Rear-View Mirror: Objects May Be Closer Than They Appear

No matter your opinion of our 40th president, you can't deny Ronald Reagan was a smart dude, and it's super obvious he ate his Wheaties the day he delivered his Evil Empire speech.

Instead of standing up and going on and on about America's greatness and strength and superb fashion sense, he spent a lot of time reflecting on the blooper reel: anti-Semitism, racism, infanticide—all terrible parts of American history that really didn't happen all that long ago.

There's a method to the madness, however. Reagan wanted everyone—Americans, Soviets, citizens of Westeros—to know he was aware of some rather evil parts of America's past. But the difference was that Americans weren't afraid to create a better future by looking in the rearview mirror and learning from their mistakes.

That's why Ronnie the Renegade was able to totally dis a moody country with access to nuclear weapons, and basically get away with it. He spent the first half of his speech talking about the bad stuff, which gave him the right to spend the second half talking about an evil empire that didn't even seem to have rearview mirrors.

And, really, that's just downright dangerous—someone should call the DMV.

Oh, and before you go—take a glance at the Rhetoric section of this learning guide for the specifics on the structure of the speech.

How it Breaks Down

Section 1: "It's Been a Hard Day's Night, and I've Been Working Like a Dog."

President Reagan, after thanking the good people of the National Association of the Evangelists, quotes Abraham Lincoln to illustrate how tired and frustrated he is with the state of America, as well as the state of the world.

Section 2: St. Peter and the Politician

Reagan shares a short anecdote about a politician meeting St. Peter in Heaven to emphasize that while there are many good, spiritual people in the public eye, it is the responsibility of the average American to keep them good and spiritual, to hold them accountable.

Section 3: "Our [Founding] Fathers, Who Art in History..."

With a few quotes from some of those old white guys in American history, Reagan makes it clear that liberty has always been connected to religion, to godliness, and that shouldn't ever change.

Section 4: Parental Controls

According to Reagan, the government is taking all sorts of liberties, interfering with parents' rights to take care of their kids. Why are the American people letting that happen?

Section 5: It's All Downhill From Here.

Here's a video of puppies protecting their baby friends. You'll need to watch something cute and uplifting after reading this section of Reagan's speech.

Section 6: Wait! It's Not All Downhill From Here…

Just when you think all hope is lost, Reagan reminds his audience that Americans always have the power to share their principles and values with the rest of the world. And the nation has overcome so much already—Americans are definitely equipped to solve this problem, too.

Section 7: "And That Brings Me To My Final Point Today."

Here's the crux of things, kids—nuclear freeze is a bad idea, as are any negotiations with totalitarian groups. It comprises all the U.S. stands for, which is completely unacceptable.

Section 8: "Can We Fix It?"

Well, yeah, of course we can fix it—but not with military might. The solution comes from U.S. values and morals, as well as remembering the spiritual powers of American principles.