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World Leaders Research Project: Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois. From the beginning
of his life to the end, he sought after and attained multiple roles of leadership. Reagan had a
leading role in practically everything he did. His pursuit of leadership can be traced all the way
back to his school days, where along with many other extracurricular activities, he was Dixon
High School’s student body president. Soon after he graduated high school, Reagan enrolled in
Eureka College in Illinois and majored in sociology and economics, where he also served as
student body president. These experiences would come in handy for him later in life when he
would serve in major political roles.
At this point in his young adult life, he then began steering away from the political path
and began a career of acting, which continued for three decades starring in over fifty films. Still,
Reagan never lost sight of his power pursuit. Over those thirty years he continued gaining
multiple dominant titles. During World War II he served as a captain in the military. He most
likely would have advanced to higher rankings, but he disqualified from any combat due to poor
eyesight. From 1947 to 1952 Reagan maintained yet another powerful role as President of Screen
Actors Guild. This position is one of the reasons why he was into politics. As president of SAG,
he got into disputes with people and media over the film industry’s portrayal of Communism.
Over a little bit of time, his view went from the liberal side to more conservative. He became a
spokesperson for conservatism.
Reagan stepped into the real political spotlight in 1967, when he ran for governor of
California. He was with the Republican party and was running against Democrat Edmund Brown
Sr. Reagan won the election, trumping Brown by almost a million votes. He was in office as
governor from 19671975.
Reagan’s next step in his career was monumental: running for President of the United
States. He won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and chose George Bush as his
running mate, who was a former Texas Congressman and United Nations Ambassador. Reagan
ran against Democrat Jimmy Carter, who was up for reelection. Reagan won by a landslide,
having 489 electoral votes versus Carter’s 49. In January 1981 he was inaugurated as the 40th
president of the United States. During his first term as President, he made advances on several
conservative policies, such as cutting taxes to improve the economy, increasing military and
defense spending, and contributing to the beginning of the nation’s economic recovery. Reagan
made history in 1981 by appointing Judge Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman on the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Reagan ran for reelection in 1984 against Walter Mondale. He won by another complete
landslide, with 525 of the 538 electoral votes and 49 of the 50 states. Reagan’s second term
focused mainly on foreign affairs: ending the Cold War, bombing Libya, the IranContra affair.
Toward the end of his second term, he gave a speech at the Brandenburg Gate (beside the Berlin
Wall). He famously challenged Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this
wall!” Five months after his term ended, the Berlin Wall fell.
Reagan had a very reputable leadership style. He was good at adapting to change, which
was helpful as our country was going through many changes during his presidency. He
understood growth, and how to promote it when it was needed. He believed in every individual’s
rights, and didn’t want anyone to ever be discriminated because of race, gender, or any other
prejudice. He wanted to unite the country for the good of everyone. Those traits are what made
him such a wellliked and respected president and man.
Sources: http://www.biography.com/people/ronaldreagan9453198#governorshipandpresidentialbid http://www.npr.org/news/specials/obits/reagan/timeline.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/ronaldreagan http://governors.library.ca.gov/33reagan.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan Paper By: Madelin Knotts and Grace Nottingham