Reagan’s “A Time For Choosing” turns Fifty

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s “A Time For Choosing” speech, presented in 1964 in support of the presidential candidacy of Senator Barry Goldwater.  This was about two years after Reagan had switched his registration from Democrat to Republican, and about two years before he would run for the governorship of California.  The speech, about a half-hour long, is rousing, and I well remember seeing it for the first time on the college dormitory television soon after my 23rd birthday.  It propelled Reagan even further into the national conservative limelight, and today is ranked as one of the greatest speeches in American political history.

In recognition of the speech’s significance, I have created a new page (HERE) under the menu category “Education / Historic Events”, and on that page you will find the official video of the speech, as well as the text transcript of it.

Over the course of his career and his presidency, of course, Reagan gave many excellent speechs.  The “Boys Of Pointe Du Hoc” speech given at the commemoration of the D-Day 40th anniversary on June 6, 1984 is one, the speech at the Bradenburg Gate in 1987 in which he said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” is another.  But there are more, many more, and for those who wish to see a complete list, go HERE.