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Independence Hall, Gettysburg and – Epcot? How Reagan helped elevate Disney to America’s roster of honored patriotic sites

  • Written by Bethanee Bemis, Museum Specialist, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
imageFirst lady Nancy Reagan kisses Mickey Mouse as President Ronald Reagan and Minnie Mouse watch 20 bands marching in the unofficial inaugural parade at Disney's Epcot Center on Memorial Day, May 27, 1985.Bettmann/Getty Images

A presidential or political visit is one of the ways in which the United States marks places as uniquely important. A space...

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