Shining City Audio, a John Meacham and C-13 original studio.

February 6, 1985, Ronald Reagan reports on the State of the Union.

I'm John Meacham, and this is Reflections of History.

He was an aging president just resoundingly reelected, looking ahead.

On this date in 1985, fresh from a today unthinkable 49-state sweep in 1984,

Ronald Reagan spoke to the State of the Union.

It was also the president's 74th birthday.

The themes he struck resonate still.

Reagan was a vision that emphasized private enterprise over government engagement,

though his actions were never really as radical as his rhetoric.

And in his words, we can hear the vernacular of an America that fought with itself,

but which fundamentally believed in the rule of law and the efficacy of our institutions.

Reagan said this,

I come before you to report on the State of our Union, and I'm pleased to report that after four years of united effort,

the American people have brought forth a nation renewed, stronger, freer, and more secure than before.

Four years ago, we began to change, forever, I hope, our assumptions about government and its place in our lives.

Out of that change has come great and robust growth in our confidence, our economy, and our role in the world.

Tonight America is stronger because of the values that we hold dear.

We believe faith and freedom must be our guiding stars for they show us truth.

They make us brave, give us hope, and leave us wiser than we were.

Our progress began not in Washington, DC, but in the hearts of our families, communities, workplaces,

and voluntary groups which together are unleashing the invincible spirit of one great nation, under God.

...