Ronald Reagan Muesum

On Friday September 25th our University 198 class went to the Ronal Reagan Muesum/Library. Though we had been planning to go the week before there was a presidential debate happening that week so we ahd to reschedule which in the end worked out really well, since when we went there wasn’t that many people as there would have been if we had gone the week before. It was nice to have had experienced this moment with all of us together because it will be a moment we won’t forget.

Air Force One Pavilion: I thought the Air Force One Pavilion was really interesting because we got to see the actual airplane the president used when he had to travel all over the world for issues concerning our country. When we h
ad the tour she explained to us how the president really was and how kind he was. She also told us that he had a massive sweet tooth and that he enjoyed eating jellybeans everywhere he went so the pilots knew to leave him a bowl of jellybeans, just for him. The fact that they went out of their way to give him some jellybeans when they had no obligation, just proves how likable Reagan was. The air force relates to his travel through his presidency and give us information on Reagan as a person not just a President.

Oval office: We got see an exact replica of the oval office, it was extraordinary how accurately they represented the office in which Reagan worked in through his Presidency. The reason why I choose it as an object to reflect on because I could honestly imagine Reagan working in the office and that was interesting to imagine. What I thought was fascinating was that they put in the tiniest detail into the exhibit they put all the doors that lead to the oval office. And they also put a bowl of jellybeans in the middle of the room and I thought it was really funny that through out the exhibits they kept mentioning the fact that he loved jellybeans. In a way I felt like they kept telling us how much he loved jellybeans to humanize him and to portray him as an oridinary human being.

Assassination Attempt: It was strange to see the weapon they tried to assassinate the president with. The fact that they kept the weapon and put it in a muesum was interesting. I thought it was amazing how he survived the accident and still kept a smile on his face. They showed us a video of him being shot and then after when he was getting out of the hospital, he was waving at the people and smiling. Honestly if it was me I would’ve been upset that someone tried to kill me but he took it really well which shows he was a very strong person. This was linked to his life as president and even though he had bodyguards he could also get hurt. And it shows that being President isn’t as safe as it sounds and is actually really dangerous and life-threatening.

Football Exhibition: I choose this exhibit because it was really fun to see. And even though I’m not a football fan it was amazing to see all the jerseys and the super bowl tickets. It was fun to see the love for football many people have. And in a way it connects many Americans together. It wasn’t really connected to Reagan specifically but more like it was linked to the Americans of that time.

Nancy: I really loved this exhibit, honestly it was my favorite. Nancy played one of the most important parts in Reagan’s life. They were the ideal couple, what reagan didn’t have Nancy did and what Nancy didn’t have Reagan did. They were complete with one another and for them their love was magical. The love letters they shared were so romantic and portrayed how much they loved each other. The “say no” campaign that the first lady started was inspiring because though before the first lady was beieved to not do much during the Presidency Nancy played a huge part and she helped many people just like Reagan did. Nancy was linked to Reagan even before his Presidency and after his Presidency as well. She was a huge part of his entire life.

I think the curator chose the object of Nancy’s exhibit was to show powerful their love was. And even though Reagan was the President and our leader Nancy was the one he always went to for advice so in a way it was both of them that were leading the country.

My thoughts on the video, were thst Reagan was an honest man. A man who knew what made him happy and knew that he would never do anything to hurt his ahppiness. i was glad they did an entire exhibit on Nancy, which showed just how important she was to Reagan.

My emotional response to seeing the love letters was happiness because, I’m glad they got to experience something as magical as their love. I feel like they were known as one person because of how perfectly they completed the other. Watching the video of they talked about how they felt to be together was very beautiful. Reagan wasn’t ashamed of saying how Nancy was her rock and how he always went to her in times of need, to be able to admit that, shows real love.

Our response to their love is able to show us the truth in how human Reagan was, and how wise he was to see love as power and not weakness. He showed his love for Nancy and how to him she didn’t make him weak but more powerful and a better person.

The truth of the exhibit was to portray Reagan as an ordinary human and even though he was President he was very much like us. He had ambitions and he had love and he was an honest man how had a pretty good impact on our counry not just as President but as a human being how acheived his dreams. Reagan was an inspiration to many he was able to become a man with power and still remain himself.

I think the truth was portrayed really well. The video they showed us was very specific in how close they were. When they were together they were like best friends and husband/wife all put into one. You could really see the love they had for each other even if they wouldn’t say anything, just by how the would look at each other was all the proof you needed to see they were madly in love.

Overall it was an amazing experience, I feel like I got to know Reagan in a more personal way then just his actions as President. It’s great to remember that we’re all the same in the one simple fact that we’re humans.