A Rhetorical Analysis of Evil Empire Speech by Donald Reagan

Introduction

A famous “Evil Empire Speech” delivered on March 3, 1983, by the fortieth President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, addresses the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization known for its contribution to humanitarian and spiritual work in America. The president focuses on discussing the most urgent social problems that require consideration from both legal and spiritual perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of values pursued by religion for the formation of a solid and conscious American society. In “Address to the National Association of Evangelicals,” or the so-called “Evil Empire Speech,” Reagan asserts that religion and belief in God should not only serve as a basis for the formation of morality in American society but should also become the central principle of government, covering issues such as the value of human life, freedom of speech, and democracy (Reagan, 1983).

Religion and Law

First, Reagan claims that religion encompasses the foundational rules and moral values that should govern the law, not vice versa. He states, “When our founding fathers passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government interference” (Reagan, 1983, p. 20). It is crucial that the government never attempts to establish any limitations on the religious beliefs held by the people of America or impose its own rules, considerations, or visions of right or wrong. On the contrary, all American governments and presidents have always attempted to organize their policies in accordance with key religious principles and “never intended to construct a wall of hostility between government and the concept of religious belief itself” (Reagan, 1983, p. 20). An example of issues that require governmental consideration from the perspective of religion and morality is the problem of abortion. The president argues that establishing and subsidizing a network of clinics that provide birth control drugs and devices to underage girls without informing their parents is against the rules of morality for several reasons. First, all parents should have the right to be aware of important events in their children’s lives and prevent them from making crucial mistakes that may negatively influence their entire future. Second, since it has not been proved that a fetus is not a human being, the latter should be viewed as possessing the same “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as all people do (Reagan, 1983, p. 25).

Equality and Freedom of Religious Speech

Second, in his speech, Reagan states that the American government has always viewed all people as equal, regardless of their religious views, and never intended “to discriminate against religious speech” (Reagan, 1983, p. 23). Although there are cases such as the one that occurred in the Lubbock school, where discrimination against religious school groups was legally justified, the government endeavors to provide freedom of religious speech for all people on all levels of social interaction. For instance, the president emphasizes the idea that prayer should be restored in public schools and that students should be allowed to express and discuss their religious views freely without fear of being discriminated against or humiliated by others, knowing they may receive protection from the government.

Religion as a Foundation for Democracy

Ronald Reagan also draws the audience’s attention to the fact that religion in general, and belief in God by every American in particular, constructs the basis for the concept of democracy and are the primary factors that keep the state strong and prosperous. He claims that America “is in the midst of a spiritual awakening and a moral renewal” and the task of the government is to support this process (Reagan, 1983, p. 31). As everything in the world has a dual nature, Americans as a nation also have both good and evil in them, and the primary task of the state’s government is to promote morality and righteousness and prevent future decline and spiritual crisis of the nation by learning from past mistakes. To support this viewpoint, Reagan presents statistical data indicating that “95 percent of those surveyed expressed a belief in God and a huge majority believed the Ten Commandments had real meaning in their lives” (Reagan, 1983, p. 30). Moreover, most Americans express disapproval of adultery, teenage sex, pornography, abortion, drugs, and alcohol consumption, and demonstrate “a deep reverence for the importance of family ties and religious belief” (Reagan, 1983, p. 30). Meanwhile, those nations that do not follow the rules of religious morality and support only ideas subordinate to class division are considered to live in “totalitarian darkness” (Reagan, 1983, p. 45). Until these states discover the essence of God, they will embody the world’s evil.

Conclusion

All things considered, Ronald Reagan’s speech “Address to the National Association of Evangelicals” represents the president’s vision of the role of religion in forming a conscious and righteous society in America. He states that religion and the government of the state are interrelated, and the latter should address religion when it comes to issues such as the value of human life, freedom of speech, and democracy. From a moral standpoint, parents should have the right to help their underage daughters decide what to do in the case of an unwanted pregnancy, and a fetus should have the right to live. In addition, people should have the opportunity to express their religious views freely, without fear and embarrassment. Generally, morality is one of the governing factors that lay the foundation of democracy, promoting such values as freedom, liberty, and mutual respect.

References

Reagan, R. (1983). Address to the National Association of Evangelicals. Retrieved from [URL of the source]