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President Ronald Reagan’s Address to the Nation on Independence Day, July 4, 1986. Delivered at 9:50 p.m. aboard the USS John F. Kennedy in New York Harbor as part of “Liberty Weekend,” celebrating the centennial anniversary of France’s gift of the Statue of Liberty (which had recently undergone a restoration process, completed and unveiled the previous day). This speech was given just before a 30-minute fireworks display, which, at the time, was the largest fireworks display in history.
Earlier, on board the ship, President Reagan attended a USO show and a reenlistment and promotion ceremony for members of the crew. Following the fireworks display, the President went to the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills, NY, where he stayed overnight.