US History-Living History Project: Reagan Era
President Reagan Giving a Speech at the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, 1986 (detail). Public Domain.
Subject Reference Databases & E-Book Resources
Subject Database & E-Book resources related to Ronald Reagan & his presidency.
All GBS Library databases and e-books are accessible from home with your GBS Username & Password. See Home Access box at the bottom of the page for more details.
- The Reagan Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (ebook)
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- "Reaganomics"--Dictionary of American History (e-book)
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A brief but thorough overview of Reagan's approach to economics . Includes a helpful bibliography. - "Reagan, Ronald" Cold War Encyclopedia (e-book)
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A good overview of the president's role in the Cold War and his involvement in Latin America. - Ronald Reagan "Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate" -- Annals of America
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"In June 1987 President Ronald Reagan...called on Gorbachev to pull down the Berlin Wall and to end Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. Two years later, in November 1989, the Berlin Wall did fall. Excerpts of Reagan's speech are reprinted here." - Michael Kinsley--"The Fall Of Communism"--Annals of American History
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In this essay, "Michael Kinsley, editor of The New Republic magazine, takes the liberal view, arguing that the inherent flaws of Communism, rather than President Reagan's policies, caused the collapse of the Soviet empire." - Nuclear Freeze Movement--Issues & Controversies in American History
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- "Iran-Contra Scandal"-- Issues & Controversies in American History
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Was the Iran-Contra affair morally justified? - "Supply-side Economics Alters Tax Policy in the 1980s"--Issues & Controversies in American History.
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A good overview of supply-side economics. - Excerpt from the New American Poverty (1984, by Michael Harrington) --Dictionary of American History
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"Michael Harrington's 1984 book, The New American Poverty...illustrates the ineffectiveness of government programs designed to address poverty by drawing attention to statistics revealing the desperate plight of poor Americans. In this excerpt, Harrington discusses the new face of rural poverty in the South and the escalating Social Security crisis."
Newspaper & Magazine Databases
Use ProQuest Historical Newspapers Complete and World New Digest for newspaper articles written during the Nixon Adnimistration. Search ProQuest News, magazines & Journals for magazine articles from the early days of the Reagan Administration to the present.
All GBS Library databases and e-books are accessible from home with your GBS Username & Password. See Home Access box at the bottom of the page for more details.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Dates Vary) This link opens in a new window
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Includes historical coverage of New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, and more. - World News Digest (1940 to Present) This link opens in a new window
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U.S. and World News from 1940 to the present. - ProQuest News, Magazines, and Journals This link opens in a new window
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Includes all ProQuest databases. Thousands of resources.
The century: America's Time: 1981-89 A New World
Database Key
: Contains primary sources.
: Great resource for beginning research.
: Contains news and/or other current events resources.
: Contains articles from academic and professional journals.
: Requires username & password from home.
: Text-to-Speech function.
: Contains audio.
Web Resources
Here are some very good Reagan Presidency & Reagan Era related websites.
- Ronald Reagan (CNN)
An excellent resource. The site is extensive and well-organized site chronicling the Reagan presidency and the its political, economic and cultural effects. Includes audio and video. - "Reagan"--the American Experience (PBS)
Watch the American Experience documentary in its entirety. This site includes audio, timelines, primary documents, overviews of major events, profiles of major figures of the time, and more. - Reagan: The great communicator (BBC News)
A well-written, concise overview of Reagan's relations with the press and his media persona. - Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
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Includes quick reference information, presidential papers, audio, video, photographs, speeches, and more. - Ronald Reagan, The Great Communicator (National Public Radio)
"NPR's Liane Hansen has this retrospective of some of the most effective speeches delivered by President Ronald Reagan. The powerful and convincing orator would become known as 'The Great Communicator'." - The Living Room Candidate
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"The Living Room Candidate contains more than 300 commercials, from every presidential election since 1952...This innovation had a permanent effect on the way presidential campaigns are run."
Home Access to Databases
All GBS Library databases and e-books are accessible from home with your GBS Username & Password.
If you see the screen shown below, use your GBS username and password (the same ones you use to login to the GBS computers & Power School) to log in:
If you don't see this screen but are still asked for a username and password:
Click HERE** to access the old-school password list and use the passwords on the list to log in.
If you are having login trouble, please let the Library know by filling out this brief Login Problems Form so we can fix it.
**You will have to be logged into your GBS Google Apps account to access the document.
The Modern Era (1980-Present)
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