Warren G. Harding

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Calvin Coolidge1923-1929
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I. Domestic

• A. Political

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1. Coolidge became Pres in 23

• a. He fired the people involved in the scandals
  of Hardings administration, earning a reputation
  for being honest, direct, and hardworking.
• b. He continued the pro-business attitude.
• c. The tight-lipped president surprised many by
  becoming a popular figure - the public valued
  prosperity more than a dashing chief executive.

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2. Election of 1924

• Calvin Coolidge Republican
• John W. Davis Democrat
• Democrats become split over Prohibition
• Rural areas favored Prohibition/ Cities opposed
• Robert LaFollete- Progressive
• Backed by farmers and workers
• Attacked pro-business policies
• Big victory for Silent Cal!

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e. The Election of 1924The first radio election
LED TO MASS CULTURE
Grace and Calvin Coolidge
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3. Immigration Act of 1924

1. Definition of quota the or of
   persons/things allowed to do something (in this
   case, immigrate to a country)

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• b. Cut the immigration quota in two ways
• Reduced number of immigrants from Southern and
  Eastern Europe from 3 to 2 of foreign
  residents in the US in 1890
• ii. Placed a ceiling of 150,000 immigrants
  annually and excluded Japanese altogether.

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After Immigration Quota Act
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• B. Economic

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1. Business The Business of America is
Business! - C.C.

• Wages rose prosperity led to material comforts.
• The growth of business
• Formula for wealth mass production
  standardized products a nation-wide market
• America used to hate big business- but now relied
  on it to supply cheap products and create new
  opportunities for wealth

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2. The Plight of Agriculture

• a. Farmers were the only group that did not
  prosper in the 1920s.
• b. Falling prices and shrinking markets
• i. Technological advances led to
• greater production, reducing prices.
• ii. The end of WWI brought an end to
• foreign markets.

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• c. The influence of the Farm Bloc-
• i. Members of Congress from both parties
  passed laws that favored farmers
• aa. McNary-Haugen Bill-
• provided for govt
• purchase of surplus crops
• to be sold abroad.
• bb. The only problem it did not solve
  surpluses did not sell.
• cc. Vetoed by C.C.

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3. Tax Reduction

• Congress continued lowering some taxes.
• Sharply reduced income and inheritance taxes and
  abolished the gift tax and excise taxes from WWI.
• Freed people to invest! (this will be one of the
  factors that leads to speculation and eventually
  the Great Depression)

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4. Veterans Bonus of 1924

• Passed over Coolidges veto
• Awarded WWI veterans extra pay for their service,
  redeemable in 1945
• The amount was to be determined by length of
  service and where they served.

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• II. Foreign

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• A. Republican presidents worked to promote world
  peace - Coolidge petitioned Congress for
  isolationism
• B. Kellogg-Briand Pact 64 nations agreed to
  abandon war by settling disputes by peaceful
  means
• 1. No means of enforcement!

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• C. America continued to exert much influence
  over Latin America
• Controlled the Panama Canal
• U.S. troops trained and maintained a pro-American
  National Guard in the Dominican Republic and
  occupied Nicaragua and Haiti with a peacekeeping
  force of U.S. soldiers throughout the decade.

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Not much Foreign policy

• Remember we went back to ISOLATIONISM???
• Back to Normalcy

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III. Random Facts

• Coolidge was a highly visible leader, holding
  press conferences and speaking on the radio
• - He even posed for portraits dressed in farmer
  overalls, cowboy hats and chaps, and full Indian
  headdresses.

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REFLECTION QUESTIONS (a) Why did the U.S.
return to an isolationist foreign policy after
The Great War? (b) How was that mindset evident
through the policies we have discussed in Harding
and Coolidge's presidencies? (Think what new
laws or presidential policies were created to
keep the U.S. focused on itself and out of the
affairs of other countries?)