History, Collective Memory, and the Appropriation of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Reagan's Rhetorical Legacy

Authors

Denise M. Bostdorff, The College of Wooster
Steven R. Goldzwig, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

30 p.

Publication Date

12-2005

Publisher

Wiley

Source Publication

Presidential Studies Quarterly

Source ISSN

0360-4918

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1111/j.1741-5705.2005.00271.x

Abstract

This article argues that President Ronald Reagan appropriated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words and memory to suggest equal opportunity in the United States had been largely achieved. Individuals—rather than the government—now had to take responsibility for any additional progress. By arguing that the dismantling of federal civil rights laws and social programs was actually consistent with Dr. King's words, President Reagan advanced his own agenda for civil rights in direct violation of Dr. King's intentions, while narrowing the purview of civil rights to eliminate government intervention in employment, education, and other arenas.

Comments

Accepted version. Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 4 (December 2005): 661-690. DOI. © 2005 Wiley. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Bostdorff, Denise M. and Goldzwig, Steven R., "History, Collective Memory, and the Appropriation of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Reagan's Rhetorical Legacy" (2005). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 192.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/192