Post on 29-Nov-2014
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Calvin Coolidge- The Man
Political Career-Mayor of Northampton,
MassachusettsLieutenant Governor of
MassachusettsGovernor of MassachusettsVice President of the U.S.
Calvin Coolidge- The Man
Characteristics-PlainThriftyQuiet (aka- “Silent Cal”)Pro-Business (Less Government Interference)Follower of Jefferson’s belief that the
government is best which governs the least
Presidential Election of 1924
Republican National Convention- 1924Cleveland, OhioNominated Calvin Coolidge and
Charles Dawes as his running mate
Presidential Election of 1924
Democratic National Convention- 1924Madison Square Garden, New York
CityNominated John W. Davis and
Charles W. Bryan as his running mate
Presidential Election of 1924
Republicans and Democrats both experienced a split within their partiesCity Dwellers vs. Country Dwellers
Progressive Ticket, 1924
Robert “Battling Bob” La FolletteBelieved that they had turned their
backs on the farmers of AmericaRan for the presidency on the new
Progressive ticketRepublicans and Democrats attacked
him as a radical
Presidential Election of 1924
Calvin Coolidge won the election
Surprising Outcome- 123 women won seats in state legislatures2 women were elected governors of their
states Miriam “Ma” Ferguson (Texas) Nellie Ross (Wyoming)
Government Helps Business
Coolidge believed- Free Enterprise = Freedom of business from
government rules Government regulations = Less profitable
business Profitable businesses = A happy and prosperous
nation Factories = Temples Workers = Worshippers
Government Helps Business
Federal Trade Commission and Federal Reserve Board take on new rolesAided the companies they were
supposed to be regulatingAllowed for the development of
trusts and monopolies again
Supreme Court Aids Big Business Example- US Steel was ruled as
not a monopoly even though it controlled 40% of the steel industry in 1920
The Farm Problem
Farmers were growing poorer while the urban dwellers were getting richerProblem with supply and demand
More produce meant lower prices and less profits
High cost of farmingHigher taxes
Government responds with protectionist tariffs- which didn’t work
McNary-Haugen Bill
Federal government would buy up the agricultural surplus Hold it until the home market improved orSell it abroad
Failed to pass Congress in 1924 and 1926 Passed Congress in 1927 and 1928
Vetoed by Coolidge both times
Presidential Election of 1928
Republicans- Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover Big Business Small Town/Rural
America Protestantism Prohibition Humanitarian record
during the war made him popular
Democrats- New York Governor Alfred E. Smith Big City Politics Roman Catholicism Anti-Prohibition Faced staunch
opposition in the South and Midwest from the KKK
Presidential Election of 1928
Hoover won a close election Democrats saw a positive in that they
made headway into the twelve largest cities in AmericaA new trend that will affect future elections