"A Time for Choosing", also known as "The Speech", was a speech presented during the 1964 U.S. presidential election campaign by future

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

on behalf of Republican candidate

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

. "A Time for Choosing" launched Reagan into national prominence in politics. He uses antithesis and rhetorical questions to convey a serious tone to the audience.

Background

Many versions of this speech exist since it was altered over many weeks. Contrary to popular belief, however, the speech was not given at the

1964 Republican National Convention The 1964 Republican National Convention took place in the Cow Palace, Daly City, California, from July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had been only one national Republican convention on the West Coast, the 1956 Republican National Convent ...

in San Francisco, California as a nomination speech for presidential candidate

;

Everett Dirksen Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As P ...

gave that nomination speech, while

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

introduced Goldwater prior to his acceptance speech. Reagan, though he campaigned for Goldwater, did not use "A Time for Choosing" until October 27, 1964, when it was part of a pre-recorded television program, ''Rendezvous with Destiny'' (the title of the program was used by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in his June 27, 1936 speech to the

1936 Democratic National Convention The 1936 Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 23 to 27, 1936. The convention resulted in the nomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vice President John N. Garner for reelection. Changes t ...

). In his autobiography, '' An American Life'', Reagan recalled going to bed that night "hoping I hadn't let Barry down." Speaking for Goldwater, Reagan stressed his belief in the importance of smaller government. In the speech, Reagan revealed his ideological motivation: "The

Founding Fathers The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence ...

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." He also said, "You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream – the maximum of individual freedom consistent with law and order – or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism." The speech raised $1 million for Goldwater's campaign, and is considered the event that launched Reagan's political career.

Aftermath and legacy

"A Time For Choosing" has been considered one of the most effective speeches ever made by an eventual presidential candidate. Following "A Time For Choosing" in 1964, ''Washington Post'' reporter

David S. Broder David Salzer Broder (September 11, 1929 – March 9, 2011) was an American journalist, writing for ''The Washington Post'' for over 40 years. He was also an author, television news show pundit, and university lecturer. For more than half a ce ...

called the speech "the most successful national political debut since

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

electrified the 1896 Democratic Convention with his ' Cross of Gold' speech."Hayward, Steven F.
Why Ronald Reagan's ‘A Time for Choosing’ endures after all this time
The Washington Post, October 23, 2014 Nevertheless, Barry Goldwater lost the election by one of the largest margins in history. Soon afterward, Reagan was asked to run for

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...

; he ran for office and won the election in 1966. When Reagan won the White House in 1980,

George Will George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is an American libertarian conservative writer and political commentator. He writes columns for ''The Washington Post'' on a regular basis and provides commentary for '' NewsNation''. In 1986, ''The Wall ...

of ''The Washington Post'' referred back to "A Time For Choosing" and said, "Goldwater won the election of 1964... it just took sixteen years to count the votes." In 2014, Professor Steven F. Hayward, Professor of Public Policy at

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

and Reagan biographer, looked back at the speech and said, "at the time, critics thought the speech was too emotional; while others thought it was too controversial. But after the speech, it was clear that Ronald Reagan and his ideas were simply irresistible." "A Time For Choosing" ushered in a conservative movement in American politics at a time when the country was looking for strong leadership following President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and while experiencing both a growing

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...

and a raging

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Reagan's speech in 1964 not only made him the leader of this movement but also earned him the nickname "The Great Communicator" in recognition of his effective oratory skills. Among Reagan's admirers, "A Time For Choosing" is known simply as "The Speech."

Background

Aftermath and legacy

References

Further reading