Reagan Library Reflection
After going to the Reagan Library for the first time I was astonished by many artifacts. I’m not going to lie at first I though we were going to an actual library to look at books. As soon as we started walking into the museum my jaw dropped.
The picture on the left is one out of the five object I choose from the museum. Those were the outfits that Nancy and Ronald Reagan wore the day of his Inauguration. I’m a big fan of fashion therefore when I saw what they wore back in the day I fell in love with their clothing. Everyone has their own sense of style but I’m sure many people still like this style. This picture also has Reagan’s note cards of his speech.”Lets us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams” (Ronald Reagan). This quote really stood out to me because it pretty much states that we can start over and have big hopes and dreams even if they seem impossible.
The picture below is a display of Ronald Reagan’s sport life. According to this display he was a very athletic person. I chose this as my second artifact because when you think of the president of the United States playing sports
it sounds strange. Ronald Reagan loved playing sports and being outdoors. While he was growing up he would swim in the Rock River, hiked hills and cliffs around Dixon. When he was in high school he wanted to played football but he was too small his freshman year. By the time his Junior year came around he was ready to play football. He continued his football career when he went to Eureka College but also joined the swimming team. 
For my third artifact that I chose was the displays from when he got shot. Since there was more than one I chose this display because it states what happened that day. On Monday 30, 1981 Ronald Reagan was shot at by John Hinckely but didn’t die, one of his securities did for saving his life. Although Reagan didn’t die he still got injured. One of the bullets hit him in the ribs and went through one of his lungs. Luckily the bullet stopped an inch before it reached his heart. When Reagan arrived at George Washington University Hospital he was in critical conditions and they didn’t know if he would survive. That day he lost more than half of his blood but luckily the surgeons his surgery was a success and he was able to recuperate himself.
My fourth artifact is this display of when he died. On June 11, 2004 his family and close friends got together for his burial him before sunset and his interment that evening. In this image you can see the First Lady, Nancy Reagan, holding the American Flag. That flag was the one that covered Reagan’s casket. His casket was taken to the Reagan Library, the main lobby was filled with citizens and they were paying their respects to him. Its amazing to know that not only did Ronald Reagan have his own library but when he died he was there as well. I’m sure it was a good memory for Nancy Reagan. Seeing all those people in the main lobby paying their respects is a good way to close his private ceremony.
For my last artifact I chose this picture of me standing on the podium where Ronald Reagan gave his speeches. All this time I thought that he would remember all his speeches but he wouldn’t. They were all typed out on the screens next to the podium and would reflect on glass screens so that he would be able to read it. But it wouldn’t seem as if he was reading his speeches because no one can see the glass screens and the reflection of his speeches. Since the speeches reflected on both of his sides he would switch off what side he would read off of and it made it seem as if was making eye contact with the press.
My overall favorite object out of the five artifacts that I chose from the Reagan Library was the displays of when he got shot. I enjoyed this display for many reasons. One of those reasons is because they had multiple displays not just one. They had the blue suit he wore that day, it was the first and last time he wore it obviously because it got ruined. When he arrived at the George Washington University Hospital it was cut off from his body while the doctors were searching for his wounds. This suit was on display and I was able to see some blood stains and the bullet hole from his ribs.
Another reason why I enjoyed this display was because they had an identical gun to the one that John Hinckley used to try and kill Ronald Reagan. John had bought the gun on October of 1980 from a Texas pawnshop and used it on March 30, 1981. John had shot at Ronald Reagan from fifteen feet away. In this same display was a piece of the window of the Presidential Limousine. It was a bullet-resistant glass from the window. This was the reason why Ronald Reagan didn’t die because once one of his agents realized that there was shots being fired they immediately rushed him into the limousine. Sadly one of his secret service agents died that day for trying to save the presidents life.
This section of the Museum also had a picture of his x-rays and it shows the bullet almost reaching his heart. In my opinion they put all of these displays in this section of the museum so that who ever goes to visit it can see how bad his injuries were and how it was a depressing day for his family. When I was going through that section I was almost able to feel what his family felt that day. I was seriously about to cry. When I walked into that section I noticed the film playing and at first I thought it was going to be one of his speeches but it was the film of when John shot at Reagan.
After the museum I did some research on Ronald Reagan I found that Ronald Reagan carried a pistol with him in his briefcase everywhere he went, including Air force 1. It’s understandable because since he got shot at once, he wanted to be protected at all times. Even though he was being protected by the secret service he just wanted to assure more security. He never used the gun but I believe it just made him feel more secure just in case someone else would try to shot at him.
Since this section didn’t give much information about that day you can always investigate on your own more ways about it. As people call it “the truth” of what happened that day not just what is in display at the museum. You can always go online and look up the date, search up Ronald Reagan being shot at, or even John Hinckley. I’m more than positive you’ll be able to find out a lot more than the museum is showing us. You can also look at archives from Ronald Reagan and there most likely will be reports on that day but of course you will need special authority to access those files.
Overall this section of the museum really represents Ronald Reagan’s history of that day. Even though it wasn’t one of the best days of his presidency it was definitely one he overcame. Knowing that he was in critical conditions and that he lost nearly half of his blood but still managed to recuperate is a sign of how strong he is. Only a strong person would be able to overcome a day like he did and still be able to continue his presidency. Just to think of the fact that if President Reagan would have died that day then Vice President Bush would have been president in replacement of Reagan. Either way Bush still became the president after Reagan only Reagan was still alive then. Going to the Ronald Reagan Library was an education trip. It isn’t a library it is a museum of objects and facts from when Reagan was president.
