1. The 1920s: Republican Control

2. Republican Control Through the 1920s:
Three Republican presidents
Congress was solidly Republican
A decade where U.S. businesses boomed, while farmers and unions struggled
Death of Teddy Roosevelt in 1919 coupled with disillusionment over the war led to a return of old-guard (conservative) Republicans to power
Argued limited govt. regulation was an aid to stabilizing business
Regulatory commissions created during the Progressive era were now led by people who were more sympathetic to big business than the public

3. The Election of 1920 Democrat- Ohio Gov. James Cox
Urged for the U.S. to join the League of Nations
Republican- Ohio Sen. Warren G. Harding
Unclear about where he stood on every issue
Republican national convention deadlocked in 1920
Party bosses “in a smoke-filled room” gave the nomination to Harding
“A return to normalcy”
Idealism/activism that characterized the pre-war Progressive Era was over

4. Harding’s Presidency
Harding recognized his limitations as a leader and made up for them by appointing able men to his cabinet:
Secretary of State- Supreme Court justice Charles Evans Hughes
Secretary of Commerce- former mining engineer and Food Administration leader Herbert Hoover
Secretary of Treasury- Pittsburgh industrialist/millionaire Andrew Mellon
Chief Justice- former president William H. Taft
As president, Harding did little more than sign into law measures adopted by Congress
Lowered taxes, increased tariffs, created the Bureau of the Budget
Bureau of the Budget followed procedures for govt. expenditures to be placed in a single budget for Congress to review and vote on

5. The Teapot Dome Scandal
Harding’s presidency was marked by scandals and corruption
Also appointed incompetent, dishonest men to fill cabinet positions
Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall had accepted bribes from oil companies to drill on federal land near Teapot Dome, Wyoming
Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty also accepted bribes not to prosecute certain suspects in the scandal
Harding died suddenly while traveling in August 1923, months before these scandals were uncovered
He was never implicated in any of the scandals

6. The Election of 1924
Calvin Coolidge was Harding’s vice president and successor when he died in 1923
Nicknamed “Silent Cal”
“If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it.”
“When more and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment results.”
“The business of America is business.”
Overwhelming choice for Republican nomination in 1924 after serving a year in office after Harding’s death
Coolidge won the election easily
Democrats broke off and formed a new Progressive party, which did surprisingly well in the 1924 election

7. Calvin Coolidge’s Presidency
Coolidge believed in a limited govt.
Little was accomplished during his time in office
Cut spending to the bone
Even vetoed Republican acts for spending
Would not allow bonuses for WWI veterans
Vetoed a bill to help farmers as crop prices fell

8. The Election of 1928 Coolidge declined to run for a second term
Republicans nominate Herbert Hoover
Served previous three presidents in administrative roles
Republicans boasted of “Coolidge Prosperity,” which Hoover promised to continue
Hoover ironically suggested poverty would soon be ended altogether
Hoover won in a landslide

9. ?
Why did many old-guard (conservative) Republicans return to power in the 1920s?
How did Harding make up for his limitations as a leader?
What happened during the Teapot Dome scandal?
How could you characterize Calvin Coolidge’s presidency?
Who won the election in 1928? What did he promise or suggest would happen?