Jeffry H. Morrison

Introduction: The Reagan Manifesto—Reflections on “A Time for Choosing” at 50

Ronald Reagan’s October 1964 “A Time for Choosing” speech cemented his status as a national figure, a political conservative with a strong grasp of domestic and international issues, and as a new Republican leader. At the time, none of this was necessarily apparent: his candidate, Barry Goldwater, was about to be crushed in the election, and the Republican establishment did not take seriously this second-rate actor, union president, and recent Democrat. Nonetheless, fifty years later, “The Speech” has been an inspiration to two generations of conservative thinkers and activists in the USA and beyond. This introduction provides context to the speech and outlines the contours of this volume.