1920s Presidents

Objective: Compare the Administrations of Harding, Coolidge,

Hoover

APK

• Before the Progressive movement how was government run?

• How can the progressive idea of efficiency apply to the government?

• How would a war affect the America’s views towards other countries?

• What is the main reason we have a government?

Importance• Government’s job is to protect the people from

themselves. Governments are suppose to regulate business so that they do not do stupid things that end up hurting people in the end.

• What happened in 2007, 2008, 2009– Business made decisions that hurt their consumers– Deregulation lead to corruption and looking out for

money

During times of prosperity how do citizens feel about the government?During times of recession how do people feel about the government?

Importance

• The "trickle down" economic theory of President Herbert Hoover was based on the idea that – 1. balanced budgets are essential to economic success.– 2. the Federal Government needs to assume more

responsibility for solving economic problems.– 3. economic growth depends on making increased

amounts of money available to business.– 4. economic stability is the responsibility of Federal

monetary agencies.

Vocab• Normalcy

– consequence of being usual or regular or common• Isolationism

– a policy of nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international affairs• Disarmament

– the reduction of offensive or defensive fighting capability, as by a nation

• Tariffs– A list or system of taxes imposed by a government on imported or

exported goods.• Laissez-Faire

– opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce• Subsidies

– Financial assistance given by one person or government (mainly for farmers)

• Efficiency– The degree to which this quality is exercised

• Regulate– To control or direct according to rule

The Worst President in American History?• Warren Harding (1921-1923)

– Return to Normalcy after World War I • Isolationism—avoided foreign

alliances but…• Called for Disarmament of

European nations• War Debts—Europe debts were

scaled back to allow their economies to recover

• What do you believe Harding meant by a return to Normalcy?

• What does that say about America

Harding(ly) a President• Attempted to disarm and

don’t use war as national policy

• Kellog-Briand Pact– Signees should not use war

for foreign policy

• How does disarmament help a return to Normalcy?

Scandal• Teapot Dome

– Officials stealing $$– Officials taking bribes– Harding's Interior

Secretary Albert B. Fall• Let an oil company

drill on government land in exchange for $300,000 and gifts Coolidge scrubbing the Republican

party clean after the scandal

Scandal & Harding• Ohio Gang –

Presidents friends get power

• President was clueless• Friends sold

government goods to private companies

• Others caught taking bribes

• Died of a heart attack after scandal broke

How do you believe the public would view a scandal?

Calvin Coolidge aka “Silent Cal”

• Harding’s VP and won reelection in 1924• Laissez-Faire

– “The chief business of the American people is business”

– Pair share- What do you believe this statement means?

– Leave business alone and the nation will thrive

– Lowered income taxes, increase protect tariffs

– Did not help the depressed agriculture industry

Fordney-McCumber TariffContinued to use as Isolationist toolup to 60% tax on imported goods

What was Coolidge know for?

Hoover• Followed Harding and Coolidge as business policy

• Efficiency movement – Experts find inefficiency

and fix it– Increase volunteerism

• Stock Market Crashes• Action for Farmers

– Pushed for farm subsidies

• Started to regulate financial institutions

• What role did Hoover play in leading to a depression

Labor Problems

• During war illegal to strike because it hurt the cause

• 1919 – 3,000 strikes w/ 4 mill workers

• Believed strikes were started by communists

• Union members were planning a revolution

- Why was labor hurt during WWI?- Do you believe a Laissez Faire policy would hurt of help labor?

Loss of power that was never there• 1920s hurt labor movement• Membership dropped from 5

to 3.5 mill– Workforce were immigrants– Difficult to organize w/

language barrier– Farmers moved to factories– Excluded African Americans

• What could a possible affect be if labor could not unionize?

• How would this affect people’s income?

Importance

• The "trickle down" economic theory of President Herbert Hoover was based on the idea that – 1. balanced budgets are essential to economic success.– 2. the Federal Government needs to assume more

responsibility for solving economic problems.– 3. economic growth depends on making increased

amounts of money available to business.– 4. economic stability is the responsibility of Federal

monetary agencies.

Closure

• "The business of America is business.”• President Calvin Coolidge

• By making this statement, President Coolidge was expressing his support for– 1. higher taxes on corporations.– 2. banking regulations.– 3. democratic socialism.– 4. the free-enterprise system.

Closure

• In 1920, when Presidential candidate Warren G. Harding called for "a return to normalcy," he was advocating– 1. increased support for Progressive Era programs and the

League of Nations.– 2. increased farm production and an emphasis on the rural

lifestyle.– 3. reduced international involvement and less government

regulation of business.– 4. reduced racial segregation and the elimination of

discrimination against women.

Closure

• Which economic practice became significantly more widespread during the 1920s?– 1. Governmental regulation of business.– 2. Stock market investment.– 3. Dependence on government welfare programs.– 4. Reduction of tariff rates.

Closure

• The Teapot Dome scandal centered around– 1. gold mines.– 2. union members.– 3. high tariffs.– 4. oil-rich lands.