On August 2, 1923, Calvin Coolidge was vacationing at his father's home at Plymouth,Vermont when one night he was awakened by the tragic news of Warren Harding's death. Harding ,who had been on a public speaking tour of the West, when his health began to deteriorate, tried poorly to alleviate the scandal that have been plaguing his presidency. Praying by candlelight, Coolidge descended the stairs to the plain living room of his father's house, lighted only by two kerosene lamps. Upon an old wooden business desk, a copy of the US Constitution was found and Coolidge took the oath of office, as his father
administered him as the next president of the United States on the family Bible.
	In his six years as president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge was considered to be a heroic president; not for what he did, but for what he did not do. Therein lies his political genius as Walter Lippmann, a White House advisor for Coolidge in 1926, pointed out: "... his talent for effectively doing nothing. This active inactivity suits the mood and certain needs of the country admirably. It suits all the business interests which wants to be let alone... And it suits all those who have become convinced that government in this country has become dangerously complicated and top heavy.." (Touchman 90).
It is no wonder, that Coolidge was known as the "do-nothing" president.
	The road to the presidency was not a hard road for Coolidge to come by. He was born on the 4th of July in the summer of 1872 at Vermont. He was originally named John Calvin Coolidge but he later dropped the "John" (Askin 67-68). His parents were John and Victoria Coolidge. His father was a jack-of-all-trades, but was later known to be an exceptional politician. His mother loved poetry and was very beautiful, unfortunately she died when Coolidge was 12 yrs.old (Askin 79). 									Coolidge was brought up in a very idealistic family. His religious affiliation was vague, yet one can surmise that his family religion was Protestant since the majority of America was Protestant at that time. Also instilled in him at an early age were "attributes of caution, dependability, fairness, honesty, industry, thrift, tolerance, and unpretentiousness, and a belief in man's perfectibility." (Touchman 65)...
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...ment on foreign affairs won Coolidge the admiration of the public. His support of the Kellog-Briand Peace Pact increased his reputation worldwide
as a man who denounces war and agrees to settle all disputes by pacifistic means.
	Despite his popularity and heroism to stabilize a booming nation, Coolidge declined to run for reelection. A man with little words his only reply was written on a piece of paper, "I do not choose to run for reelection at 1928" (Coolidge). He retired back at Northampton, where he busied himself writing newspaper and magazine articles. Living up to his name as "Silent Cal", Coolidge stayed away from politics until his death. Coolidge died on January 5, 1933 and was buried at Plymouth, Vermont A hero is not measured by his words, but by his actions. Calvin Coolidge was a man with very little words, but his ability to keep America inactive lead to a decrease of the national debt and taxes. Though history regarded him as the "do-nothing" president,that policy enabled an era of peace, stability, and security that rightfully earned him the
tile of hero as well deserving his era's name as the "Coolidge Prosperity".
In the book Theodore Roosevelt by Louis Auchincloss, I learned a great deal about the twenty-sixth President of the United States of America. Former President T. Roosevelt made many accomplishments as president, and did not have a high number of scandals. Roosevelt did very well in keeping the peace between the different countries, which earned him many admirers and the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. The author’s purpose for writing Theodore Roosevelt was to tell his readers all about America’s former president, Theodore Roosevelt’s life. Louis Auchincloss did a great job at describing President T. Roosevelt’s life from Teddy’s childhood, his life before presidency, to all of Teddy’s accomplishments as president, and finally to his life after his
He experienced life as a rancher which allowed him to relate to the working class citizens of America. He always kept the working classes best interest in mind and was fair to everyone. He was a war hero. He put his foot down and spoke out against political corruption. When it came to foreign and domestic affairs Teddy Roosevelt spoke softly but carried a big stick. He was prepared to use force when necessary but often used persuasion to avoid conflict and keep tranquility in the world. He didn’t let Congress push him around like how he threatened Congress to pass the Meat Inspection and Pure Food and Drug acts. He showed strength and interest in the future by dismantling monopolies, building the Panama Canal, and by preserving land. Teddy Roosevelt kept the average working class American’s best interest in mind and through his toughness he gave America a square
Theodore was upright, conservative, and a model of self-control. He didn't care for public acclaim. He was a junior partner at Roosevelt and Son, a faithful parishioner of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, and belonged to the Union League Club and the Century Association. He served on charitable boards, raised money for charity, and was the model husband and father. Roosevelt was physically imposing, athletic, and handsome. He was concerned about the clothes he wore and made sure that his suits ...
This nation’s 26th president, he is well known for many things. Some question whether or not what he accomplished during his presidency term is even worthy of having a face carved into Mount Rushmore. He was a renowned historian, author and naturalist/explorer. Once voted into office, not only was he popular with the people, but he was ready to start all of his new ideas. One of his biggest ones was his idea on foreign policies. Roosevelt firmly believed that the US was going to be a very powerful nation of the world. By doing so, the US needed to gain as much territories as possible. We were able to establish protectorates over spaces such as Guam, the Philippines, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. His edition to the Monroe Doctrine, named the Roosevelt Corollary, was to help with South American affairs. The Latin American country Venezuela, was suffering money issues with Germany and Britain. So to settle the dispute, the Roosevelt Corollary was set up to state that any place in the Western Hemisphere were having financial disputes, the US would be there to support them. They would act as a police man to watch over that area. Though it was maybe in his best intentions, Latin America as a whole grew to not like those terms as much. As well as the creation of the Great Whi...
During the 20th century many different presidents went in and out of the doors of the White House serving the country the best they could. However, two of these men hold a place in American history as perhaps the greatest leaders that had ever served our country. Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson are two extraordinary men that symbolize the hope and aspirations of the American people during such a tumultuous time in United States history. Both of these men held leadership qualities like no other, had strong views for America, and held exceptional ideas on foreign policy.
In spite of this, Harding was honored like all influential and grandiose people who died, even Abraham Lincoln. Before his death, Harding had a presidency laced with scandal, corruption and incompetency. Harding’s knowledge about the world and his job was severely lacking and was appalling for someone epitomizing an iconic figure in the American culture. According to Samuel Hopkins Adams, author of “The Timely Death of President Harding”, Harding often complained openly about his lack of knowledge. Adams noted, “To any interviewer he said with disarming humility, “I don’t know anything about this European stuff…”. As for finances: “I can’t make a damn thing out of this tax problem”” (Adams 474). Harding was not beneficial to the United States and his scandals branded him as a man who was “war-weary impatient of problems too weighty for the mind in the street, cynically intolerant of a half-wrecked world’s troubles” (Adams 473). Clearly, Harding served very little purpose to the improvement of the United States and one would think his eventual death would be treated with the same apathy. But like all famous people that pass away, Harding was bid a farewell with compliments and statements that would equate him to the American hero. Harding was recognized after his death as “the idol of the man in the street, the apotheosis of the Average American, the exemplar of the triumphant commonplace” (Adams 469). In reality, Harding had a mistress, was friends with America’s greatest crooks, most of which landed in prison, and didn’t have the slightest idea about how to do his job. This suggests that it is a taboo in society to speak ill of the dead and people are willing to say anything to glorify the former life of the deceased whether or not it is
Still, Roosevelt's historical reputation is deservedly high. In attacking the Great Depression he did much to develop a partial welfare state in the United States and to make the federal government an agent of social and economic reform. His administration indirectly encouraged the rise of organized labor and greatly invigorated the Democratic party. His foreign policies, while occasionally devious, were shrewd enough to sustain domestic unity and the allied coalition in World War II. Roosevelt was a president of stature.
and with his vast progressive ideals and clear foresight of the nation's path, he found remarkable
During his presidency Roosevelt had a tendency to carry the big stick then to speak softly. He got quite involved with the situation in Central and South America and also there was the controversy of the acquisition of the Philippines in the Pacific Islands. Roosevelt was also able to show the soft-spoken, sophisticated side of his diplomacy in dealing with major powers outside the Western Hemisphere. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations with Russia and Japan, hardly the actions of a war monger. Roosevelt was just an energetic person and he wanted to civilize what he thought of as uncivilized countries.
He was a conservative who fought for reform. He became the first American to receive a Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. He would never say that he was a republican; he shared both democratic and republican values, he represented the people. Teddy was very energetic; he loved reading, thinking and talking.
President Franklin Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. He created economic stability when the United States was suffering through the Great Depression. In his first three months of office, known as the Hundred Days, Roosevelt took immediate action to help the struggling nation.1 "In a period of massive unemployment, a collapsed stock market, thousands of banks closing for lack of liquidity, and agricultural prices fallen below the cost of production," Roosevelt passed a series of relief measures.2 These relief measures, known as the New Deal, provided help for individuals and businesses to prevent bankruptcy. Also, the New Deal is responsible for social security, welfare, and national parks. A further reason why Roosevelt is considered a great president is because he was a good role model for being determined in his...
Theodore Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents. He created the FDA and improved the position of the presidency greatly. Before Theodore came to be president, the position of presidency was slow and wasn’t very interesting so he made the executive branch more powerful by starting new reforms and a strong foreign policy. The life of a president is hard. It is full of stress, responsibilities, and a strong dedication the welfare of your country. Theodore had to deal with all of these presidential stresses, taking up much of his time. Do you know, though, that despite being a president, he led a life of excitement and freedom that many other presidents had never before experienced? Theodore, “Teddy” as his first wife Alice called him, Roosevelt was more than just our president, he was a dedicated author who wrote many books; he was also a rancher, and, surprisingly, he was a big time hunter. Even though Theodore Roosevelt was a president, his life was filled with exciting adventure, times of hardships, responsibilities to many, and influences upon many government positions.
Teddy Roosevelt was a man who liked to creat a stir wherever he went. He loved mingling with people to boost his own self-image.He loved to impress people with his cowboyism, his collection of guns, and his pintsize spectacles.Also, Roosevelt was a direct-actionist.He wanted to keep the country moving foward and preserve his public image at the same time. He wanted to display to his supporters that he could lead the country and be a jovial person simulataneously. His public image seemed to be his first priority, and when the election of 1904 came approaching, he wanted to show that he could be a bully to smaller countries and impress his people back home.
Americans loved Republican Senator Warren G. Harding when he ran for president. He looked like a president, sounded like a president, and spoke vaguely on issues, so he would not aggravate any sides. But most notably, he reminded people that "'America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy'" (Pietrusza 3) and America agreed. Harding conducted a low-risk campaign that was based on the image of being the "president next door". He focused on an image consistent with America's desire for peace and tranquility. He invited voters to his front porch and used his newspaper skills (he was a former newspaper editor) to tame the press, who gave him good press (Pietrusza 225). Even his successor as president, Calvin Coolidge, used the same tactics of going on as business as usual and touring for...
This leader once said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”, Theodore Roosevelt. There are many adjectives that describe Theodore Roosevelt my top three are; courage, intellectual and determination. Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president of the United States of American after the assassination of President William McKinley. Nicknamed Teddy, he was one of the most popular and significant presidents ever to serve. At the age of 42 he took office and was the youngest president in the nation’s history. He leaded congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. Roosevelt ensured the