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President Ronald Reagan
Alphabetical List of Recipients
Presentation Speech Excerpts
Citations (in chronological order)
Speech Excerpt Sources
Citation Text Sources
Alphabetical List of Recipients
* Indicates an award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
PRESENTATION SPEECH EXCERPTS
Ronald Reagan served as President of the United States for eight years--the longest tenure of any President since the Presidential Medal of Freedom was established in 1963. As such, it is not surprising that President Reagan has selected more persons to receive the award, eighty–six, than has any other President.
President Reagan truly enjoyed presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom . He believed that presenting the award was "one of the greatest privileges and most distinct pleasures of [his] job,"1 as President. At one award ceremony he said "It's a wonderful day for you and your families and for Nancy and myself, and I was just thinking, sometimes it's fun to be President." 2 At another presentation ceremony he said "I really have a great job. And one of the reasons this is such a great job is that I get to preside at wonderful occasions like this one."3 President Reagan so enjoyed being with Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients that he held a special White House luncheon just for them.
More than any other President, Ronald Reagan has left us with a wonderful collection of speeches on the Presidential Medal of Freedom . Though this is attributable in part to his long tenure in office, it is also attributable to his tremendous love for the award and his incredible speaking abilities. (He was hailed as "The Great Communicator.") President Reagan once stated that "the Medal of Freedom represents the reverence the American people have for liberty, and it honors the men and women who through their lives do greatest honor to that freedom."4 The following quotations from his speeches at presentation ceremonies reveal the reverence that Ronald Reagan had for the Presidential Medal of Freedom --his eloquence does great honor to its recipients.
While presiding at his first presentation ceremony, President Reagan said:
The President's medal of freedom is the highest civilian honor that's given in the United States. What the Olympic Gold Medal is to athletes, what the Congressional Medal of Honor is to the military, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is to the private United States citizen. The names of those who have received this honor are stars in the American sky . . . . The list goes on through the most illustrious and prominent of our citizens.
And today we're adding the names of [six outstanding Americans to that list].
Now, let me tell you how these six recipients have strengthened our freedom by reading to you something that the historian Edward Gibbon wrote about ancient Athens, the first democracy and the fountainhead of Western culture. He wrote that when the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the freedom they wished for was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free.
The recipients today have given greatly to our society in music, public service, and humanitarian activities. They've met their responsibilities to freedom. By giving of themselves and their energies, they've kept this society diverse, and in diversity there is liberty.
Perhaps this award is called the Medal of Freedom also because our Nation allowed these great Americans to pursue their interests unhindered. And when individuals are free to follow their hearts and talents, the common good benefits. America has given these honorees freedom, and they've discharged that responsibility with brilliant distinction.5 On another occasion, President Reagan observed that:
This medal is given to those who have risen to pinnacles of achievement in their fields. It's a recognition of their accomplishments, hard work, and dedication for America and for humanity. The recipients of this award have touched all our lives with their contributions, strengthening the fabric of our society and improving the quality of our life.
The men and women that we honor today come from across our land--some, children of immigrants; some, immigrants themselves; many from humble beginnings. But they all share a quality that Carl Sandburg once summed up so well when he wrote, "Man is born with rainbows in his heart."
These men and women never lost sight of them, living out their dreams in their adult lives. We call their award "The Medal of Freedom," because only in a free society such as ours do we have the opportunity to climb as high and go as far as our dreams, talent, and energy will take us.. . . .
With their talent and with the freedom of our way, the life that was given them to use it, by working and living among us, they've broadened and enriched freedom for us all. We're proud and grateful they're Americans.6
At a White House presentation ceremony on March 26, 1984, President Reagan told the recipients that:
The Medal of Freedom is designed not to honor individuals for single acts of bravery, but instead, to acknowledge lifetime accomplishments that have changed the face and the soul of our country. The people we honor today are people who refused to take the easy way out, and the rest of us are better off for it. They're people who knew the risks and the overwhelming effort that could be required, but were undeterred from their goals. They are people who set standards for themselves and refused to compromise. And they're people who were not afraid to travel in unexplored territory.
By honoring them today, we, as a free people, are thanking them. Choices they made have enriched the lives of free men and women everywhere, and we're grateful.7 President Reagan awarded thirty–eight Presidential Medals of Freedom during his first term in office. In remarks made while presenting awards early in his second term, he said:
Well, a couple of month ago an invitation for lunch at the White House was sent to some of the individuals gathered in this room today, an invitation that also notified them they were recipients of this country's highest civilian honor. But, . . . you see, the invitation really did not come from [Nancy and me] at all. It comes from an entire nation, from all of America.
For your achievements in diplomacy, entertainment, government, politics, learning, culture, and science, the American people honor you today. Each of you has achieved that hardest of all things to achieve in his life--something that will last and endure and take on life of its own.
My guess is that probably as long as this nation lasts, your descendants will speak with pride of the day you attended a White House ceremony and received this, the Medal of Freedom--America's highest civilian honor. And 50 years from now, a century from now, historians will know your names and your achievements. You've left humanity a legacy, and on behalf of the American people, Nancy and I want to congratulate you.
You know, one of our medal winners (Jimmy Stewart, ) once made a film with Frank Capra about a man who took his own life for granted and was saddened by how little impact he seemed to have had on the world. But then a benevolent angel gave him the opportunity to see how different his hometown would have been had he not lived. And the man was astonished to discover how much good he had done without knowing it--how many people he had touched and how many lives he had made richer and happier.
Well, more than you'll ever know, this world would have been much poorer and a dimmer place without each of you. In a million countless ways you've inspired and uplifted your fellow men and women, and we want you never to forget that. And we are grateful to you for it, also.
It's a wonderful day for you and your families and for Nancy and myself, and I was just thinking, sometimes it's fun to be President. [Laughter]
But I'm about to present the medals, but I want each of you to know that it comes with the heartfelt thanks, the admiration and pride of the some 238 million Americans who couldn't be here for lunch, but are, believe me, here in spirit.8 Though he believed that the recipients' descendants would faithfully preserve the medals earned by their ancestors, on presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to The Reverend Mother Teresa, he observed:
This is the first time I've given the Medal of Freedom with the intuition that the recipient might take it home, melt it down and turn it into something that can be sold to help the poor.9
During a 1986 presentation ceremony, President Reagan told the recipients:
We're here today to present the Medal of Freedom to seven Americans. This medal is the highest civilian honor our nation can bestow. And I've always thought it highly significant that we call it not the Medal of Talent or the Medal of Valor or the Medal of Courage or Genius but the Medal of Freedom. I think that says a lot about our values and what we honor and what we love.
Freedom is important to all of us. As someone who spent many years making speeches, I have quoted many definitions of freedom--some very moving and eloquent. But I've always liked George Orwell's blunt and unadorned statement. He said, "Freedom is the right to say no." There's something kind of happily rebellious about that definition, and I thought of it this morning because I decided this year's recipients of the Medal of Freedom are distinguished by this. You're a group of happy rebels. In your careers and in the way you have lived your lives, you've all said no--a most emphatic no--to mediocrity, to averageness, to timidity. You've said no to the rules of the game and the regulations of the day. You've said no to the conventional wisdom, no to the merely adequate, no to the limits and limitations on yourselves and others.
But it's probably true that there is little point to freedom unless it's accompanied by a big yes! And each of you has uttered a resounding Whitmanesque yes to many things--to excellence and risk and reach, to courage and the untried and the supposedly impossible. You've rebelled against the artificial and embraced the authentic. You've achieved a great deal. And your creativity itself has been life-affirming, for creation is a profoundly faithful act, an act that says, "I trust in the future, and I trust in life itself."
You're all originals. You've all made America better--a better place--and you've made it seem a better place in the eyes of the people of the world. And this today is just our way of saying thanks.10 In addressing the last large group of individuals to whom he presented the award, Ronald Reagan stated:
We're all here today to present the Medal of Freedom to eight remarkable Americans. It's the highest civilian honor this nation can bestow, and those who are so honored have spent much of their lives advancing the cause of freedom around the world.
Like those who have come before, today's recipients are artists and statesmen, philosophers and academics, and people of action and profound introspection. Your lives and careers testify to a central truth of humanity: It is better to give than to receive. You've all given--given of your talent and your energy and your resources--because you know that the only way to fight injustice and promote freedom is to speak a resounding "no" to the forces of international complacency and a resounding "yes" to those whose souls thirst after the cool waters of liberty.
What your example[s] . . . teach all of us is that fighting for what you believe in is not only good; it's fun. It's a pleasant experience to know you've done some good, maybe the most enjoyable experience we all have. You are all possessed of the good cheer and clear consciences of those who know they've done all they can for a cause they believe in.
The reward for good deeds does not only come in the hereafter, it comes every day in the knowledge that the world is maybe a little better because of the things you've done in your life. Well, we can't hope to top a feeling like that, but we do aim to add a little pleasure with the awards we give out today.11 On January 13, 1993, President Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction by President George Bush. President Bush observed that Ronald Reagan was "a man whose life embodie[d] freedom, who nurtured freedom as few Presidents ever have."12 At that time. only three Presidents had received the award and Ronald Reagan was the first President to receive it during his own lifetime. Upon receiving the award, President Reagan remarked:
Thank you. Mr. President and Barbara [Bush], thank you so much for your kindness in recognizing me this way. From time to time I have been called the Great Communicator, but I'll tell you it's no easy thing to communicate what I feel right now.
Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a great honor at any time, but it's especially meaningful for me to receive it from a friend and in the presence of people who have meant so much to Nancy and me over the years.13
President Ronald Reagan Funeral Service
President Ronald Reagan Speech Archive
President Ronald Reagan and Nancy were also honored with the Congressional Gold Medal
Movie Clip
Movie Clip 2
Acting Clip 1
Acting Clip 2
House on Un-American Activities Committee Interrogation
House Un-American Activities Committee Interrogation
A Time for Choosing 1
A Time for Choosing 2
A Time for Choosing 3
A Time for Choosing 4
Running for Governor
John Wayne Promoting Reagan Ad
Governor Reagan
I Accept Your Nomination
There You Go Again
Are You Better Off than 4 Years Ago?
Inauguration: Clip 1
Inauguration: Clip 2
Inauguration: Clip 3
1st State of the Union Humor
Assassination Attempt
Blaming the Democrats
Economic Recovery Program
Economy is Getting Better
Humor 1
Humor 2
Embassy Bombing in Beirut
Mother Theresa at the White House
Invasion of Grenada
4 More Years
It's Morning Again in America Ad
Mondale's Youth & Inexperience
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Challenger Disaster
USSR Military Parade
USSR World Revolution
The Evil Empire
Vision of Star Wars SDI
SDI Animation
Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!
"Trust, But Verify" Reagan/Gorbachev Humor
Gorbachev in the USA
President Reagan in the USSR
Tearing Down The Wall
Farewell to the White House Staff 1
Farewell to the White House Staff 2
Farewell to the White House Staff 3
Farewell to the White House Staff 4
We Did It!
Farewell
President Reagan Saluting
Pres Reagan Receiving Medal of Freedom 1
Pres Reagan Receiving Medal of Freedom 2
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Medal History
