Small Town President

“[Reagan] really had the brand of small-town, Midwest America stamped on him” (Richard Norton Smith, xi). 


The Book   


The Essential Ronald Reagan: A Profile in Courage, Justice, and Wisdom, by Lee Edwards, is a brief biography that touches on all aspects of Reagan’s life. It is a great introduction for anyone that wants to read about the fortieth president. Edwards opens the book with a look at Reagan’s funeral in 2004 and then traces his roots and impact on American politics.

Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois and his family later moved to Dixon, Illinois. He lived in Dixon until he graduated from Eureka College and became a sports broadcaster in Iowa. Edwards uses the chapters on Reagan’s early life to show the reader how Reagan’s later beliefs were shaped and changed by growing up in Dixon. The future president came of age in “a bustling town of about eight thousand built on gently rolling northern Illinois hills and containing several plants and factories” (8).

No biography of a president is complete without space dedicated to his time in the office. This book is no different and most of the chapters are focused on Reagan’s rise to political prominence: starting with his speech in support of Barry Goldwater in 1964 to his final days as president in 1989.



The Place   

Dixon, Illinois is two hours west of Chicago and much of the town looks as it did when Reagan was growing up. The RonaldReagan Boyhood Home is preserved for visitors to walk through and see what life was like for the Reagan’s. Some highlights of the house are: the Bible Reagan was sworn in as president is sitting on his parents’ dresser and a loose tile in front of the fireplace where Reagan hid his money as a child. Next door is a visitor center that presents pictures from each stage of Reagan’s life and a short video that documents the restoration of the Boyhood Home.

The Northwest Territory Historic Center is housed in the building where Reagan went to elementary school. When visitors first walk into the building they are greeted with a large portrait of Ronald Reagan made out of jelly beans. Reagan’s 6^th grade classroom is preserved and the exhibit includes Hollywood and Presidential memorabilia. There is also a well-done exhibit on the Black Hawk War and farming in the Dixon community.