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¶ … speech "Challenger Address to the Nation" by President Ronald Reagan. Specifically, it will analyze the elements of the rhetorical situation in the address. It will also discuss how the elements relate to Reagan's presidency and popularity at the time of the speech in January 1986. Ronald Reagan endures as one of the most popular American presidents, and speeches such as this one are one indication of his popularity. They are poignant, resilient, and emotional, all of which characterize his administration and his outlook as a politician and a person.
When the Challenger space shuttle exploded during take-off in 1986, the event shocked and saddened the nation. America lost seven of its brightest and best astronauts, and the country grieved over the loss. Reagan's speech acknowledged that grief and mourned along with the nation. The speech is quite indicative of Reagan's public popularity at the time. Just like Reagan himself, the speech was emotional and touching. Two Reagan speech experts note, "In many ways the Challenger speech included the most salient features of Reagan's rhetoric: unself-conscious references to God, emphasis on heroes,...
4). He was an emotional president, and his speeches and actions often conveyed this, which is one reason he was so popular with so many of the American people.
When the Challenger disaster occurred, Reagan was probably at his lowest point in public popularity. While he was elected in a landslide with almost 60% of the votes in 1984, his popularity was slipping by 1986. In fact, in November 1986 Americans voted in a Democratic Congress, indicating their dissatisfaction with the Republican administration. However, in speeches such as the Challenger address, Reagan connected with the American people, and by the time he left office in 1989, he was (and remains) one of the most popular presidents in history. As another historian notes, "Eventually, the public also came to admire Reagan, but for different reasons, namely his likeable persona and crucial role in ending the Cold War" (White, 2004). Thus, Reagan's public approval was not always high, but overall, the American people admired him and liked him, and much of this came from his…
References
Cannon, L. (2001). Ronald Reagan: The Presidential portfolio: a history illustrated from the collection of the Ronald Reagan library and museum. New York: Public Affairs.
Ritter, K., & Henry, D. (1992). Ronald Reagan: The great communicator. New York: Greenwood Press.
White, J.K. (2004). Ronald Reagan: The power of conviction and the success of his Presidency. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 34(1), 173+.
Reagan, Ronald. (1986). Ronald Reagan: The space shuttle Challenger tragedy address. Retrieved from the American rhetoric.com Web site: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rreaganchallenger.htm 29 Aug. 2005.
Mario Cuomo's Address To The Democratic Convention Although Walter Mondale was resoundingly defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1984, Mario Cuomo's opening address to the Democratic convention that same year remains indelibly imprinted in the minds of all of those who heard it, and those who re-hear it today. It is a clarion cry for a different vision of America, and a demand that all the voices of Americans are heard. In
It was a poor policy at best, and the President's Cabinet approved the plan, even if he did not. In fact, Congress specifically denied the request to send money to the Contras, so it was done in secret, and this violated the law and the trust of the nation. It was dishonest, it was covert, and it cast a dark cloud over the presidency and Reagan's own motives. In comparison,
presidential election of 1992 was a tight race, compared to others in history. The struggle between the Clinton camp, which focused on a platform involving the economy, the Bush camp, who focused on a platform whose basis was trust and taxes, and the Perot camp, who relied on a business-style economic platform, all combined to form one of the most interesting and changing races in recent years. This paper
In addition, protests against the war were readily televised at that time and protesters became more aware of the benefits of televised protest.[footnoteRef:4] the efforts of black anti-segregationists also benefits from televised coverage and became more conversant with valuable uses of the medium.[footnoteRef:5] in addition, popular culture became more open to black citizens: a "black sitcom" called "The Jeffersons" debuted in 1975 and revolved around the lives of a
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