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March 8, 1983. Ronald Reagan describes the Soviet Union as an evil empire.

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

I'm John Meacham and I'm John Meacham and C-13 original studio.

It was and is a fascinating speech. A set of remarks delivered in Orlando at a meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals, a strong force in the rise of the right and of Reaganism in the 1980s.

And it's classic Reagan. The founding fathers, the Bible, CS Lewis, Thomas Payne and Whitaker Chambers all make appearances.

In a way, the address delivered on this date offers us a map to the thinking of the 40th President every bit as much as his 1964, a time for choosing broadcasts.

Reagan said this.

Now obviously much of the new political and social consensus I'm talking about is based on a positive view of American history, one that takes pride in our country's accomplishments and record.

But we must never forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man.

We know that living in this world means dealing with what philosophers would call the phenomenology of evil, or as the theologians would put it, the doctrine of sin.

There is sin and evil in the world, and we're enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might.

Our nation too has a legacy of evil with which it must deal.

The glory of this land has been as capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past.

For example, the long struggle of minority citizens for equal rights once a source of disunity in civil war is now a point of pride for all Americans.

We must never go back. There is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country.

I know that you've been horrified as I have by the resurgence of some hate groups preaching bigotry and prejudice.

Use the mighty voice of your pulpits and the powerful standing of your churches to denounce and isolate these hate groups in our midst.

The commandment given us is clear and simple, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Reagan went on,

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