Ronald Reagan Speech: A Time for Choosing

YouTube - "A Time for Choosing" by Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan had joined the campaign of conservative presidential contender Barry Goldwater in 1964. U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, who was a Republican was running against Democratic President Lyndon Johnson. Prior to joining the campaign to promote Barry Goldwater for president, he was a movie actor and even hosted his own show on television for eight years entitled, "General Electric Theater." He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood several times. He was a former Democrat who publicly supported Harry Truman for president in 1948. Reagan switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1964.

I want to provide a quick historical overview of America during the time Ronald Reagan gave his famous speech. During this period America was engaged in a Cold War with the Soviet Union. We were in an arms race with the Soviets. America was in the process of beefing up its forces to stay on the cutting edge with the Soviets. America had witnessed the assassination of John F. Kennedy a year before. As a result, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson then became president. Prior to his assassination, John F. Kennedy made a goal to send the first American man to the moon in a speech in 1961. That goal wasn't realized until July 20, 1969. America's involvement with Vietnam escalated during this time as well. America had sent advisers to that region many years before 1964 starting with President Truman and it continued with Eisenhower and Kennedy. In August 1964, the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred which eventually precipitated in the first Marine troops being sent to Vietnam in March 1965. We were on the verge of being embroiled in a prolonged military conflict in Vietnam. In 1964, President Johnson signed a landmark bill called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which forbade public desegregation and public discrimination against blacks and minorities. And here's Ronald Reagan making speeches on behalf of Republican Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, which would eventually launch the political career of Ronald Reagan.

In the famous "A Time for Choosing" speech Ronald Reagan made on behalf of Barry Goldwater, he stressed his belief in the importance of smaller government. "The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people and they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing," according to Reagan. This "A Time for Choosing" speech raised $1 million for Goldwater's campaign and is considered the event that launched Reagan's career. "A Time for Choosing", also known as "The Speech" was presented on a number of speaking occasions during the 1964 U.S. presidential election campaign by future president Ronald Reagan on behalf of candidate Barry Goldwater. Many versions of this speech existed. It was altered during many stops. Reagan gave this speech at the 1964 Republican National Convention at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California and he also gave this speech as part of a pre-recorded television appearance entitled, "Rendevous with Destiny" on October 27, 1964. This particular YouTube clip was given on October 27, 1964.

Many believe this speech helped launch Ronald Reagan's political career starting with his gubernatorial run in California in 1966 and 1970 and then eventually the presidency in 1980. Many say this was the most effective speech given on behalf of a presidential candidate. As it turned out, Goldwater lost this race by huge margins. This speech showed the remarkable communication skills Ronald Reagan possessed.