Reagan Accepts Presidential Nomination (1:33)
After unsuccessfully seeking the presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, Ronald Reagan was nominated at the Republican National Convention on September 7, 1980. In his acceptance speech, the former California governor tells American taxpayers that they do not exist to fund the federal government.
Speeches & Audio (10)
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Reagan Accepts Presidential Nomination
Reagan Accepts Presidential NominationAudio Clip (1:33)
Audio Clip (1:33)
After unsuccessfully seeking the presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, Ronald Reagan was nominated at the Republican National Convention on September 7, 1980. In his acceptance speech, the former California governor tells American taxpayers that they do not exist to fund the federal government.
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Reagan’s 1984 Presidential Nomination
Reagan’s 1984 Presidential NominationAudio Clip (0:57)
Audio Clip (0:57)
On August 23, 1984, President Ronald Reagan accepts his party's nomination for a second term. In his speech at the Republican National Convention, President Reagan promises a "springtime of hope" for America.
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Reagan’s Second Inaugural Address
Reagan’s Second Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (0:47)
Audio Clip (0:47)
Defeating Democratic nominee Walter Mondale with an unprecedented electoral vote margin, President Ronald Reagan secured a second term as president of the United States. In his inaugural address on January 21, 1985, Reagan introduces the idea of a "new American emancipation."
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Kennedy and Nixon's Fourth Presidential Debate
Kennedy and Nixon's Fourth Presidential DebateAudio Clip (5:37)
Audio Clip (5:37)
On October 21, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon took part in the last of a series of the first televised presidential debates in U.S. history.
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Shirley Chisholm Runs for Presidential Nomination
Shirley Chisholm Runs for Presidential NominationAudio Clip (3:27)
Audio Clip (3:27)
During her 1972 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American congresswoman, promises to tell the truth about sex and race.
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Colin Powell Declines Presidential Bid
Colin Powell Declines Presidential BidAudio Clip (2:26)
Audio Clip (2:26)
On November 8, 1995, Colin Powell put an end to speculation when he announced that he would not run for president in the next election.
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Obama's Inaugural Address
Obama's Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (2:16)
Audio Clip (2:16)
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and the nation's first African-American president. In his inaugural address, he reminds Americans that he is taking office "in the midst of crisis" but offers hope in meeting the challenge.
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Reagan and Mondale in 1984 Presidential Debate
Reagan and Mondale in 1984 Presidential DebateAudio Clip (1:15)
Audio Clip (1:15)
On October 21, 1984, President Ronald Reagan and former Vice President Walter Mondale engage in their second nationally broadcast debate. When Henry Trewhitt of the Baltimore Sun asks the president about his advancing age, Reagan turns the question on its head by promising not to make an issue of his opponent’s youth and inexperience.
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Reagan and Carter in 1980 Presidential Debate
Reagan and Carter in 1980 Presidential DebateAudio Clip (1:06)
Audio Clip (1:06)
Held on October 28, 1980, the debate between former California governor Ronald Reagan and incumbent President Jimmy Carter covers the issues of inflation, the energy crisis and terrorism. In his closing statement, Reagan makes an impact when he poses this question: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"
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Nixon's Second Inaugural Address
Nixon's Second Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (1:42)
Audio Clip (1:42)
After a landslide reelection victory, incumbent President Richard Nixon stresses America's role in the pursuit of world peace during his second inaugural address, delivered on January 20, 1973.
Videos (10)
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Second Presidential Term
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Second Presidential TermVideo Clip (1:31)
Video Clip (1:31)
After Franklin D. Roosevelt was reelected in one of the greatest landslides in American history, he had a surprisingly shaky second term.
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Nixon: Federal Spending
Nixon: Federal SpendingVideo Clip (2:01)
Video Clip (2:01)
Richard Nixon debates the fact that evaluating the effectiveness of programs is not measuring how much money they spend, but rather if they are doing the right thing for America. Nixon also explains the spending plans of himself and his opponent.
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Ask Steve: Southern Strategy
Ask Steve: Southern StrategyVideo Clip (1:22)
Video Clip (1:22)
In this video clip from Ask Steve, the Southern Strategy is explained. It was the republican party's successful plan of getting the white southern population to shift their views from democratic to republican.
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Kennedy: Teachers' Salaries
Kennedy: Teachers' SalariesVideo Clip (1:32)
Video Clip (1:32)
John F. Kennedy answers back to Nixon's accusation of supporting federal control of teacher salaries. Kennedy explains that was not the question before the Senate in February, the issue was whether to give federal aid to the state to support education.
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Kennedy: Communism within the U.S.
Kennedy: Communism within the U.S.Video Clip (0:50)
Video Clip (0:50)
Senator John F. Kennedy talks about the internal threat that communism poses to national security. Kennedy describes that these internal factions are serious and should be taken care of by supporting laws that the U.S. has already passed.
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Nixon's Summation
Nixon's SummationVideo Clip (3:19)
Video Clip (3:19)
Listen to the important issues in 1960 in this History Channel video of one of the first televised debates, which took place between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. The video shows Nixon stating his views from the Soviet Union to health insurance.
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Nixon: Eisenhower Record
Nixon: Eisenhower RecordVideo Clip (1:05)
Video Clip (1:05)
Richard Nixon explains the progress that he plans for America and how he will achieve it in his debate with Senator John F. Kennedy. Nixon shows how he will continue the progress he has helped start in the Eisenhower Administration.
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The Great Communicator
The Great CommunicatorVideo Clip (4:18)
Video Clip (4:18)
Ronald Reagan galvanized the American public through his famous speeches that helped redefine American politics in the 1980s.
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Kennedy's Summation
Kennedy's SummationVideo Clip (2:48)
Video Clip (2:48)
This John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon 1960 presidential debate History Channel video shows Senator Kennedy speaking about the importance of the Social Security Act of 1935 and now was the time to do something for elderly medical care.
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Kennedy: Federal Government's Role
Kennedy: Federal Government's RoleVideo Clip (1:43)
Video Clip (1:43)
Mr. Kennedy: "I know that there are those who want to turn everything over to the government. I don't at all. I want the individuals to meet their responsibilities. And I want the states to meet their responsibilities. But I think there is also a national responsibility. The argument has been used against every piece of social legislation in the last twenty-five years. The people of the United States individually could not have developed the Tennessee Valley; collectively they could have. A cotton farmer in Georgia or a peanut farmer or a dairy farmer in Wisconsin and Minnesota, he cannot protect himself against the forces of supply and demand in the market place; but working together in effective governmental programs he can do so. Seventeen million Americans, who live over sixty-five on an average Social Security check of about seventy-eight dollars a month, they're not able to sustain themselves individually, but they can sustain themselves through the social security system..." | Courtesy of the National Archives
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