The Reagan Library Education Blog

With the onset of the 2008 presidential election season, the country was faced with a series of domestic and international crises. After seven years, the combined wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had heavily declined in public support. While the American casualty rates were significantly lower than in previous wars, the financial, social, and political costs … Continue reading American Elections and Campaigns – 2008 to 2012: “Hope” in Politics, “Change” in Technology

Presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush during one of the presidential debates in the 2000 election season. (The New York Times) As Bill Clinton’s presidency neared its end, the presidential election of 2000 saw Vice President Al Gore compete for the White House against George W. Bush, the son of the former eponymous … Continue reading American Elections and Campaigns – The 2000s: Old Rivalries, New Millennium

As the two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan neared its end, Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush faced competition from both Kansas Senator Bob Dole and Virginia televangelist Pat Robertson for the Republican presidential nomination. While Bush trailed behind the two other candidates for a while, he had a stronger base of financial and political support … Continue reading American Elections and Campaigns – 1988 to 1996: Twilight of the 20th Century

By the end of the 1970s, the Carter administration had become increasingly unpopular among the general American public. The advent of “stagflation” - a combination of high unemployment rates and inflation of the money supply - persisted throughout the decade with little improvement under Carter’s leadership. In international affairs, fifty-two American civilians and diplomats were … Continue reading American Elections and Campaigns – The 1980s: The “Reagan Revolution”

After a full four-year term, Nixon unanimously earned the Republican nomination for president in the 1972 election. His presidency was generally well-received for several reasons. In diplomacy, Nixon managed to open communications with the People’s Republic of China, and heralded the era of détente - a de-escalation of Cold War tensions - with the Soviet … Continue reading American Elections and Campaigns – The 1970s: From Corruption to Stagnation

The 1960s saw the United States go through several long-term changes in its political and social characteristics, and have been generally described by historians as a decade of domestic and foreign instability. John F. Kennedy maintained a generally-consistent approval level during his presidency. Through 1961 to 1963, he led the United States through the Cuban … Continue reading American Elections and Campaigns – Divisions of the 1960s