Download or read book Slipping the Surly Bonds written by Mary E. Stuckey and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2006-02-21 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions of Americans, including hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, watched in horror as the Challenger shuttle capsule exploded on live television on January 28, 1986. Coupled with that awful image in Americans’ memory is the face of President Ronald Reagan addressing the public hours later with words that spoke to the nation’s shock and mourning. Focusing on the text of Reagan’s speech, author Mary Stuckey shows how President Reagan’s reputation as “the Great Communicator” adds significance to our understanding of his rhetoric on one of the most momentous occasions of his administration.