“…to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil…”

Rhetoric on both sides of the ‘iron curtain’ was often intense. This speech is considered historic for Reagan’s use of the phrase ‘evil empire’ to describe the Soviet Union. What is often left out of the historical account of this speech is the setting and content of the rest of the speech. Reagan was addressing a national organization of Evangelicals in Orlando, FL. The vast majority of the speech discuses God and religions roll in the Cold War. Reagan goes to great length to show that Judeo-Christian traditions guide America, its government and people. Reagan quotes many American leaders and respected scholars to show the roots of God in America. He rails communist doctrine for its atheist system. He clearly paints this struggle as good vs evil, us against them, God against the godless.

One particular qoute stands out, “A number of years ago, I heard a young father, a very prominent young man in the entertainment world, addressing a tremendous gathering in California. It was during the time of the cold war, and communism and our own way of life were very much on people’s minds. And he was speaking to that subject. And suddenly, though, I heard him saying, “I love my little girls more than anything -” And I said to myself, “Oh, no, don’t. You can’t – don’t say that.” But I had underestimated him. He went on: “I would rather see my little girls die now, still believing in God, than have them grow up under communism and one day die no longer believing in God.”

Regean praises this man and his thought process. To Regean, this man and the audience at the speech that day this mindset was absolutley correct. Communism was a godless evil and America was God chosen warrior and the worlds, “last, best hope”.