On this day in 1972, RN triumphantly accepted the presidential nomination coming off a year of successes. The GOP Convention was held in Miami, as it was in 1968, and is the last time that the GOP convention was held in Florida — that is, of course, until next week when the 2012 GOP Convention will kick off in Tampa. While perhaps not one of his best known, his 1972 acceptance speech covered a whirlwind of topics of utmost concern, including his attempts to reform welfare and reduction in crime rates in addition to winding down the Vietnam War and touting his achievements in China and the Soviet Union, while providing a roadmap for his second term. His plans to solve the problems included eliminating government waste and bureaucracy by restructuring the government to streamline efficiency and, with the help of Congress, implement domestic proposals entirely reshaping entitlement programs to encourage — and help — recipients to find work. Some of RN’s best lines:
I believe in the American system. I have traveled to 80 countries in the past 25 years, and I have seen Communist systems, I have seen Socialist systems, I have seen systems that are half Socialist and half free. Every time I come home to America, I realize how fortunate we are to live in this great and good country.
And he concluded by saying:
I ask you, my fellow Americans, to join our new majority not just in the cause of winning an election, but in achieving a hope that mankind has had since the beginning of civilization. Let us build a peace that our children and all the children of the world can enjoy for generations to come.
You can watch the full speech here! Jimmy Byron is a Marketing and Communications Assistant. He is a second-year student at Chapman University.