The 1960s was a liberal decade, the 1970s was a mess, and the 1980s was a conservative decade. In 1964, while helping the Goldwater campaign, a young up-and-coming figure in the Republican Party named Ronald Reagan gave a speech titled “A Time for Choosing” (if you don’t want to read it there you can watch it here).
This speech became a foundational address in the modern Republican Party, put Reagan on the fast-track to the White House, and defined American Conservatism from then to the present. After reading (or watching) the speech answer the following in a paragraph:
- What are the main points of the speech? If it’s a time for choosing, what are the choices?
- How did this speech set the tone for the current political right?