Calvin Coolidge was a Republican politician who served as mayor, lieutenant governor, governor of Massachusetts and vice president before being elected president in 1924. As president, Coolidge followed a pro-business agenda with minimal government interference. He believed the government works best which governs least. Coolidge was renominated in 1924 and won re-election against Democrats John Davis and Robert La Follette's Progressive Party. His policies favored big business and farms struggled with surpluses. In 1928, Republican Herbert Hoover defeated Democrat Al Smith in a close election.
2024 04 03 AZ GOP LD4 Gen Meeting Minutes FINAL.docx
CP US - Ch. 22 - Sec. 3
1. Calvin Coolidge- The Man
Political Career-
Mayor of Northampton,
Massachusetts
Lieutenant Governor of
Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
Vice President of the U.S.
2. Calvin Coolidge- The Man
Characteristics-
Plain
Thrifty
Quiet (aka- “Silent Cal”)
Pro-Business (Less Government
Interference)
Follower of Jefferson’s belief that the
government is best which governs the
least
3. Presidential Election of 1924
Republican National Convention- 1924
Cleveland, Ohio
Nominated Calvin Coolidge and
Charles Dawes as his running mate
4. Presidential Election of 1924
Democratic National Convention- 1924
Madison Square Garden, New York
City
Nominated John W. Davis and
Charles W. Bryan as his running
mate
5. Presidential Election of 1924
Republicans and Democrats both
experienced a split within their parties
City Dwellers vs. Country Dwellers
6. Progressive Ticket, 1924
Robert “Battling Bob” La Follette
Believed that they had turned their
backs on the farmers of America
Ran for the presidency on the new
Progressive ticket
Republicans and Democrats attacked
him as a radical
7. Presidential Election of 1924
Calvin Coolidge won the election
Surprising Outcome-
123 women won seats in state legislatures
2 women were elected governors of their
states
Miriam “Ma” Ferguson (Texas)
Nellie Ross (Wyoming)
8. 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
9. Government Helps Business
Federal Trade Commission and
Federal Reserve Board take on
new roles
Aided the companies they were
supposed to be regulating
Allowed for the development of
trusts and monopolies again
10. 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
11. The Farm Problem
Farmers were growing poorer while the
urban dwellers were getting richer
Problem with supply and demand
More produce meant lower prices
and less profits
High cost of farming
Higher taxes
Government responds with
protectionist tariffs- which didn’t work
12. McNary-Haugen Bill
Federal government would buy up the
agricultural surplus
Hold it until the home market improved
or
Sell it abroad
Failed to pass Congress in 1924 and 1926
Passed Congress in 1927 and 1928
Vetoed by Coolidge both times
13. 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
14. Presidential Election of 1928
Hoover won a close election
Democrats saw a positive in that they
made headway into the twelve largest
cities in America
A new trend that will affect future elections