Reagan, then a 46-year-old actor and Screen Actors Guild leader, returned to his alma mater to deliver a speech that foreshadowed his political career. He framed the entire address as a 'reading of the will' — the graduates were inheriting America, and he wanted to discuss 'the terms and conditions of the legacy.' The first condition was understanding what made America distinctive. Reagan argued it wasn't just geography but the character of the people who came to it — people whose defining trait was courage. This included not just the original settlers but every subsequent wave of immigrants, all of whom had possessed 'courage beyond that of their neighbors.' The celebration of immigrant courage was notable coming from the man who would later become the standard-bearer of American conservatism — and it remained consistent with his presidency, during which he signed the 1986 amnesty bill.