Read the excerpt from President Ronald Reagan's speech on the night before the 1980 presidential
election,
I know that tonight the fate of America's 52 hostages is
very much on the minds of all of us. Like you, there is
nothing I want more than their safe return-that they
be reunited with their families after this long year of
imprisonment.
When they have returned, all of us will be turning to the
concerns that will determine the course of America in
the next four years.
A child born this year will begin his or her adult life in
what will be the 21st century. What kind of country,
what kind of legacy will we leave to these young men
and women who will live out America's third century as
a nation?