Watergate Break In

June 17 In American History

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Today is Father’s Day and the birthday, also, of my oldest son, David, who was born on Father’s Day, a coinciding event that occurs rarely.

But it is also a major historic day in American history in a number of ways.

1775–Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston, actually at Breed’s Hill location nearby, second battle of developing American Revolution against Great Britain.

1856–Republican Party opens its first National Convention in Philadelphia.

1885–Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, arrives in New York Harbor, will be installed in 1886.

1932–“Bonus Army” veterans of World War I march on the US Capitol, demanding veterans benefits in midst of Great Depression under President Herbert Hoover.

1954–The end of the Army-McCarthy hearings, which leads to the Senate censure of Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin for his misbehavior.

1972–The Watergate Break In occurs, the beginning of the downfall of Richard Nixon, the most corrupt President until Donald Trump.

2015–Nine African American worshipers at Emmanuel AME Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, are murdered by a 21 year old white racist gunman.

All of these events are tied together–the promotion of freedom, liberty, principle, social justice, civil rights, and the rule of law.

All of these principles are under attack in 2018!

13 Years Since Ronald Reagan’s Death, And My Visit To The Reagan Museum And Library

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Yesterdat, June 5, was the 13th anniversary of the death of President Ronald Reagan, and guess where this blogger was!

I finally made it to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, as part of my week long vacation to Los Angeles. I spent the entire day at the museum.

Ronald Reagan was certainly a very influential President, who everyone liked, even if one did not agree with his agenda and his policies.

Never a fan of Reagan in office, and believing that conservatives have distorted the reality of the Reagan Presidency, it was very revealing to visit the magnificent museum, which is the largest in total space of any Presidential library.

Of course, like any Presidential library and museum, the tendency is to glorify the life and historical record of such President. However, I wish to point out that I was surprised that the Reagan Museum and Library did not discuss any of the four Reagan children, from Reagan’s two marriages, and made no mention of actress Jane Wyman, Reagan’s first wife, with whom he had his first two children. I wonder how Reagan’s three surviving children, Michael from Wyman, and Patti and Ron Jr from Nancy, feel about that!

I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this visit, and that it has added to my understanding of Ronald Reagan, and that it will assist me in teaching and lecturing in the future on the 40th President. And as I write today, I also mark exactly 45 years since I walked into my first time teaching a class, on June 6, 1972, which turned out to be 11 days before the Watergate break in that brought down Richard Nixon, whose Presidential library and museum I am visting tomorrow, June 7!

And I wish to point out that I wrote an article on History News Network last year, comparing Reagan to Donald Trump, with Reagan coming out shining by comparison, and it can be found on the right side of the blog.