcharge. In September, 1946 he started college at Harvard as a junior, the credit coming from his time in the V-12 program. He then attended the University of Virginia School of Law in charlottesville, where he met his wife Ethel Skakel. In November 1951, he took the job of internal security section of the Criminal Division of the U.S Department of Justice. Later, he ran his brother JFK's presidential campaign. JFK then selected him for Attorney General. In 1968, he ran for president, but was assassinated before the elections were over.
xalo
Ronald Reagon was born on Frb. 6, 1911. His dad owned a shoe store that he worked in growing up. During highschool he playyed many sports, and recieved a scholarship to Eureka College. After college he signed a 7 year contract with Warner Brothers. He played in many mediocre movies, but never became a huge star. He did however become the president of The Screen Actors Guild.
ReplyDeleteThroughout most of his life he was a democrat until he came back from WWII. In the military he made instructional videoes for pilots. He was discharged in 1945. After the military he made a few more movies then won the election for the 33rd Governor of California. He was sworn in on January 2, 1967 and also won in 1970.
Reagen then ran for President and won 489 electoral votes to Jimmy Carters 49. He was sworn in on January 20, 1981. About 69 days later he was shot in a failed assassination attempt. A few weeks later he was back up and doing his job. This maade his popularity go way up. Ronald Reagan won the race for presidency again in 1984 with VP George Bush. He did a lot with foreign policy. It was his doing that ended the Cold War and put inot effect with "Containment" which was a confrontation to the idea of the Domino Theory.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He attended Dixon High School where he grew interested in sports and acting. After high school, he attended Eureka College where he majored in economics and sociology. In 1937, Reagan made his way to Hollywood, and he became an actor for the Warner Brothers studios.
ReplyDeleteOn April 29, 1937, Reagan enlisted into the Army Enlisted Reserve. He was later called to active duty on April 18, 1942. He left the military in 1945.
Reagan first started out as a liberal Democrat, but in 1962 he changed to the Republican Party. In 1964, he endorsed Barry Goldwater's campaign. While speaking for Goldwater, he shared his belief in the importance of a smaller government. In 1966, he was nominated for Governor of California. He won the election, and was sworn in on January 3, 1967. He served two terms as governor.
Reagan first ran for President in the election of 1976 where he was unsuccessful. He ran again in the election of 1980 where he won. He was sworn in as President on January 20, 1981. During his presidency, he introduced Reaganomics which was to reduce government spending, reduce income and capital gains marginal tax rates,
reduce government regulation of the economy, and control the money supply to reduce inflation. Reagan served one more term as President. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's diseaselater in 1994, and ten years later he died on June 5, 2004.
Reagan changed both parties by bringing on the idea that a smaller government is better. It allows the country's economy to function better without all of the government control.
Richard Nixon born January 9, 1913, Yorba Linda, California and died April 22, 1994, New York, New York. today when someone hears the name nixon the first thing we think of is watergate, yet Nixon was much deeper. we must remember that every person in history was really a person who really esisted, so to truely understand history we have to approach it with a careful thought prosess and neutral empathy.
ReplyDeleteNixon was part of both the House of Representatives and the US Senate and served on several commitees and became a figure head for the Republican party which attracted many americans as a traditional man that was truely looking out for the intrests of the people. later Nixon served as vise president and ran for the Governor of California but lost and said he was retiring from polotics....however, nixon returned and ran for president and won and then was re-elected. nevertheless, he cheated to win the second term, yet he would have won no matter what.
many people see nixon as a crazy man that was out of control. we must remember his entire team went along with it and that he was human and was not perfect by any means. Nixon did things that attracted both sides yet did not push away both sides by what he did for the other. he was a true polotician and was good at getting votes and making heart grabbing speechs that cause many americans to this day to remain in full suport. obviously what nixon did, whether through break-ins or cheating or using tax dollars for private "investigations" nixon still was a man and there is no excuse for the killer or the man that commits tax frod. nixon changed the republican party, he was a forrunner of sorts that was moderate yet at the same time very conservative that worked for the people but reduced the deficate and held to many fiscal principles that still work today.
http://www.biography.com/articles/Richard-Nixon-9424076?print
ReplyDeleteI as well am doing my report on Ronald Reagan. He was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911. When he was nine his family moved to Dixon, Illinois. In high school he had three major interests: sports, drama, and politics. Mr. Reagan earned a BA degree in economics and sociology from Eureka College. In 1937 he got a contract with Warner Brothers. He would star in fifty movies and host the television series “Death Valley Days”. He was also the spokes person for the General Electric Company.
ReplyDeleteRonald Reagan married Jane Wyman in 1940. Together they had a daughter and adopted a son. In 1948 they got a divorce. Four years later he married Nancy Davis. They had two Children together. In 1962 Ronald Reagan changed his registration from Democrat to Republican. In 1966 he ran for Governor of California. He easily defeated the incumbent governor, Edmund Brown. He was mentioned in every presidential race from 1968 to when he left office. Most of his competitors however did not consider him to be a threat because of his age. This would be proven wrong in the election of 1980.
Ronald Reagan will be known for many things that he did. One of the things that he was most well known for was his policy of “Reaganomics”. He also started the “Star Wars Program”. This is particularly interesting to me because my uncle worked in this program. Over all Ronald Reagan had a good presidency.
I used the site you gave us http://virtualology.com/famousamericans/
ReplyDeleteRobert F Kennedy
ReplyDeleteRobert kennedy was born on nov. 20 1925 to his parants rose and joseph kennedy. robert is most commonly known for being the brother and advisor to JFK former assassinated presedent of the US.at a very early age robert went to live in th eunited kingdom where his father was serving as the UK's embassitor,but he did return to the us and just befor his 18 birthday he decided to join the us naval reservs, he went to the v12 training program at harvard.But in may of 1946 he recived an honorable discharg from the navy,and in september of the same year,like many other kennedys befor him he attended harvard as a student.after harvard robert decided to go to attened the unnivercity of virgina law, while in virginia he met his future wife ethel skakle in november of 1951,robert would later try to run for precedency afet his brother JFK was assasinated,while campaighning for presedent he too was assasinated.
Robert F. Kennedy
ReplyDeleteRobert F. Kennedy was born in brookline, Massachusets in 1925. As we already know, he was brother of John F. Kennedy, and Rob was one of JFK’s closest advisors. Robert graduated from Harvard with a B.A. degree, as well as an LL.B degree from the University of Virginia. One thing that really set Robert Kennedy apart from all the others was his attempts at desegregation. He was in full support of the civil rights movement, and after the death of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, Kennedy made a speech in his honor. Robert kennedy was a Democrat and was doing pretty good in his primary elections and could have been some real competition for the presidency, however he was struck down by an assassins bullet on June 6, 1968. Robert kennedy had some true potential to continue on his political excursions and do some good, but it seems very unfortunate he was assassinated. I have always wondered why its been the good politicians who are gunned down and the lousey ones seem to live forever. Anyhow. my sources were the ones u provided us with.
Barry Goldwater was born January 1, 1909, and died May 29, 1998. He was also a five time U.S. senator from Arizona. And was a Republican nominee in the 1964 election. He is known as Mr. Conservative and was a Major General in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Goldwater lost the election to Lyndon B. Johnson, by a very large margin. With the win by the Democratic Party it allowed them to pass the Great Society programs. After 1964 he was not as much involved in politics. Ronald Reagan is said to follow his footsteps. He was against the Christian Right movement because they went strongly against libertarian views. And he was very focused on his the Goldwater Nicholas acts in 1986.
ReplyDeleteHe was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1909. His father was the founder of Goldwater’s a local department store. Goldwater’s family comes from a Jewish background. Goldwater graduated from Staunton Military Academy, and also attended Arizona University for a year. He took over the family store in 1930 after the death of his father. Barry’s son even served in the House from 1969 to 1983.
Ronald Wilson Regan was born in an apartment on the second floor of a commercial building in Tampico, Ill. on February 6, 1910. Ronald Regan grew up in a home, where people were valued for their character. His mother gave Ronald an optimistic faith in the goodness of people.
ReplyDeleteIn the late 1920's the Regans moved to Dixon Ill. When the local inn would not allow black people to stay there, Ronald Regan brought them back to his house where his mother invited them to spend the night and have breakfast in the morning. His first job was as a lifeguard at Rock River in Lowell Park. Ronald Regan saved 77 lives. He had a wooden log and would notch a mark every time he saved a life.
Ronald Regan was an announcer for the Chicago Cubs. While traveling with them to California he took a screen test and that led to a 7 year contract with Warner Brothers.
Ronald Regan got a taste for Politics by getting involved with the Screen Actors Guild. Ronald began as a liberal Democrat and admirer of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Regan formally switched to the Republican Party in 1926, complaining, "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me."
In 1961, Ronald Regan made an album entitled "Ronald Regan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine." Ronald Regan was concerned when Medicare was introduced. Regan created a recording for the American Medical Association. Warning that such legislation would mean the end of freedom in America. Regan said, "if we didn't write letters to prevent it, we will awake to find we have socialism. And if you don't do this and if I don't do this, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children, what it once was like when America was free."
Ronald Regan became 40th President of the United States from 1981 - 1989. During his Presidency, Ronald Regan pursued policies that reflected his personal belief in individual freedom, that brought changes domestically, both to the U.S. economy and expanded military, and contributed to the end of the Cold War. He ranks highly among former U.S. presidents in terms of approval ratings and in presidential surveys.
wikipedia is the source
Robert Kennedy was born on Nov. 20, 1925
ReplyDeleteRobert Kennedy better known as Bobby he greatly helped his brother John with the presidency and was appointed to be attorney general by John. He was a major help in many different things like when the Cuban Missile Crisis was happening he was a big help. Bobby then resigned his cabinet in 1964 and went to run for a political office in New York. He returned in 1968 to run for election because he disagreed with Lyndon Johnsons' policies. He won many primaries and was then shot on June 5, 1968 by Jordanian Sirhan Bishara Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel after winning the primary for California. He died the next morning. Senator Edward Kennedy said: "My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."
He loved our country and I personally think this because he went into the navy while he was in Harvard and then when he came back finished his degree. He then left Harvard and went to the University of Virginia and graduated with a degree of law from there. He also managed John Kennedy’s campaign for the Senate.
My Sources:
http://www.wc.pdx.edu/robertkennedy/bobby.htmlhttp://www.who2.com/robertfkennedy.html http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rfk.htm
Barry Morris Goldwater, born January 1, 1909, was a five term US Senator from Arizona. He served during WWII in the Air Force and later went on to be a Major General in the Air Force Reserve. Goldwater was a Republican and a very strong one at that. He is often credited with starting the American Conservative movement. Goldwater opposed many presidents and their policies such as FDR, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Goldwater did not like many of their policies, especially FDR's “New Deal” which Eisenhower also tried to initiate in his presidency. On the other hand, Goldwater supported both Nixon and JFK in 1960. Goldwater opposed the federal government, labor unions and the welfare state and favored a more aggressive approach to the Vietnam War. He also has a very anti-Communist view wanting to drop nuclear bombs on the Vietnamese which scared some Americans.
ReplyDeleteBarry Goldwater was nominated as the Republican Party presidential candidate in 1964, but lost to Johnson by quite a larger margin although he did have large popularity in the Deep South. Later on in life Goldwater was still involved in the Senate opposing and supporting many people strongly. He strongly supported Ronald Reagan during his election as well. Barry Goldwater died at Paradise Valley on 29th May, 1998.
Sources:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAgoldwater.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater
Eugene McCarthy was born on March 29, 1916 to a German mother and Irish father. He grew up with three other siblings in Watkins, Minnesota. He graduated from St. John's Preparatory School, St. John's University, and then earned a Master's at University of Minnesota. He would then teach at a few various public schools, then became a professor at St. John's for a few years. Next, he was a civilian technical assistant in the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department, then was an instructor at College of St. Thomas before entering into politics. He would be a member of the House of Representatives for ten years, and then was elected Senator. He then entered the Presidential election of 1968 and returned to the Senate for another few years after he lost. He also ran in 1972 and 1975, but would not come close on either of those occasions. He passed away in 2005.
ReplyDeleteMcCarthy ran his campaign on his anti-Vietnam views. He was very opposed to the war in Vietnam, and he attracted many college students, hippies, and activists to vote for him and help run his campaign. Support from this large group of people was what kept him in the election, although he didn't win. He did help change the Democratic party during that time, making them slightly more towards anti-war.
Chuck, you had a decent post. I thought it was rather informative, and I learned a few things about Robert Kennedy that i had not known before. I wonder if he would have done well in the election, had he not been assassinated. I did like the quote from Edward Kennedy about his brother's death that you had in there. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteXalo, great job. I think you had a very good short, brief biography on Bobby Kennedy. I don't know if I could have done better. I think we were supposed to talk some about thier political views and how they changed thier party, though. I didn't do well on that part in my post. Good post, anyways.
ReplyDeleteCody, I thought your post was ok. Man, alot of people did choose Ronald Reagan. I did not know much about Reagan, so I learned a few things from it. good post.
ReplyDeleteRobert F. Kennedy.
ReplyDeleteRobert Kennedy was a New York Senator. He graduated from Milton Academy, then served in the US Navy Reserve from 1944-1946. He was the son of Joseph P. Kennedy. He served as the Attorney General for John Kennedy, his brother, during his Presidency. After JFK’s assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson was then chosen as president. Robert Kennedy also served with President Johnson. After that, he declared his presidential candidacy. His policies were for social improvement and he was viewed as ‘fiscal liability’. Just after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died, Kennedy went to Indianapolis to make a speech. He called for ‘reconciliation of the races.’ After his speech was made, riots broke out pretty much everywhere except in Indianapolis. A lot of people say that this was because of the powerful speech Kennedy made. He was assassinated on June 5, 1968, just after winning the Democratic primary election. He was passing through a shortcut through a kitchen and was shot three times by a man named Syrhan. He was rushed to a hospital, but soon died. I think that he influenced America, especially by the speech that he made about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Indianapolis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy
http://www.who2.com/robertfkennedy.html
http://www.virtualology.com/virtualmuseumofhistory/hallofusa/famousamericans/robertfkennedy.org/
I know right off the top of my head that Ronald Reagan was one of my dad’s favorite presidents, which is why I picked him to do my research on. He was one of his favorites because he did not believe in big government(the government controlling every area of our lives), and he believed in individual and states’ rights, and was also not afraid to stand uup for what was right in foreign policy. With this in mind, I wanted to see if I could decipher my own opinions about Reagan and learn more about him. Reagan was just what our country needed, I think, and from what I can see he was very strong in character. He was successful in everything he did, and though he grew up as a Democrat, he made a huge impact on the Republican party and America forever. He was a very popular president, and one of the main reasons his popularity “soared” was because he was so determined to get the government not to spend more than it had and make sure that it didn’t constantly hound people. But what Reagan is mainly remembered for was his dealings with foreign policy. His approach to it was “peace through strength”. He was able to smooth things over with the Soviet Union, after first trying to make peace and having “tense” meetings with its leader Mikhal Gorbachev. Though the Soviet Union saw it as a threat, it resulted in a treaty that limited nuclear missiles in order to prevent future conflicts. In Berlin, Reagan told them to rear the Berlin Wall down, which was a huge deal and became a part of one of his many famous speeches. Reagan also declared war on terrorism before we even had any attacks here. Ronald Reagan was not a quitter, and was tough and stood by what he said.
ReplyDeleteBarry Morris Goldwater
ReplyDeleteBarry Goldwater was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 1st, 1909. As a child he helped out at his parent's department store. As a young man he was put in charge of the store. During World War II, he served as a U.S. Fighter Pilot.
After the war, he was elected. Almost immediately, Barry became known as an extremely strong conservative. He was in favor of a STRONG diplomatic stance against the Soviet Union; he also did not want arms-negotiations to be discussed between the USSR and the USA. He even went as far as accusing the Democrats of creating a socialist regime in the USA Government (well today that would DEFINITELY be right).
In 1964, Goldwater won the Republican nomination for President, but lost to incumbant President Lyndon B. Johnson. A large part of the country thought he would start a nuclear war with the Soviets. He returned to the Senate after losing, and played a large part of persuading Nixon to resign in 1974.
Goldwater ended his Senate term in 1987. He curbed many of his extreme conservatism, and was a symbol of high-class conservatism for many years.
Goldwater passed away on May 29th, 1998.
Richard Nixon
ReplyDeleteMost people view Nixon as a bad president. He had some accomplishments though. He worked for environmental protection and was responsible for several anticrime laws. Had it not been for Watergate, he would be viewed as a fairly good President. He was blamed for Vietnam or Viet Nam as my research tells me. Every president during Vietnam was blamed for the war. If JFK had not have been assonated he would had also been blamed. One little scandal ruined his entire career. People do not give him enough credit. In World War 2 he was a Navy lieutenant commander in the pacific. Also he was a lawyer.
Watergate was to ensure that Nixon would win reelection. Instead it forced him to resign. The point was to break into the Watergate complex were the Democrat’s headquarters was and take photographs of documents to expose democrat candidates. What went wrong was that the robbers were caught with money that they were paid with which was traced to a large donation of illegal funding. Their wasn’t even a need for this because he would have still won election. Despite Watergate, Nixon had some good ideas. His legacy still lives on in the hearts of few.
My source:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon
“I didn’t like Nixon until Watergate.” I came by this quote by Rick Perlstein and I found it hilarious and the more I think about it, the more I love it. Why Richard Nixon? I choose him because I’m thinking most people most people are going to pick someone obscure; therefore, in the spirit of nonconformity, I choose Nixon.
ReplyDeleteNixon, as you know, was born in Yorba Linda, California to a Quaker family. He began college at Whittier, (despite being accepted to Yale and Harvard where he couldn’t attend because of financial concerns) then transferred to Duke where he studied law. Experience as lawyer, Lieutenant Commander in the Navy during World War II, and an elected Senate position gave him the chance to be Vice President for Eisenhower. He lost to Kennedy in 1963 but won in 1964. He’s acclaimed for his Vietnamization process, (the process of reducing US troops and turning over the responsibility to the South Vietnamese) surpressing the left-wing views, and ending the imperial Presidency. However, his Presidency is tainted, as is the office of Presidency for the rest of mankind, because of the Watergate Scandal.
He shaped the conservative view point in the following ways; The negative being that the American people became more cynical. After hearing that the President had used his position of power to spy on the democrats and make them look bad, our perception of President as bona fide, honest, and diplomatic went down the toilet. However, a positive outcome was that he was a success story. That sounds weird I know, but think about it. He rebuilt his career more times than anyone could ever compare to.
* I used the following websites: Wikipedia (all copied is in "")
ReplyDeleteI decided to do my research on Ronald Reagan. He was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6th, 1911. As we all know America first knew Ronald Reagan through Hollywood in his career he starred iin 52 films and then began acting on television. As I was researching I found an interesting thing; Ronald Reagan was originally a member of the Democratic Party and then in 1962 he switched his affiliations to the Republican Party.
In 1968 he ran for governor of California {to which he was persuaded after giving a speech for Barry Goldwater}. In 1968 ,as well as trying to run for governor, he also tried to get the nomination for the Republican Party for president. But did not win the nomination until 1980 though he tried again in 1976. When in 1980 he did win the Presidential election and he introduced what would come to be known as "Reaganomics." In this intiative it "advocated reduced business regulation, controlling inflation, reducing growth in government spending, and spurring economic growth through tax cuts."
Ronald Reagan had two terms as president. In the first he survived an assasins bullet and in the second the Cold War ended ( his speech in which he exclaimed "...Tear down that [Berlin] wall"). In both of these George H.W. Bush was his Vice President who succeded him after he was out of office.
And according to Wikipedia,"Reagan left office in 1989. In 1994, the former president disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease earlier in the year; he died ten years later at the age of 93. He ranks highly among former U.S. presidents in terms of approval rating and in presidential surveys."
Eugene McCarthy
ReplyDeleteSo, I saw the options for this essay, and of course I was like "Duh, Reagan." Then I saw how many people chose him, and, instead, chose someone who is just about opposite of everything I believe when it comes to politics and government.
Eugene McCarthy was born in 1916 to a German mother and Irish father-both of whom were quite religious. He grew up in Minnesota and attended a Catholic school. He even tried the monestary for a few months.
His entry into politics began with his election to the House of Representatives in 1949, from the democratic party. He was seen as a well-educated, soft-spoken, intellectual, liberal.
Then, in 1968, he ran in the Democratic primaries against LBJ. His platform was anti-war, anti-vietnam, which increased his support from the hippy crowd. "Get clean for Gene" became a popular phrase as many "former" hippies shaved their heads, cleaned up, and went door to door campaigning for McCarthy.
He ran a good race in the primaries. In fact, there were many people who had him ahead. His downfall came when he made a statement in a televised debate with Robert Kennedy. The statement implied he was "soft towards communism"; Robert Kennedy of course used this to his advantage.
In the end, McCarthy only recieved 23 percent of the Democratic delegates. Post-election, McCarty returned to the Senate, but said he would not run for re-election in '70.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_McCarthy
ReplyDeletehttp://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Eugene_Joseph_McCarthy.aspx
http://www.historycentral.com/Bio/people/McCarthy.html
Tonight I have chosen to report back on Robert Kennedy. Robert is one of the main focuses that we have been studying on, but mann this guy sticks out to me. So here it goes.(:
ReplyDeleteRobert Kennedy was a man who always had some sly trick up his sleeve. Robert is a man who feels the world with his heart. When he gave the speech where he delivered the message of Martin Luther Jr. King’s assassination he turned the crowd from wailing with agony to cheering with hope still in their veins. Robert Kennedy was a man who changed things in politics a lot. He was a strong individual and knew his goals and went after them. How did he change his party? Well I guess you could say with my opinion that Robert Kennedy was the definition of the Democratic Party. He was liberal but not wacko insane liberal. He believed in things and did not care what others thought. Very inspiring Huhh?? His political views were of freedom and everything that goes on that live of freedom. My view of him was that he was a very laid back kind of person and watched things but still had that burning for Justice.
Richard Millhouse Nixon.
ReplyDeleteNixon the thirty-seventh president of the United States of America, November 5, 1968, was born in Yorba Linda, California on January 9, 1913. He was a very good President in my opinion but his most intimidating event was the Vietnam War. Not only did he have plenty to deal with in Vietnam, he made it worse by spreading the fighting into neighboring countries. He must have thought this would increase the speed of the war, but man he was very wrong which lead to him signing a cease fire with North Vietnam in 1973. Not only did Nixon have the foreign affairs to deal with, in the fighting in Vietnam and neighboring countries, he also had problems in the United States. Including the protestors against the war in Vietnam. Events such as that at Kansas State were not all he had to deal with there were so many riots through out the United States which forced the closings of 536 institutions of learning. Nixon was very challenged in his first term with so many things going, but obviously handled it in a good enough manner to get elected into a second term, which ended in 1974. Then returned to San Clemente, California. Nixon died in 1994 after suffering a severe stroke, which lead to a blood clot, causing him to slip into a coma which lead to his death, leaving behind a great legacy for a great President who went though many hardships but handled them all very well.
Mady, I enjoyed reading your essay about Eugene McCarthy. I think it’s interesting that you choose someone that stood for something almost completely opposite of what you think and believe. I didn’t know a whole lot about this guy, so it was good to be informed, and I can see why his popularity dropped so low after stating that he was “soft towards communism”. A lot of people did pick Reagan(which I didn’t know until after I’d already posted mine), so I’m glad some other people decided to go against the majority and discuss others that ran for presidency.
ReplyDeleteJarred, for the longest time I wasn’t sure who you were because I didn’t see the parentheses at the end of your name. haha. But anyway, I thought your essay was pretty good, and you brought up some good points. Nixon’s presidency is mostly remembered for the mistakes he made in some people’s minds. He did contribute to America in a number of ways, but since Vietnamization didn’t really work out like he planned and the whole Watergate thing kind of ruined his reputation, it’s hard to some Americans even today to see the positive things he did. He was successful over all though, I think, and he definitely didn’t give it up when it came to running for positions in politics.
Robert F. Kennedy was born November 20, 1925 - died June 6, 1968. His parents were Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. Robert attended several boarding schools before going to a navy training program located at Harvard and Bates College. On dec. 15, 1945 a ship was commissioned in his elder brother's name the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. a destroyer class. Robert was released from naval officer training on Feb. 1 ,1946 and began serving immediately there after. Robert however was honorably discharged on May 30, 1946.
ReplyDeleteAfter his short military career Robert began formal schooling at Harvard and was a football star until he broke his leg in practice. After college he went on a short tour of europe and the middle east and the boston post gave him credit as a "correspondent". In september 1951 he enrolled at University of Virginia Law School and shortly after was married on June 17, 1950.
As the attorney general he took care of all of his brother John's ugly work. Like firing individuals and what not.
" If I want something done and done immediately I rely on the Attorney General. He is very much the doer in this administration, and has an organizational gift I have rarely if ever seen surpassed."
-John F. Kennedy.
I know there is a lot more info but I wish to skip to Robert's own political campaign.
Mr. Kennedy was a man who stood for over all equality between the "races" He gave many speeches in which he voiced his ideas for America and what he thought needed be done in order to make it an even greater place to live for our children and our children's children. Though he was very liberal in many policies he still had a great plan for America. Here is a quote from a speech of his at the University of Kansas.-
"If we believe that we, as Americans, are bound together by a common concern for each other, then an urgent national priority is upon us. We must begin to end the disgrace of this other America. And this is one of the great tasks of leadership for us, as individuals and citizens this year. But even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction - purpose and dignity - that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product - if we judge the United States of America by that - that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
RFK was assassinated after winning the California primary. He was killed by Sirhan Sirhan a Palestinian-American who disapproved of Kennedy's support of Israel. Robert Kennedy had many short comings ,but he was a leader that I honestly believe American's needed to experience.
Ronald Reagan, what republican could ever forget about Ronald Reagan? Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest, most successful presidents the US has ever seen. With his socially and economically conservative values, he made the country flourish. With his conservative economics that took full advantage of the benefits of capitalism and minimal government intervention, he made the economy soar. Some of these policies include reduction in government spending, lower taxes, less government intervention in the economy, and control of printing money to reduce inflation. These excellent economic policies of Reagan’s are often referred to as “Reagonomics.” Reaganomics gave the US the most economic prosperity seen since the roaring twenties even after the mess Jimmy Carter left.
ReplyDeleteReagan was more than just a smart economist in his conservative values. His foreign policies were also very successful. Iran released their US hostages as soon as Reagan was elected because they knew Reagan would have no mercy on them of they didn’t. He saw the end of the Cold War and calling the USSR an evil empire, he helped fight communism around the world.
He did quite a bit domestically too. His tough on crime policies lowered crime rates across the US. He also successfully initiated the war on illegal drugs. He signed several bills into law against illegal immigration.
Ronald Reagan has left a permanent legacy on the Republican Party. Along with Barry Goldwater, he set the standard for modern conservatism that he made the country flourish with. I think our country today could be tremendously helped if we implemented some of the common sense successful policies of Reagan’s day.
Robert Kennedy
ReplyDeleteBy now everyone knows that Robert Kennedy was John Kennedy’s brother. He was also John’s most trusted advisor during his presidency. He was also the Attorney General. He perused the mafia and didn’t always agree with the FBI. But I think that he will be most remembered for his civil rights involvement. He even went so far as to call Martin Luther King’s wife after his death. Although this was a big issue Robert seamed to love it. Robert Kennedy also oversaw the CIA's anti-Castro activities after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. He also helped develop the strategy to blockade Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis instead of initiating a military strike that might have led to nuclear war. On the last night of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy was so grateful for his brother's work in averting nuclear war that he summed it up by saying, "Thank God for Bobby". After the assassination of his brother, Robert was a very different man. He was determined to carry on what John Kennedy had started, for the party and the nation. When asked to speak at the 1964 party convention the crowd applauded for 20 minutes before Robert’s opening words……
“[...] and when [he] shall die
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.”
Romeo and Juliet
My sources were the site that Akers gave us and Wikipedia.
Robert Kennedy was a major influence in the political area (as most of the Kennedys of that time were). He was the Attorney General for the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and soon after he ran for president. Unfortunately, he was assassinated on June 5, 1968, having just won the Democratic primary.
ReplyDeleteAs a politician, he supported Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement despite the differing opinions of others around him. He was very much opposed to the death penalty and was in favor of a bill to abolish it. He was Catholic and seemed the most religious of his siblings, and it occasionally showed in his workings. He often included humor in his speeches and didn’t mind making jokes about himself.
After his death, he left behind his wife, Ethel, and eleven children. Many foundations have been made in his honor, including the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human rights. Personally, I have a lot of respect for Robert Kennedy. He seemed like a good man that remained true to his convictions and worked towards what he thought was best for our country.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an interesting character…several times. The man who would go on to become the fortieth President of the United States had a long life before his successful election, full of both political ambitions, acting in dozens of roles in film and television, radio broadcasting, military involvement, and even average real life work.
ReplyDeleteRonald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in the state of Illinois. He began a job as a lifeguard in Dixon, Illinois at the age of fifteen. Sounds like a traditional American summer job. In the seven years he would go on to work there, he would save seventy seven lives. In school, he would serve as both Student Body President, illustrating his political tendencies, and would participate in a number of sports activities and even school play productions. This was a diverse man!
He would go on to become active in the Army Air Force, making several training films for them. Reagan began to become interested and involved in politics, often supporting Democratic candidates. This all changed however as he changed his political party to Republican in 1962. He would become the Governor of California in 1966. Reagan would go on to be involved in politics, being reelected as Governor and being actively involved. In 1979 Reagan announced he would be running in the coming election with George Bush as his running mate. He stood for “family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom.” On November 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan would win the Presidency of the United States of America and go on to be one of the most memorable Presidents in history. Even creating new terminology such as Reagonomics and stood for lower taxes and smaller government…as any good Republican should. =]
Sources:
http://reagan2020.us/biography/ronald_reagan.asp
http://www.answers.com/topic/ronald-reagan
Sam Wier, I really liked your essay. It had many great points about the life and political career of Barry Goldwater. Your essay taught me a lot about him because I honestly did not know who he was or what he did before reading your essay. One thing I learned was that he was extremely conservative which is not always a good thing. Another thing is that he played a large part of persuading Richard Nixon to resign. So to sum it all up you had a really great essay.
ReplyDeleteStotts, I really liked your essay. You included a lot of good information that helped me learn a little more about Robert Kennedy. One point that you mentioned was the fact that Robert Kennedy completely supported the civil rights movement. His brother and he were best know for that. The one thing that is sad is what the Kennedy family went through. The oldest son was killed in World War II and John and Robert were both assassinated. That family had many hard times to overcome. So good essay, Stotts.
ReplyDeleteRobert Francis Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, November 20, 1925 to Joseph and Rose Kennedy (Rose Fitzgerald). Robert went to school from kindergarten to second grade in Riverdale and then third to fifth in Bronxville and for sixth grade went to Riverdale Country School. At the time his father was a US Ambassador to the United Kingdom and when Robert was twelve years of age he went with his mom and four other siblings to England where his dad was serving. By the time he had reached the age of eighteen he had went through school and already enlisted into the US Naval Reserve as an apprentice seaman however only a few years later he received his honorable discharge from the Navy. He then went to Harvard and later the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville where he pursued his career. A year before he graduated from law school he married Ethel Shakel and not long after his graduation had his first child, Kathleen.
ReplyDeleteRobert Kennedy was for civil rights and even made the quote “We will not stand by or be aloof. We will move. I happen to believe that the 1954 Supreme Court school desegregation decision was right. But my belief does not matter. It is the law. Some of you may believe the decision was wrong. That does not matter. It is the law.” Robert also oversaw the CIA’s anti-Castro activities and knew of plans to kill Fidel Castro. He was also however in strong support of a bill to abolish the death penalty.
Kennedy’s many contributions consist of his fight against organized crime, his view of equality before the law, and his aid in the civil rights movement.
In the tiny town of Avon, South Dakota on July 19, 1922 George Stanley McGovern was born to (the pastor of a Wesleyan Methodist church) Reverend Joseph C. McGovern and Canadian born Frances McGovern (maiden name McLean). George was the second child the couple had out of a total of four. George attended public school and was an average uninvolved, with the exception of track, until his tenth grade year when his English teacher decided to recruit him onto the debate team. The debate team allowed him to open up and develop to prepare him for a future political career. After graduating high school he attended Dakota Wesleyan University where he met his future wife Eleanor Stegeberg. During his freshman year of college he heard about the attacks on Pearl Harbor and immediately went and volunteered to join the army. It wouldn’t be until his junior year till the army called for him.
ReplyDeleteAfter military training McGovern was assigned to Liberal Army Airfield to learn to fly a B-24 Liberator. Soon McGovern joined the 741st Squadron of the 455th Bombardment Group of the Fifteenth Air Force. He ended up completing a total of 35 missions in enemy territory. After the war in Europe was over McGovern flew supplies to Italy and then was discharged from the army.
Skip forward past the rest of college and McGovern is married and had been a Republican his entire life because of his parents, but when he heard Adlia Stevenson had been nominated as the Democratic Candidate for President he immediately went and registered as a Democrat. As soon as he could he also signed up to help Stevenson’s campaign. McGovern respected Stevenson so much he named his only son, who was born right after the Democratic National Convention, Steven. Soon McGovern quit his job and became the executive secretary of the South Dakota Democratic Party even though the Democrats were weak in his state. He spent the next couple of years strengthening the party in his state.
McGovern, in 1956, ran for a spot in the House of Representatives and won. After two House of Representative’s terms he ran for Senate and was defeated, but he was picked to head the Food for Peace program for Kennedy’s administration. The Food for Peace organization gave food surplus we have to those who need it domestically and abroad.
In 1962 McGovern again tried for a seat in the Senate and this time he won after the incumbent of the seat died and he was challenged by an appointed senator. He became the first Democratic Senator from South Dakota in 26 years and the third Democrat since the state’s founding. McGovern wished to do more for the Indians in his state as well as the farmers there. He stood against much of our activity in Cuba and said that we had almost an obsession with Castro. McGovern was also against our involvement in Vietnam but still voted for most of the bills increasing our involvement.
In 1968 McGovern declined to be the candidate against Johnson for the party’s nominee. After this McGovern stayed a large part of the Senate and became the head of the Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection as well as the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, but in 1972 McGovern won the nomination and took Thomas Eagleton as his running mate. He later had to take Sargent Shriver as his running mate when it was revealed Eagleton had to have electro-shock therapy for mental illness. As we know McGovern lost this election against Nixon by a HUGE margin. Here’s a map of the electoral college: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege1972.svg .
McGovern’s impact on his party was great. He was one of the first Senators to voice opposition against the Vietnam War and he did tons of work for the farmers in his state. Even when not in office he had impact on the country when he served as the Food for Peace director. I know I’ve written a lot but I think someone’s impact can be shown best through their life and their story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McGovern
ReplyDeletehttp://mcgoverncenter.com/george.htm
sourcesss
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteComment #1:
ReplyDeleteGuffey, you had a good essay. I agreee with you that John Kennedy was a good President. And I from what we learned about him in history class I believe that he dud his best to be what he thought was a great president. And as you said in your essay I believe that he was trying to help the Civil Rights movement and in my opinion he did a lot in the first term of his presidency.
Comment #2:
Mady, you had a goood essay. Yeah, I realized after looking through all the essays that a lot of people had written about Ronald Reagan but regardless of that I still wrote about him because I thought a bunch of people would be writning about Robert Kennedy because we had just learned about him. I thought that you had a good essay and I really injoyed learning about Eugene McCarthy. I didn't know much about him except for the fact that he had ran for president. I thought that it was interesting that he was a Catholic, maybe he thought that it would be possible for him to be elected because we has just recently had a Catholic president and on top of that he was half Irish. I am also amazed at the credintials of the presidential cadidates of this time, I;m not exactly one to pick up a history book just for the fun of it but I during this period of presidencies som many of the presidential nominees got their start in the House of Rep. and I know that this is still a common trait today among those seeking the Presidency.
My favorite part of your essay had to be = '" Get clean for Gene" became a popular phrase as many "former" hippies shaved their heads, cleaned up, and went door to door campaigning for McCarthy.' It's amazing how much one man can do if they relate to the people - thought he still did not win the presidential nomination for his party.
I chose Ronald Reagan because I think he was not only an incredible president, but a cool guy. Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, on February 6, 1911. He moved to Los Angeles in the 30’s and began a pretty successful career as an actor, appearing in more than 50 movie productions. Even though he was mainly a B-film actor, Ronald Reagan did become somewhat of a household name. He was later a spokesman for General Electric. It was about this time that he started exploring politics. Although originally a Democrat, he switched to the Republican Party and gave a strong speech in support of Barry Goldwater in ’64. Reagan would eventually be governor of California for about 8 years. He ran for and lost the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976. However, he would win the nomination and election in 1980.
ReplyDeleteHe is famous for conservative economic views and policies (Reaganomics). As president, he lowered taxes, reduced government spending, and controlled inflation well. I also like him because he was strong in foreign policy. He wanted peace, but he wasn’t about to let America get pushed around. He wasn’t shy about describing the Soviet Union as evil in public, and he ordered a massive military build-up to beat the USSR in the arms race. He was almost a perfect president. I think he was a great leader of the Republican Party because he was a true conservative.
I used wikipedia.
Cody, I really enjoyed your essay about Ronald Reagan if was very informational and interesting. It would have told me anything I needed to know about him if I had never heard of him them. I never knew that he worked in a shoe store owned by his father. Or that he made instructional videos for pilots. Or that he was the president of the Screen actors guild.
ReplyDeleteStotts, I really liked your essay as well. And I really liked that Robert Kennedy made many attempts toward desegregation, and having full support toward the civil rights movement. And his speech in honor for Martin Luther King JR.
I thought you did a really good job on your essay, Pope. Like you said, when we hear the name Richard Nixon, we automatically think of Watergate and all the cheating and break-ins. I don’t have a ton of respect for him because of that, but he was human. Nixon wasn’t an awful president. Like you said, he did kind of do a good job of being the common man. He represented the interests of the people.
ReplyDeleteMs. Guffey, you have written a quite enjoyable essay on Mr. Robert Kennedy. I also respect him, as I do all politicians. You put some interesting things in there about his feelings of the death penalty (a respectable opinion of which I’m not sure where I stand) and the foundation created in his honor: Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. I didn’t know those things about him. One thing I did know was about his assassination though, which, as in all cases, is a terrible tragedy. I don’t understand the idea of “I disagree with you so I’ll kill you because you threaten me.” It’s a shame that people stoop so low as to think they’re all ways right and those who are wrong deserve no respect. And, of course, your line made me happy: “He seemed like a good man that remained true to his convictions and worked towards what he thought was best for our country.”
ReplyDeleteCody, your essay on Reagan is interesting and informative. You included a lot of details about him that I didn’t because I was too lazy to dig deeper and find them out. I think it’s pretty cool that he made instructional videos for pilots. I didn’t know that previously. Wow, I never realized how bad he beat Jimmy Carter in the electoral vote. That’s a landslide.
ReplyDeleteCaleb
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out the good things that Nixon did. In life it is very rare for people to remember you by your successes but by your failures. One failure that everybody knows Nixon for is "Water Gate" a stupid mistake do to being paranoid of loosing a election. Though Richard Nixon might have not been the best President he did do things that benefited are country.
well its pretty hard to comment on one specific persons because all of the essays have similar information. however, reading through these i learned quite a bit of information that i had not previously known. i hadnt ever heard of barry goldwater until the hw assignment a few weeks ago. and after reading through some of the essays concerning him i actually learned alot about him and his political career. great job to everyone
ReplyDeleteCaleb, you brought up the point about two presidents. When a president does something wrong, we tend to forget the good things they did. With Nixon, all we can think of is the Watergate Scandal and yes that was a terrible thing, but we must look at the entire presidency to see the overall accomplishments of these individuals. It’s easy to see in these situations how people in general think. We must pay attention to what we do because no matter how much good we do, the bad is always going to stand out to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteMadyson, when I read your essay, something really stuck out to me. You pointed out how McCarthy said one thing that sounded like he was softer towards communism and it ruined his chances for becoming president. We look at elections today and see how if a candidate makes one mistake, it ruins their chances of being elected, but then Nixon had even gone through Watergate and he was still elected. That doesn’t make sense to me. I guess the situations change when the opponents are different.
Charity
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that Robert Kennedy always had some sly trick up his sleeve. I think if you want to be a good Senator and be an adviser to the president you have to be able to pull tricks out of your sleeve. I agree with you that Robert Kennedy was a great speaker. Being able to calm a huge crowed down and keeping them from turning into a huge riot. Though we never got to see Robert Kennedy as the President we will still remember him as the young but wise brother of John F Kennedy.
The political participant that I have chosen to write my essay about is Richard Nixon. Nixon had a pretty good political resume. Nixon was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1946-1950. From 1950-1952 He was a member of the U.S. Senate where he gained national fame for exposing communist Alger Hiss. From 1952-1960 he served as the Vice President of the United States under Dwight Eisenhower. While Vice President he gave his Checker’s speech where he denied the accusations of bribery. In 1960 he lost the presidential election but ran again in 1968 where he won by a slim margin.
ReplyDeletePresident Nixon was obviously a Republican. He was considered a “centrist” conservative, he wasn’t considered liberal but wasn’t majorly conservative either. Though he did a lot of wrong as president, he was also very successful. His idea of peace with honor was a great idea in itself, but his way of getting it done through Vietnamization was not very good. I think he changed his party just showing that you can have a conservative mindset without being too conservative. Peace with honor once again a great example, getting out of Vietnam, conservative, without giving up, non-conservative. That was Richard Nixon’s influence on his party.
Guffey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your essay, specifically because I did not know a lot about Robert Kenndey. I have a lot of respect for this man 1. because he strongly supported and stood for his convictions and 2. he did not follow the crowd around him.
Anyways, I did not know he was against the death penalty or that there were many foundations created in his honor. That is really cool.
Good kob on your essay! Very informative.
Josh,
I am glad to see you got your homework confusion straightened out. Lol. I loved your essay. Very good. I also love Ronald Reagan. He, in my opinion, was an incredible person, leader, president. I think so many of his policies worked wonderfully, and I do not understand why we have discontinued use of them.
Good job Josh.
I liked what Emily said. Reagan was a president who got things done. Instead of wasting money on things we don’t need he spent it on things that we did need and without spending so much that the nation wasn’t sent into a drastic debt nightmare. Reagan understood that you cannot spend money that you neither have nor can produce. He gave us a new idea, that we can be an example of peace through our strength, that we can use our technology to benefit not to destroy mankind.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Guffy said. The Kennedy family is Dynamite when it comes to politics. Unfortunately, circumstance brought them down. If Robert Kennedy hadn’t have been shot, then he most likely would have won election. His brother was a very popular present and would have most certainly given him an advantage. Sadly we will never know because counter- factual history tells little.
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteAlthough you chose to report on the same individual as I did, you provided a lot of information I left out. It was incredibly interesting to read through your essay. You did a good job of providing the reader with an overlook of Reagans life over all. I seemed to have a hard time picking out what to say. He sure did live an interesting and eventful life, didn’t he? There were just so many things about him that were interesting. Also, you seemed to do a good job of balancing his political life and his personal life. Very cool. Good job.
Colby,
Good information on someone that I admit I didn’t know a whole lot about. Military action combined with five terms as a Senator of the United States makes for a busy life. It was interesting to learn that he was especially critical of many Presidential policies. His stances in Vietnam must have been very unpopular at the time.
Goofey Goober.(:
ReplyDeleteI really liked what you had to say about Robert Kennedy. I also chose to write about him and what you had to say was amazing. I loved the part about where you spoke about how you respected him, and you know what, now that I look at it I really do have respect for him also. He was a great man with great values. Good essay love!!
Hannah Whitis.
Your essay over Robert Kennedy was amazing too! I really admired how you ended it with his opening words of that speech. Romeo&Juliet.
David, you wrote one beast of an essay. Jacob you did too.
Justin.
Your essay was very well written and I liked it how you picked someone that barely no one else wrote about. I really enjoyed reading what you had to say about Richard Millhouse Nixon.
Cody, I found it really interesting to learn that Reagan had appeared in films before he became president. Your essay was very informative. Good job.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I really like your essay about Robert Kennedy. You balanced it between his personal and political background well. I think it was very remarkable how he spoke to the hundreds after Martin Luther King Jr. died and seemingly prevented riots from breaking out in Indianapolis.
David, Wow, quite a long report but excellent as well. You did a very good job of including a lot of information without making it seem cluttered. Personally, I’d never heard of McGovern before this assignment, and I learned a lot about him through your essay. Extraordinary job. =]
Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest presidents of all. Our 40th president, who served from 1981-1989. He was born in Tampico, Illinois. He grew up in California and had an actig career, starring in 52 movies. He started out as a Democrat but later switched over to the Republican party in 1962. Reagan served as governor of California for two terms and finally won the presidency of the U.S. in 1980.
ReplyDeleteSixty nine days after he took office, he was shot by someone trying to assassinate him. Thankfully he quickly recovered.
He cut taxes and government expenses in order to feed and strengthen the economy. Reagan increased employment and strengthen the national defense. It is stated that "At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression." Ronald Reagan had become popular indeed.
During his two terms he increased defense spending by 35 percent and sought to achieve "peace through strength." He negotiated arms control agreements with the Soviet Union. Ronald Reagan fulfilled his campagin promises. He died in 2004 - and what a loss that was. This man was an amazing president who made America and the world a better place to live.
References:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan
http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/reagan/essays/biography/1
Madyson, great essay on McCarthy. Yeah, I wrote on Reagan too but that is because he was the greatest of all those Mr. Akers gave us to choose from. I didn't really know anything about McCarthy and your essay was very interesting. Many will remember the name Kennedy but probably not too many will remember that McCarthy was his opponent.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read about the "Get Clean For Gene" hippy crowd.
Pope, I enjoyed reading your essay. You did a good job reporting on Richard Nixon. My mom was a teenager when Nixon was in office. She remembers the Watergate trials. When you read about what Nixon did and how much trouble he got into it pales in comparison to the corruption in politics today. Look at what Clinton did in office - and yet he didn't have to pay a price with his job. Nixon was wrong in what he did but in this day and time I don't know if he would have lost his job. Good job.
ReplyDeleteGuffey, My favorite part of your essay was when you said Robert Kennedy stayed true to his convictions. Like with the death penalty and how he voted against it. After researching McGovern I’ve seen how a politician can be against something (In McGovern’s case the Vietnam War) and still vote in favor of it (McGovern voted “yay” on many bills increasing troop involvement and supplies to Vietnam). You also pointed out that he was an influence over the political scene but so was his entire family. The Kennedys truly had a political dynasty. The last thing I want to point out is how you brought up the fact that he supported Dr. Martin Luther King and in his honor he had the Center for Justice and Human Rights bear his name. What a legacy to leave behind!
ReplyDeletePope, I agree that Nixon is most famous for his scandal, as are most people. You pointed out something most people miss, and that is that everyone on his team who knew obviously didn’t do too much to try and stop him. An entire group of people went along with this terribly planned scheme. Still, I think that he will always be remembered for that. Thomas Fuller said “A lie has no leg, but a scandal has wings.” Wings that I believe soar further and persist longer than any good act or policy he instated. It’s truly a shame, but sadly, it’s the truth.
ReplyDeleteJosh,
ReplyDeleteI like your choice in this essay. I guess Ronald Reagan was a “cool guy.” I knew that he was an actor before he was President but I didn’t know he was in that many productions. Fifty is quite a bit. I didn’t know however that he was a spokesman for General Electric. He reminds me somewhat of Nixon when it comes to his views. Both were conservative and wanted peace but weren’t about to get pushed around.
Dsams,
ReplyDeleteYou essay was very, very informative. What caught my attention by it was its length, but then I read it and realized it wasn’t just long but it was of good quality. I didn’t know much about McGovern especially that he was on the debate team. But I guess it would make sense for a future president to be recruited for the school debate team. I also didn’t know his father was a pastor.
Ashley Glass, you had an awesome essay about Ronald Reagen. Reagen truly was one of our nations greatest presidents. He achieved so much during his time in the Oval Office. It really is incredible how he kept the economy without a recession for so long.
ReplyDeleteJakob, you also had a great essay about Nixon. Besides Watergate and being paranoid, Nixon was a pretty solid president. Oh and Vietnam, he did mess up in Vietnam. Any further involvement would only hurt his image and make the country look worse. And yes his "Peace with Honor" quote was also an awesome slogan to use during the campaign.
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