Ronald Reagan: A Journey to American Leadership

Ronald Reagan is arguably one of the most influential men in American history. Reagan’s childhood, and more specifically his relationship with his father pushed him to develop the strong religious faith, was instrumental in forming him into the man he was. The middle part of Reagan’s life was riddled with successes that more than likely gave him the confidence to pursue some of his greater goals later in life. Reagan’s career before politics made him well known face in many American households, which helped transition him into a well-liked political figurehead. Lastly Reagan’s time as president was a time of peace and prosperity for the American people. Reagan had many defining experiences that shaped him into the public figure, and president

He was born in the small town of Tampico, Illinois, the second and last child of Jack and Nelle Reagan (Woodard). Reagan’s father Jack was instrumental in making him the successful man we all know him to be. He did not do this necessarily by being the best example however. Jack Reagan, while always being described as a “good man” had his issues. He was in a constant pursuit of financial stability, which caused him to uproot and move his family many times during Reagan’s childhood. Jack was also a heavy drinker and spent a majority of the family’s money on alcohol. When asked about his father's drinking, Reagan often recalled an instance from his youth in which he came home to what he thought would be an empty house, but instead he found his father passed out, drunk in the snow. Young Reagan assisted his father into the house, taking on a role as caretaker that no child should have to. This lack of a solid father figure caused Reagan to look elsewhere to fill that void. He looked towards his faith, and found a heavenly father instead. Ever since childhood Reagan had a very strong faith. This strong faith was a staple throughout the rest of Reagan’s life, and it worked greatly to make him the man he was

His father was a Democrat and had raised both his boys with those beliefs as well. Many people tried to convince Reagan to run for a seat in United States Congress, as a democrat for the state of California, on multiple occasions. Reagan always refused their persuasions. The first time that he accepted any role in politics was in the year 1960 when he was urged by the GOP to publicly support the current Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon. Reagan agreed, and in that year he gave nearly 200 speeches that urged people to vote for Nixon (Woodard). This involvement in politics is what many believed sparked Reagan’s interest and ultimately led to him running for governor of California in 1966 as a Republican. Many reidiculted Reagan saying that he did not have enough political experience to be running for governor. I believe that many of his previous experiences, like his many rejections when first trying to find a job, equipped him to deal with the negativity he was receiving and rise above it. Reagan won the election by almost one million votes, and served two full terms as governor of