American History in the Time of the Reagan Administration
The Reagan Administration signaled a dramatic sea-change in the cultural climate of the United States. Reagan emerged in the 1980s as a powerful political force, serving as a symbol of patriotism for a beleaguered American peoples. Many Americans associate the ‘80s with a time of “great prosperity,” in which a traditional “1950s view of America – patriotism, conservative family values, and conspicuous consumption” came back to fruition (Batchelor and Stoddart 3). The 1970s had left America with a bitter taste in its mouth: there was a nebulous sense of demoralization after a series of failed Presidents and distressing political events that swept the public eye. “Kent State, Watergate, the communist takeover of Vietnam, and the energy crisis,” as well as “rising crime rates, deindustrialization, anger at the courts, deteriorating educational standards, and galloping inflation and interest rates” all marred the spirit of America prior to Reagan’s meteoric rise to power (Hudson and Davies 3). Ronald Reagan took up the mantle of presidency in a desolate time for his nation, bolstering public spirits and renewing a sense of American pride that had been sidelined in previous decades. At his side for much of his political career stood prominent Californian Margaret Brock, whose unerring and philanthropic support for Reagan’s policies cemented her as a lifelong ally of the Republican Party.
The decades before Reagan’s rise to prominence were rocked with unsteady change and marked by scandal. The 1970s in particular encapsulated a time of uncertainty amongst the American people: several civil rights movements vied to gain momentum – most notably the Women’s Rights Movement, the gay movement, and the environmental movement – while, at the same time, the Vietnam War and Nixon’s notorious Watergate scandal loomed like a dark cloud. The 1970s energy crisis upturned the lives of many American citizens and companies alike:
Local, state and national leaders called for measures to conserve energy, asking gas stations to close on Sundays and homeowners to refrain from putting up holiday lights on their houses. In addition to causing major problems in the lives of consumers, the energy crisis was a huge blow to the American automotive industry, which had for decades turned out bigger and bigger cars and would now be outpaced by Japanese manufacturers producing smaller and more fuel-efficient models. (Onion, Sullivan, Mullen 1)
The blow to American companies reverberated in the souls of the American people: there was a dwindling sense of hope, exacerbated by rising prices and the constant threat of violence presented by involvement in the Vietnam War. The Watergate Scandal of 1972 was yet another significant blow to a nation standing on shaky legs: President Nixon was compelled to resign after covering up the break in of five men to the Democratic National Convention in 1972 (Ritchie 49). The Presidency was an office racked by scandal; in desperate need of an incorruptible face to restore not only the reputation of the Republican Party but to bolster the spirits of a disillusioned peoples.
This desire for tradition; for a return to “old values,” was one that bolstered Reagan’s campaign and subsequent Presidency. Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on January 20, 1981, as a member of the Republican Party. He had run, and won, on a platform of hope: hope of restoring faith to the American peoples and hope of returning to the marked success and tradition of a post-World War II United States. “In hindsight,” writes David Byrne, “Reagan represented the future of the Republican Party, and maybe even America. His 1980 election bordered on a landslide. Furthermore the 1984 election was arguably the largest landslide in American history. Never has the Electoral College voted for anyone as overwhelming as it did for Reagan in 1984” (139). He was astronomically popular, having followed an untraditional path to the political sphere (beginning his career as an actor) and possessing an unswerving charisma.
Reagan’s election ushered in what was considered by many to be the “first true conservative U.S. president in over 50 years” (Reagan Library 1). His policies were staunchly conservative: upon assuming the Presidency, Reagan was responsible for the largest single tax cut in American history. He launched the famed “Star Wars” missile program, which sought to defend the United States from foreign attacks. Reagan is today perhaps most strongly associated with a firm distrust – and distaste – for the Soviet Union, and for the spread of communist values. He labeled the USSR an “evil empire,” though he would later go on to befriend Mikael Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party, and the two together “removed the lid from the simmering pot of the Soviet Union” (Wilson Center 1). Reagan’s presidency marked the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of significant reform in the USSR – culminating with the ever-famous quote from President Reagan as he demanded the Berlin Wall to come down – “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!”
While Reagan’s policies succeeded in bringing about a traditional renaissance; a return to “American values” that had become muddled in the deafening momentum of the ‘60s and ‘70s, he was not without his share of criticism – especially from modern political critics. Most often critiqued is Reagan’s implementation of “supply-side economics,” better known by some as “trickle-down economics.” The basic idea behind supply-side economics was that “the money was all appropriated from the top in hopes that it would trickle down to the needy…” (Quiggin 137). This policy has been largely criticized – and debated – in the years since Reagan’s presidency, with many arguing that the money does in fact “trickle up” (Quiggin 137).
Reagan’s effect on the Republican party – and the larger spirit of the American peoples – was undeniable. He was a charismatic force of energy; cheerful and rallying even when he lay on his deathbed following a botched assassination attempt. He was the exact injection of hope that a waning America needed, instilling his people with hope and a desire to return to the values of an older, seemingly simpler, time. “Trust the people,” Reagan famously said. “This is the only irrefutable lesson of the entire postwar period contradicting the notion that rigid government controls are essential to economic development.”
A woman who holds a special place in Reagan’s Administration is Mrs. Margaret Martin Brock, a philanthropist who was highly involved in the Republican party throughout the majority of her life (Knox). Mrs. Margaret Brock was born to a wealthy family in California, and she spent her life in the state (Knox). She married Mr. George C. Brock and dedicated her life to both philanthropy and fundraising (Knox).
Not only did she curate a multitude of fundraisers for the Republican party but also was a delegate to “10 national Republic conventions” as well as was “co-founder of the Republican Eagles” (Knox). Mrs. Brock’s dedication to the Republican party shined through in her daily efforts, and she led her life thinking about politics and the American people. Being nicknamed “Mrs. California Republican” by President Ronald Reagan himself, Mrs. Brock was extremely influential in the Republican party, specifically in her ability to receive donations through fundraising (Knox). She “co-chaired California campaigns for the White House of Bush and Reagan: as well as “Pete Wilson’s U.S. Senate and governor races” (Oliver). She also served a very pivotal role as finance chairwoman for Republican David Dreier who gushed at how “Margaret Brock’s generous encouragement led many of us to choose public service” and that “her support of higher education and the Republican Party leaves a legacy that will continue for generations to come” (Dreier qtd. in Oliver).
Since Mrs. Brock was a devoted philanthropist, she spent her time helping educational institutions, scholarships, and organizations that would “provide learning situations for young people or assistance to the poor” (Oliver). She also played a pivotal role as an essential supporter of Pepperdine University in the early 1970’s. She was an active member of the Board of Regents for many years as well as funded the Brock House (Oliver). Voted “Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year in 1956”, Mrs. Brock was a crucial and critical woman, not only for the Reagan Administration but for the Republican Party as a whole (Oliver). She loved to help others, and her various work endeavors display her pure love for humanity.
The Reagan administration was a powerful presidency due to the influential ways it affected the American people. With Reagan’s presidency stemming from a rocky time period of both chaos and division, Reagan was able to unify and nationalize the American population in a way no other President had before. Throughout all of his accomplishments, he was able to strengthen the American political system and in turn, implement positive change and reform with the American people in mind. His cheerful, radiant personality extended across his administration, and he will always be remembered as an influential President whose main focus was the people, for the people. All in all, he transformed American politics, and we remember him today with feelings of fondness and gratitude for the amazing platform he curated for America, both in regards to politics and the American people.
Jaclyn Rothman and Taylor Gracie
Works cited
Batchelor, Bob, and Scott Frederick Stoddart. The 1980s. Greenwood Press, 2007.
Byrne, David T.. “The Reagan Intellectual Legacy.” Ronald Reagan: An Intellectual Biography, University of Nebraska Press, 2018, pp. 139–76, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv75d6gz.12. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
“Energy Crisis (1970s).” History, https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/energy-crisis. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
Hudson, Cheryl, and Gareth Davies. Ronald Reagan and the 1980s; Perceptions, Policies, Legacies. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Knox, Kelsey. “The Finding Aid of the Margaret Martin Brock Papers 0154.” Online Archive of California, 2018, https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8v411t6/entire_text/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
Oliver, Myrna. “Margaret Martin Brock; Major GOP Fund-Raiser.” Los Angeles Times, 14 May 1997, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-05-14-mn-58706-story.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
Quiggin, John. “Trickle-Down Economics.” Zombie Economics: How Dead Ideas Still Walk among Us, REV-Revised, Princeton University Press, 2010, pp. 137–76, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7rg7m.9. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
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“The Reagan Presidency.” Ronald Reagan, https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/reagan-administration/reagan-presidency. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
“Reagan Talk to World Bank and I.M.F.” The New York Times, 30 September 1981, https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/30/business/reagan-talk-to-world-bank-and-imf.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.
Ritchie, Donald A. “Investigating the Watergate Scandal.” OAH Magazine of History, vol. 12, no. 4, 1998, pp. 49–53, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163236. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.