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After campaigning for the conservative Barry Goldwater for president in 1964 (Goldwater lost), Reagan ran for governor of California by emphasizing two points:  (1) "to send the welfare bums back to work," and (2) "to clean up the mess at Berkeley" (referring to the student and hippie protests).  Reagan won in a stunning upset.  Two years later, he showed up at the Republican National Convention in Miami in 1968, when Nixon was being nominated for president.  Your teacher's brothers went to shake Reagan's hand instead of Nixon's, and it turned out that Reagan would be much more influential than Nixon was.

After campaigning for the conservative Barry Goldwater for president in 1964 (Goldwater lost), Reagan ran for governor of California by emphasizing two points:  (1) "to send the welfare bums back to work," and (2) "to clean up the mess at Berkeley" (referring to the student and hippie protests).  Reagan won in a stunning upset.  Two years later, he showed up at the Republican National Convention in Miami in 1968, when Nixon was being nominated for president.  Your teacher's brothers went to shake Reagan's hand instead of Nixon's, and it turned out that Reagan would be much more influential than Nixon was.

Every president who has served since President Reagan has imitated him, or benefited from him.  Reagan served from 1980 to 1988, winning reelection in 1984 by a record landslide number of votes.  President George H.W. Bush won the presidency by riding on Reagan's coattails; President Clinton imitated the style (but not the substance) of Reagan, and Clinton made a special (and surprising) visit to meet him after winning in 1992; and President George W. Bush imitated Reagan by giving a weekly radio addresses to this day just as Reagan did.  Politicians, both Democratic and Republican, cite Ronald Reagan today to gain support for their ideas, and the airport in D.C. is now named after him.

Every president who has served since President Reagan has imitated him, or benefited from him.  Reagan served from 1980 to 1988, winning reelection in 1984 by a record landslide number of votes.  President George H.W. Bush won the presidency by riding on Reagan's coattails; President Clinton imitated the style (but not the substance) of Reagan, and Clinton made a special (and surprising) visit to meet him after winning in 1992; and President George W. Bush imitated Reagan by giving a weekly radio addresses just as Reagan did.  Politicians, both Democratic and Republican, cite Ronald Reagan today to gain support for their ideas, and the airport in D.C. is now named after him.

President Reagan campaigned and governed based on all the conservative principles:  less government, lower taxes, less regulation, more morality, new federalism (returning power from the federal government to the states), and a strong national defense (particularly against the communists).  Every year of his presidency had a major achievement, so much so that bumper stickers afterward were entitled, "Eight Great Years" in reference to his Administration.  President Reagan was the only person who became ''more'' conservative the longer he was in power.

President Reagan campaigned and governed based on all the conservative principles:  less government, lower taxes, less regulation, more morality, new federalism (returning power from the federal government to the states), and a strong national defense (particularly against the communists).  Every year of his presidency had a major achievement, so much so that bumper stickers afterward were entitled, "Eight Great Years" in reference to his Administration.  President Reagan was the only person who became ''more'' conservative the longer he was in power.

Less than eight months into the presidency of George W. Bush, on September 11, 2001 ("9/11"), 19 Saudi Arabians hijacked four planes (about five hijackers per plane), and flew them in suicide missions into targets.  Two flew into the World Trade Centers in southern Manhattan, one for each tower, causing a massive fire at about 9am in the upper floors of the towers (see diagram at right).  Unbeknownst to the terrorists, many New Yorkers do not fully arrive to work until about 9:30am; the building was only partially full and many below the impact were able to evacuate.  But many could not evacuate; some were trapped above the point of impact and fled to the roof that soon became too hot to stand upon; and hundreds of firefighters courageously entered the building to try to save who they could.  Within an hour both towers collapsed from the fires, killing nearly 3,000 people (including those who died on the airplanes).  A third hijacked plane went to D.C., probably seeking the White House as its target.  But the White House is not easy to see from the air, and the plane crashed into the much easier-to-find large Pentagon military building, killing 66.  By then the passengers on the fourth hijacked plane learned of what happened to others by making calls to loved ones on their cell phones.  They fought back against the hijackers, preventing it from ever reaching its target of D.C., but died when the plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field during the struggle.  Ironically and tragically, pilots who regularly carried guns on flights for self-defense had been disarmed by the government just a few months earlier, leaving all pilots defenseless against this attack.  A program to rearm pilots after this attack proceeded slowly, amid opposition by proponents of gun control.

Less than eight months into the presidency of George W. Bush, on September 11, 2001 ("9/11"), 19 Saudi Arabians hijacked four planes (about five hijackers per plane), and flew them in suicide missions into targets.  Two flew into the World Trade Centers in southern Manhattan, one for each tower, causing a massive fire at about 9am in the upper floors of the towers (see diagram at right).  Unbeknownst to the terrorists, many New Yorkers do not fully arrive to work until about 9:30am; the building was only partially full and many below the impact were able to evacuate.  But many could not evacuate; some were trapped above the point of impact and fled to the roof that soon became too hot to stand upon; and hundreds of firefighters courageously entered the building to try to save who they could.  Within an hour both towers collapsed from the fires, killing nearly 3,000 people (including those who died on the airplanes).  A third hijacked plane went to D.C., probably seeking the White House as its target.  But the White House is not easy to see from the air, and the plane crashed into the much easier-to-find large Pentagon military building, killing 66.  By then the passengers on the fourth hijacked plane learned of what happened to others by making calls to loved ones on their cell phones.  They fought back against the hijackers, preventing it from ever reaching its target of D.C., but died when the plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field during the struggle.  Ironically and tragically, pilots who regularly carried guns on flights for self-defense had been disarmed by the government just a few months earlier, leaving all pilots defenseless against this attack.  A program to rearm pilots after this attack proceeded slowly, amid opposition by proponents of gun control.

9/11 was the deadliest attack ever on American soil, even deadlier than the attack on Pearl Harbor.  President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress and the entire nation, vowing to hold the perpetrators responsible.  Quickly blame was pinned on Osama bin Laden, who was in Afghanistan leading the terrorist group "Al Qaeda."  Bush demanded that the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan at the time, expel him from its country.  The Taliban refused, and Bush ordered American troops to invade Afghanistan to defeat Al Qaeda and look for bin Laden, who was reportedly not found and killed until May 2011.  During the 2011 invasion of Afghanistan, American soldiers captured terrorists, including an American later charged with treason and sentenced to 30 years in jail; some terrorists were held at Guantanamo Bay, and hundreds are still being held there a decade later while awaiting trial.

9/11 was the deadliest attack ever on American soil, even deadlier than the attack on Pearl Harbor.  President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress and the entire nation, vowing to hold the perpetrators responsible.  Quickly blame was pinned on Osama bin Laden, who was in Afghanistan leading the terrorist group "Al Qaeda."  Bush demanded that the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan at the time, expel him from its country.  The Taliban refused, and Bush ordered American troops to invade Afghanistan to defeat Al Qaeda and look for bin Laden, who was not found until he was reportedly killed by U.S. Navy SEALS in May 2011.  During the 2011 invasion of Afghanistan, American soldiers captured terrorists, including an American later charged with treason and sentenced to 30 years in jail; some terrorists were held at Guantanamo Bay, and hundreds are still being held there a decade later while awaiting trial.

Congress quickly passed the Patriot Act of 2001, which authorized extensive phone and email surveillance of Americans possibly connected with terrorism, and authorized deportation or detention of suspected terrorists.  The internal surveillance and fighting in Afghanistan became known as the "War on Terrorism," which began in 2001 and continues to this day.

Congress quickly passed the Patriot Act of 2001, which authorized extensive phone and email surveillance of Americans possibly connected with terrorism, and authorized deportation or detention of suspected terrorists.  The internal surveillance and fighting in Afghanistan became known as the "War on Terrorism," which began in 2001 and continues to this day.