Gorbachev. Justifiably or not, he will be remem-
bered for presiding over the end of the Cold War era
and for defending traditional, conservative values
reflecting the American heartland.
Further Reading
Brinkley, Douglas, ed.The Reagan Diaries. New York:
HarperCollins, 2007. Noted presidential histo-
rian’s edition of Reagan’s diaries.
Cannon, Lou.President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.
New York: PublicAffairs, 2000. Noted political
journalist’s view of Reagan and his presidency.
Diggins, John P.Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the
Making of Histor y.New York: W. W. Norton, 2007.
Positive analysis of Reagan’s accomplishments in
the public arena from a conservative perspective.
Kengor, Paul.The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the
Fall of Communism.New York: Regan Books, 2006.
Very positive discussion of Reagan’s role in the
events that led to the end of Communism in East-
ern Europe and the Soviet Union.
Lettow, Paul.Ronald Reagan and His Quest to Abolish
Nuclear Weapons.New York: Random House,
- An Oxford scholar examines Reagan’s for-
eign policy as an expression of his desire to elimi-
nate all nuclear weapons.
Reagan, Ronald.An American Life. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 1999. Reagan’s autobiography.
Reagan, Ronald, et al.Reagan, in His Own Hand: The
Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolu-
tionar y Vision for America.New York: Free Press, - A compilation of Reagan’s unpublished
writings that display his style and keen grasp of
the issues and matters of the day.
Reeves, Richard.President Reagan: The Triumph of
Imagination. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
Using a broad range of sources, this journalist viv-
idly re-creates the Reagan White House with its
successes and failures.
Troy, Gil.Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan In-
vented the 1980’s. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Uni-
versity Press, 2007. Balances the accomplishments
and contradictions in the influence of Reaganite
conservatism on American society and culture.
Tygiels, Jules.Ronald Reagan and the Triumph of Ameri-
can Conservatism. New York: Longman, 2006. De-
spite the title, a fairly balanced view of Reagan’s
accomplishments as president, in a series for stu-
dent readers.
Joseph P. Byrne
See also Berlin Wall; Congress, U.S.; Economic Re-
covery Tax Act of 1981; Elections in the United States,
1980; Elections in the United States, 1984; Foreign
policy of the United States; Grenada invasion; Haig,
Alexander; Inflation in the United States; Intermedi-
ate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty; Iran-Contra
affair; Iranian hostage crisis; Meese, Edwin, III; Mid-
dle East and North America; Military spending;
Moral Majority; Panama invasion; Reagan, Nancy;
Reagan assassination attempt; Reagan Democrats;
Reagan Doctrine; Reagan Revolution; Reaganomics;
Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech; Recessions; Soviet
Union and North America; Stealth fighter; Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI); Tax Reform Act of 1986;
USSStarkincident; Welfare.Reagan assassination attempt
The Event U.S. president Ronald Reagan is shot
by deranged gunman John Hinckley, Jr., in a
failed assassination attempt
Date March 30, 1981
Place Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington,
D.C.
Reagan’s courage and grace following the assassination at-
tempt won the hearts of the American people and increased
his popularity. Sympathy for Reagan after his injur y may
have prompted Congress to pass some of the president’s pro-
grams into law.
On a cold March day in 1981, newly elected presi-
dent Ronald Reagan arrived at the Washington
Hilton Hotel, a five-minute drive from the White
House, to deliver a speech to a group of AFL-CIO
union members. Thirty minutes later, Reagan exited
the hotel and proceeded to a waiting limousine,
where the scene soon erupted into chaos.
As Reagan moved toward the presidential car, an
armed assassin by the name of John Hinckley, Jr., ap-
peared on the sidewalk. Reagan raised his left arm to
wave to onlookers as the deranged gunman began
firing his .22 caliber handgun. Hinckley fired six
shots at the president; one bullet ricocheted off the
car and hit Reagan in the chest. Secret Service men
immediately pushed the president into the limou-
sine and raced to the George Washington University
Hospital.
Three others, including a member of the Reagan
administration and two law enforcement officials,The Eighties in America Reagan assassination attempt 805