California Republicans for Goldwater: Ronald Reagan
The government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives”. This quote proves that Ronald Reagan wasn’t a power-hungry president, he was only there for the good of the people. I feel Reagan's quote has meaning to everyone; especially middle-class families. The government enforces the rules it, doesn't mean they have control to take our lives over. Ronald Reagan did everything in his power to make sure that the government did not interfere in people’s lives. Ronald Reagan was an important and influential figure in history that had a positive impact on the world because he was a transformational president.
Ronald Reagan’s early life had a tremendous impact on the man he would later become. His full name was Ronald Wilson Reagan, and he was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, to Edward “Jack” Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. He also has an older brother named Neil Regan. According to “ Ronald Reagan” published on History.com, in 1928, Reagan graduated from Dixon High School. While in high school he was an athlete, student body president, and performed in school plays. During summer vacations, he worked as a lifeguard in Dixon. Reagan went on to attend Eureka College in Illinois, where he played football, ran track, and he captained the swim team. He also served as student council president and acted in school productions. After graduating in 1932, he worked as a radio sports announcer in Iowa.
Ronald Reagan was an accomplished actor and Hollywood idol. Reagan’s movie career started when he was contacted by Warner Brothers Productions and did a screen test. He signed a seven-year contract with the company. Aside from his absence while serving in the military during World War II, Reagan made most of his movies with Warner Bros. He starred in films such as Dark Victory, Knute Rockne, All American, and Kings Row, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1943. He worked in the movie industry for 27 years before his movie career began to plateau.
At the top of Reagan’s political career, he got a job at The General Electric Theatre. His job there as a host was to travel the United States as a public relations representative for the show. It was while he was traveling that his political standing shifted from liberal to conservative. He led pro-business discussions, about regulations, rules, and unnecessary government spending, witch are the center of his future political career. Reagan spoke on the matter saying, ¨Eventually what happened to me was, because I did my own speeches and did the research for them, I just woke up to the realization one day that I had been going out and helping to elect the people who had been causing the things I had been criticizing. So it wasn’t any case of some mentor coming in and talking me out of it. I did it in my own speeches¨. This quote says that nothing really influenced the change in Reagan's political standing except for himself and the requirements of his job. It was not a big political event or the church or his parents it was just him. This change in political views is what influenced him to get into politics and eventually run for President.
When Reagan first got into politics he was famous for helping Nixon's campaign while running for governor of California. He also supported the presidential candidate of conservative Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964. He served as co-chairman of California Republicans for Goldwater. Unfortunately, Goldwater did not win the Election losing to Lyndon B. Johnson. “Near the end of the campaign, he delivered a 30-minute nationally televised address, ‘A Time for Choosing,’ that The Washington Post described as, ‘the most successful political debut since William Jennings Bryan electrified the 1896 Democratic convention with his ‘Cross of Gold’ speech. Reagan’s speech, which resulted in $1 million in campaign contributions for Republican candidates, the most attributable to any political speech in history,” catapulted him onto the national political stage and made him an instant hero of the Republican right”. Reagan announced that he was running for governor of California in 1966. Many people said Reagan was not qualified for the job because of his lack of experience because while the other dedicates were part of the politics he was a movie star. Reagan turned these concerns and hardships into assets by using them to show that he was an ordinary citizen who was tired of a state government that had become inefficient and unaccountable. The public also reacted well to Reagan’s personality, mostly to his apparent genuineness, friendliness, and ability to laugh at himself.
One of Reagan’s major accomplishments is his Strategic Defence Initiative. Ronald Reagan took office during the middle of the cold war when communist countries were trying to spread communism worldwide. The United States was working relentlessly to stop the spread of communism around the world. According to the article Top 10 Reagan Achievements on the website Human Events.com, “Reagan reversed the policy of detente and stood firm against the Soviet Union, calling it the Evil Empire and telling Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in Berlin.” Reagan worked very hard to pass this initiative and to help rebels fighting communism. The efforts made by Reagan and the rest of the United States were important in the collapse of the Soviet Union, forming Russia, thus ending the Cold War.
One of Reagan’s major accomplishments is his Tax Reform Act and Reaganomics. Reagan’s combination of overall tax cuts, deregulation, and a national spending cap helped cause an economic uprising that lasted twenty years. According to the article Top 10 Reagan Achievements on the website Human Events.com, “Reagan inherited a misery index, the sum of the inflation and unemployment rates, of 19.99%, and when he left office it had dropped to 9.72%. Under Reaganomics, 16 million new jobs were created.” Not only did he cut tax rates and create jobs under Reaganomics, but in 1964 the Tax Reform Act simplified the income-tax code by eliminating many requirements such as shelters and brackets involved in filing for income taxes. Reagan once had a dream that tax returns would fit on a postcard which is no longer possible as Congress has regressed and continued to make the tax code more complex.
The Republican Party was at its rock bottom after Watergate, but Reagan was able to form a winning party of conservatives that had a similar political agenda and set the stage for future Republican electoral gains. According to the article Top 10 Reagan Achievements on the website Human Events.com, “His free-market, small-government, pro-liberty conservatism, and a strong military helped to revitalize the Republican Party, and his influence echos today as conservative candidates still see Reagan as their standard-bearer.” Along with fixing the image of the republican party he also demonstrated peace through strength. The military was at an all-time low while Carter was president, but Reagan reversed that by rebuilding the armed forces. Those efforts ensured that America remained a military superpower and that the Republican party would stay a major party.
The most challenging professional obstacle that Ronald Reagan had to overcome while running for President was a lack of experience in politics. Reagan announced that he was running for governor of California in 1966. Many people said Reagan was not qualified for the job because of his lack of experience because while the other dedicates were part of the politics he was a movie star. Reagan turned these concerns and hardships into assets by using them to show that he was an ordinary citizen who was tired of a state government that had become inefficient and unaccountable. The most challenging personal obstacle Reagan faced was that he had many assassination attempts. One attempt, in particular, was almost successful. According to the article Ronald Reagan key events on millercenter.org ”On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John W. Hinckley, Jr. while leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel after giving a speech. The President was hit under his left arm by a bullet that ricocheted off his limousine.” Ronald Reagan survived the gunshot that landed a bullet 1 inch from his heart and lived for many years after.
America is different because Ronald Reagan changed the Way the Republican party operates and he made filing for taxes easier. According to the article Ronald Reagan: Impact and Legacy on millercenter.org “His leadership and the symbiotic relationship he forged with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during their four summit meetings set the stage for a peaceful resolution of the Cold War.”Another way that Reagan changed America is by ending the Cold war. Reagan changed politics by making taxes simpler and changing the way the Republican party operates. The Republican Party still uses Reagan as the basis of the way the party platform is structured.
Ronald Reagan was strong-minded and independent. He was a leader who put others before himself when making political decisions. You can apply the lessons taught to us by the things Reagan did by using them to make yourself a better person and to stand up for what you believe in. Reagan changed the way government was allowed to do things the will run the people's lives such at taxes. Reagan did many great things such as end the Cold War and repair the military.
