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.

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