THE WAMPOT METHOD!• To analyze political cartoons and other primary

resources we will be using Mr. Phelps’ patented method: WAMPOT!

• What?: What is the subject? (what’s it about?)• Author: Who created this work?• Medium: what is it? (political cartoon, song, etc.)• Purpose: what is the goal of this peace?• Opinion (of author): What does the author think

about the subject?• Trustworthy?: Can we trust the author to present

the information fairly & do they have their facts straight?

“The Only Way to Handle It”

12.2 The Harding Administration

Harding Administration

• Conservative Republican Harding elected because voters were exhausted of change

Den of Corruption

• He surrounded himself with corrupt friends– His “Ohio Gang” of poker players routinely

broke the Prohibition law (and other laws too)– These guys used the old patronage system to

give govt. jobs to loyal supporters

Den of Corruption

• Teapot Dome Scandal: U.S. Navy land, rich with oil, was leased to two big oil companies– Interior Secretary Albert B Falls was found

guilty of taking nearly half a million $ in bribes

• These sorts of scandals help Harding to be consistently ranked one of the worst presidents.

International Relations

• 1921 Washington Naval Conference was a success for limiting the size of navies

• Many countries signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, saying “no” to war– But there was no real commitment to actually

avoid war

International Relations• Germany’s out-of-control inflation made

their economy too weak to pay back all those reparations to France and Britain– American banker Charles Dawes came up with

a “solution…”

The Dawes Plan