Primary Source-Based Curriculum

Our Primary Source-Based Curriculum units are designed to provide you with classroom-ready, standards based content and activities utilizing non-fiction texts from our archives.  Examples include letters to the president, White House meeting minutes, cables from foreign leaders, and much, much more. New documents are regularly declassified and made available for you and your students to explore.

1980 Campaign 

Based directly on newly released documents from the Reagan-Bush 1980 Presidential Campaign, this lesson plan and curriculum will help your students explore United States Presidential elections from the inside.

Economic Policy: National Issues Forum Deliberation

Explore the issue of economic decision making in 1981. Produced in partnership between the Office of Presidential Libraries and the National Issues Forum, the Reagan Library is pleased to share the attached Issue Book and Moderator's guide complete with original economic graphs, historical analysis and background to the considerations behind "Reaganomics."

Media Literacy: Truth and the News

For teachers, representatives from the Johnson and Reagan Libraries roll out and share media literacy curriculum created using both contemporary and historical documents from the National Archives and Records Administration. The curriculum is classroom-ready and designed to be used to help students identify and recognize bias in media. 

Presidential Speechmaking and Speechwriting: The Great Communicator Files

Go behind the scenes of the presidential speech writing team to examine how presidential speeches are written and delivered.

These units include original documents, notes from the president in his own handwriting and video of some of the most famous presidential speeches.

A student workbook, teacher answer guide, and “connecting to standards” information accompanies each Great Communicator File unit.

Pointe du Hoc Speech

One of two World War II commemorative speech files available in this series; the Pointe du Hoc speech file makes an excellent addition to any unit on World War II; presidential speech making; and commemorative speeches. Click here to download all Pointe Du Hoc files in a single .zip file.

Omaha Beach Speech

The second of two World War II commemorative speech files available in this series; the Omaha Beach speech file makes an excellent addition to any unit on World War II; presidential speechmaking; and commemorative speeches. Click here to download all Omaha Beach files in a single .zip file.

Challenger Speech 

When crisis strikes, the Commander in Chief is expected to address the nation. Click here to download all Challenger Speech files in a single .zip file.

President Reagan and the Cold War: Picturing the Presidency

Picturing the Presidency: President Reagan and the Cold War is a comprehensive collection of original photographs, documents, and archival footage on the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1980s.

The unit is organized around summits, speeches, and other major events in the story of United States Soviet relations.

  1. Introduction to Picturing the Presidency
  2. Evangelical Association Address
  3. Cold War Card 2: Address to the National Association of Evangelicals
  4. Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, March 8, 1983
  5. President’s Backup Copy: Address to the National Association of Evangelicals, March 8, 1983
  6. Draft of the President’s Address to the National Association of Evangelicals, March 8, 1983
  7. Download all four files in a .zip archive.
  8. Geneva Summit
  9. Cold War Card 3: Summit in Geneva, Switzerland
  10. Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev Meetings in Geneva Second Plenary Meeting, November 19, 1985
  11. Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev Meetings in Geneva Second Private Meeting, November 19, 1985
  12. Download all three files in a .zip archive.
  13. Strategic Defense initiative
  14. Cold War Card 4: Strategic Defense Initiative
  15. President’s Backup Copy: Address on Defense, March 23, 1983
  16. Download both files in a .zip archive.
  17. Reykjavik Summit
  18. Cold War Card 5: Reykjavik Summit, Iceland
  19. Memorandum of Conversation, October 12, 1986
  20. Download both files in a .zip archive.
  21. Brandenburg Gate
  22. Cold War Card 6: Remarks on East-West Relations at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin
  23. President’s Backup Copy: Remarks at Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany, June 12, 1987
  24. Draft of the President’s Remarks at Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany, June 12, 1987
  25. Download all three files in a .zip archive.
  26. Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
  27. Cold War Card 7: President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev signing the INF Treaty in the East Room of the White House
  28. Remarks on Signing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty December 8, 1987
  29. President’s Backup Copy: Signing Ceremony for I.N.F. Agreement Tuesday, December 8, 1987
  30. Download all three files in a .zip archive.
  31. Fall of the Berlin Wall
    1. Cold War Card 8: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
    2. Power Map of the World, Cold War Era
    3. Download both files in a .zip archive.
  32. Correspondence
  33. Correspondence Addressed to President Brezhnev From President Reagan August 24, 1981
  34. Correspondence Addressed to President Reagan From President Brezhnev October 15, 1981 (Translation and Original Version in Russian.)
  35. Correspondence Addressed to President Brezhnev From President Reagan November 17, 1981 (President Reagan’s Response Final Version and Draft.)
  36. Correspondence Addressed to General Secretary Andropov From President Reagan July 11, 1983
  37. Correspondence Addressed to President Reagan From General Secretary Andropov August 28, 1983
  38. Correspondence Addressed to General Secretary Gorbachev From President Reagan April 4, 1985
  39. Correspondence Addressed to General Secretary Gorbachev From President Reagan November 28, 1985
  40. Correspondence Addressed to President Reagan From General Secretary Gorbachev December 5, 1985
  41. Download all eight files in a .zip archive.
  42. President Reagan's Address for the 40th Anniversary of D-Day at Pointe Du Hoc, Normandy, France (Youtube)
  43. President Reagan's Address at the Omaha Beach Memorial Cemetery, France, June 6, 1984 (Youtube)
  44. President Reagan's Remarks on Challenger Explosion to Network Anchors and Questions from Reports, January 28, 1986 (Youtube)

Immigration Policy: From the Source

From the Source: Supporting Documents and Activities

America is a country of immigrants.  Yet, immigration policy remains one of our most pressing issues.  Take a look at the immigration debate in the 1980s by exploring the making of the last major piece of federal immigration legislation – the Immigration and Reform Act of 1986.

National Holiday Curriculum

Educators can delve into primary source documents directly from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Archives and work with Reagan Library educators to create a published guide for teachers. 

The Reagan Library education department creates a collection of document-based curriculum to enhance any commemoration or celebration of National Holidays.

National Holiday Workshops can be scheduled for U.S History or Government teachers. Receive more information by contacting us at reaganeducation@nara.gov.

Constitution Day (Download both files as a .zip archive.

Presidents Day (Download both files as a .zip archive.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Download all 5 files as a .zip archive.

Thanksgiving Proclamation