A Point in Time

By Alexander Earl-Whiting

The Brandenburg Address

Rebuilding a war torn Europe Building Friendship Re-building trust and unity The destruction of the Berlin wall Getting back to the table for peace

Thesis Statement
In 1987, the then President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan, travelled to Berlin Germany, to address the issue of a divided country and a divided world. Pleading with the then Secretary General of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic, Mikhail Gorbachev, to join him at the table, and garner a lasting peace and friendship, between our two unique cultures.

Historical Context
In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev, was quoted to say We will bury you, from this quote came a mistrust between the east and west. In 1982, President Reagans visit to the Soviet Union was protested by students and the Soviet delegation walked away from the table The soviets had deployed nuclear weapons in the west of eastern Europe

Context
During the 1980s, saber waving and vieled threats were common place between the United States and the USSR.

Intended Audience
The intended audience for this address, was not so much the government of the Soviet Union, but the peoples of the nation. President Reagan appealed to the basic need of peace and unity. The President made certain to let every one at the assembly know that we are all the same, that we can only become stronger, if we are friends.

References
Reagan, Ronald (1987). Brandenburg Gate Address, AmericanRhetoric.com, 2012 Reagan, Ronald (1990). An American Life, New York City, New York: Simon and Shuster Skinner, Anderson and Anderson (2001). Ronald Reagan: In His Own Hand, New York City, New York: Simon and Shuster History.com (2012). http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan9453198?page=1 (The Smithsonian: www.smithsonianmag.com/historyarchaeology)