The Reagan Era?

Is the Ronald Wilson Reagan Era concluded?

The question is not so simple. From one perspective the era is indeed over. One may deem the closure as the end of his political life or the passing from our world. Nevertheless, from that standpoint the Reagan Era has ended.

The complexity lies in the broader concept of the Reagan Era. The passing of an individual does not always dictate the end of an era. People with the impact and influence on a society, on the global level to garner an “Era” for their movement, will create change long after they are gone through the movement that remains.

There are two presidents who often rank tops with Ronald Reagan. They both serve as examples via comparison to determine whether an era has ended.

First, President Abraham Lincoln, who’s life abruptly ended. Lincoln’s movement to reunite this nation void of the inhumane enslavement of others continued years after he left our world. Post-Civil War Reconstruction continued for years. Republicans continued his cause. Former slaves made great strides serving as US Senators. However, Lincoln’s successor did not share his views. Upon Lincoln’s assassination the new President Johnson and Democrat Party opposed Lincoln’s pro-freedom Post-Civil War Reconstruction. We forget the tumultuous setbacks after Lincoln’s death. His political opponents never garnered the strength to reinstitute slavery. Unfortunately, those who supported slavery eventually instituted a segregated society often by capturing state governments through force. Lincoln’s cause struggled for a leader capable of filing his shoes. Most consider President Lincoln’s era abruptly ended on April 14, 1865, with his assassination. Though Lincoln’s dreams were not fully realized on his watch, his movement did long endure.

A second example is that of our Founding Father’s Era. George Washington remains the ultimate American: General, President, and Founding Father. We don’t deem this George Washington’s Era. Why? The era spans many decades and individuals. Though aren’t Washington’s years really most important? Of the Founding Fathers we also remember Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, Henry, Paine, and others from the time of revolution through the first few presidents. We remember the revolution and countless precedents Washington set serving two terms. Yet we often forget those years between when Washington went home after the war. The first attempt at American government failed miserably with the Articles of Confederation. Washington’s return of 8 years instilled stability and integrity in a government to last over 200 years. For one and a half centuries no one dared challenge his two term precedent. Washington’s influence and that of our Founding Fathers survives today.

The reason we struggle with the Reagan Era is twofold.
First, no successor has successfully filled Reagan’s role.
Second, we have identified the Era as Reagan’s.

To the question whether the Reagan Era has ended is both complicated and simplified by these problems.

First, since no one successfully filled Reagan’s shoes, it is difficult to believe the era continues. As with Lincoln and Washington you cannot fill their shoes so easily. You cannot duplicate an individual. Washington did not define the movement; he was simply its best leader. However, there were other leaders, other Founding Fathers. After Washington’s departure others continued the cause: Adams, Jefferson, etc. Lincoln’s story is much different. He successfully ended slavery and kept our states united. Lincoln was murdered for his movement. President Johnson opposed Lincoln’s vision of equality. In fact he wrote to Missouri Governor Fletcher, “This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men.” The pro-slavery Democrats were eventually able to hostilely regain control in southern states and institute an economic and new societal form of slavery, which still resides subversively in Democrat party policies. Though no one filled Reagan’s shoes, his passing was not as abrupt as Lincoln’s. He faded from the national spotlight like Washington.

Second, identifying an era for one individual can obscure the underlying movement. George Washington didn’t offer an idea or vision that was his alone. It was a shared vision established by a group of brilliant individuals. The challenge is whether another can pick up the cause after the main leader steps aside. Plus the underlying cause must always be the focus. Adams proved able to continue the cause after Washington. Lincoln’s successor, President Johnson, did not share Lincoln’s vision. Reagan’s Revolution was the conservative movement. He was not the sole individual behind it, but he was the messenger. As “The Great Communicator” Reagan spread the message with an appearance of ease. Reagan’s passing was certainly a relative, momentary blow to the cause. But what is the cause?

The Reagan Revolution was a resurgence of the ideals of our Founding Fathers: modern conservatism.

This leaves us with an answer.
The era of Ronald Reagan is over. It will never be lost. It will never be forgotten. Ronald Reagan rose to the level of a Founding Father. He fully embraced their ideals and continued in action as the Founding Fathers. We came to know this era as the Reagan Revolution. But are they one in the same? Unequivocally, no.

Reagan’s conservatism and his message grew far beyond his own mortality. We embraced it as the Reagan Revolution. The title was intended as honorary for this brave leader. It was never intended a limiter. In Reagan’s farewell address he acknowledged that he and his supporters set out to improve our country and ended up changing the world. He encouraged us to continue the cause. He is right.

George Washington’s rebellion never ended. It evolved into something more powerful than the Founding Fathers could ever have foreseen. An era called the American Revolution evolved into the greatest force this world has seen. Transition is difficult. As the colonies moved to establish government at the end of the war, they floundered. The first attempt at American government was a failure. Lincoln again took up the cause and paid with his life. His passing was a major setback, but America moved forward. Ronald Reagan continued the fight our Founding Fathers began.

The era of Ronald Reagan fades more with each passing day. But we must never forget the Reagan Revolution ended in victory. More importantly we must not forget that the Reagan Revolution was a small piece in a much larger effort. The struggle of our Founding Fathers is now encompassed in the conservative movement.

We recognize and refuse to let go of the greatness of Ronald Reagan, and rightfully so, because he communicated the ideals of America better than any others in over a century.

We have graduated from the Reagan Revolution.

Now is time “to begin the world over again.”

Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.