Introduction
On Feb. 6, 1911 a child named Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in a small town, Tampico, Illinois. His parents are the late Nelle Wilson and John ("Jack") Reagan. Ronald grew up with one brother by the name of Neil ("Moon") Reagan. The Reagans moved quite a few times throughout Ronald’s childhood before settling down in Dixon Illinois.
Although Reagan Majored in Sociology and Economics, his love was in entertainment. In 1936 he accepted a position with the radio station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa as a sports caster. Only a year later, Reagan went on to Hollywood in Los Angeles, California to establish his acting career. His acting career lasted 25 years.
Reagan became known for his political abilities in 1964 when he preformed a television speech that supported Senator Barry Goldwater’s campaign for presidency. Although Goldwater lost, the speech was moving none the less. After the speech was delivered, a group of Republicans in California approached Reagan and convinced him to run in the 1966 election for the seat of governor of California. Reagan beat out Democrat Edmund G. Brown, his opponent, by nearly a million votes.
In the Race for presidency in 1980 Regan’s opponent was Jimmy Carter. Carter’s nervous mannerisms were no match for Regan’s charm and public appeal. Carter's 41% of votes was dwarfed by Reagan’s 51%. Reagan became known as "the great communicator.” Reagan became the 40th President of the United States of America. Reagan spoke out publicly against federal regulatory agencies, expensive social programs, and government bureaucracy. He was a public speaker and advocate of the middle class. However, he also thought the government had too much control and influence over businesses.
Psychological Influences
His father was an Irish-American. His father was a shoe salesman by trade. Reagan’s mother was Scotts-Irish. Reagan