WATCH: President Reagan's 1985 Thanksgiving Message Exalts American Liberties

In 1985, the great Ronaldus Maximus delivered a short, but sweet Thanksgiving day message.

It was a different time then.

We were in the midst of the Cold War. The differences between Reagan’s America and the rest of the world were stark.

In his address, President Reagan spoke with eloquence about what made America different from so many other nations in the world, at that time.

Freedom of religion, the press, and limited government were virtues of liberty that were valued by all.

As we have watched with horror the transformation of our culture and the attack on those freedoms over the past 31 years, we must accept that we bear only the most scant resemblance to the nation President Reagan spoke of with such open affection.

We may never retrieve what once was, but we can still look back at those who carried the torch for liberty.