WEBVTT

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Welcome, Deep Divers. Picture a man so famously

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reserved, so quiet, that, well, the entire nation

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knew him as Silent Cal. Right. Now imagine that

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same man running the show, the United States,

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during its most vibrant and tumultuous decade,

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the roaring 20s. Quite a contrast. Absolutely.

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And if that's not intriguing enough, get this.

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He was the only U .S. president ever born on

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Independence Day. A nice bit of trivia. It is.

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And then his presidential oath. administered

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by his own father, by the flickering light of

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a kerosene lamp middle of the night in a remote

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Vermont farmhouse. It's a compelling image, isn't

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it? A figure really steeped in paradox right

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from the very start of his public life. And that

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paradox is really key to understanding him, isn't

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it? This quiet man navigating such a boisterous

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era. Definitely. Today we're diving deep into

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the life and presidency of John Calvin Coolidge,

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Jr., the 30th president of the United States.

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He served from 1923 to 1929, a truly pivotal

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time. when America was really coming into its

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own. Now, while he's widely remembered for that

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taciturn personality and his unwavering commitment

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to small government conservatism. Which is true,

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of course. Right. But we're going to show you

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that he's a figure far more complex and influential

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that he's often given credit for. His policies,

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his principles, I mean, whether you agree with

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them or not, they still spark debate and echo

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powerfully in our political discussions today.

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They really do. And our mission in this deep

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dive is, well, it's to shortcut your way to being

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truly well -informed about Coolidge. We've meticulously

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sifted through a rich collection of articles,

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biographies, historical analyses. A lot of material.

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A lot. And we've pulled out the most important

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nuggets of knowledge and insight. You'll get

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those surprising facts, maybe just enough humor

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to keep you engaged, ensuring you walk away with

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a comprehensive understanding of his journey,

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his policies, some quite groundbreaking and the

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lasting arguments around - his legacy. And crucially,

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you'll get all of this without feeling overwhelmed

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by just tons of historical data. Exactly. Think

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of us as your expert guides to this fascinating

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stuff. We've compiled biographical details, in

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-depth policy analyses, the broader historical

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context, and some genuinely captivating anecdotes

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to help us navigate Coolidge's world. We'll trace

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his path from a Well, pretty humble Vermont upbringing,

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all the way to the highest office in the land.

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So to truly appreciate Coolidge's journey, we

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really need to start at the beginning. Let's

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dig into his earliest influences, his roots.

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Okay, so to really get a handle on the man who

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would become president, we need to ground ourselves

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in his origins. Let's dive into Coolidge's roots.

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He was born John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. on July

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4th, 1872. Independence Day. Independence Day

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in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. That makes him the

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only US president with a birthday on the 4th

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of July, which is, you know, pretty cool distinction.

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It is. And from very early childhood, apparently,

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he was always addressed by his middle name, Calvin.

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It was a family tradition, honoring John Calvin,

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the Protestant reformer. Yeah, and that detail

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kind of hints at the deep -seated values within

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his family, doesn't it? And a key insight here

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is how far back his American lineage goes and

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what that really signified. I mean, his family

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tree isn't just a list of names. It's like a

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living tapestry of early American history. We're

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talking ancestors dating back to the 1630s, people

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like John Coolidge from England settling in Massachusetts.

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Wow. 1630s. Yeah, leaders in colonial conflicts

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like King Philip's War. Samuel Appleton was an

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ancestor. Revolutionary war officers like another

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John Coolidge, his great, great grandfather,

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and generations of state legislators, including

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his own grandfather, Calvin Galusha Coolidge.

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So this wasn't just a family. It was a lineage

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steeped in civic duty public service. Exactly.

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It almost feels like it was predestined Coolidge

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for his own political path in a way. It sounds

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like his family wasn't just his lineage. but

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really the crucible of his character. How specifically

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did his father's industriousness and those early

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losses imprint on his famously reserved personality?

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Well, his immediate family definitely shaped

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him profoundly. His father, John Calvin Coolidge

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Sr., was a truly industrious man, a prosperous

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farmer, storekeeper, a dedicated public servant.

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Hilled lots of local offices. Oh, yeah. Justice

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of the Peace, tax collector, served in both houses

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of the Vermont General Assembly, a pillar of

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the community. But young Calvin experienced significant

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loss early on, didn't he? He did. His mother,

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Victoria Josephine Moore, died when she was just

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39. Calvin was only 12. possibly from tuberculosis.

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Oh, that's young. Very. And then, when he was

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18, his younger sister, Abigail Grace Coolidge,

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died at 15, likely from appendicitis. Wow. Two

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major losses as a teenager. Yeah. His father

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did later remarry and live to be 80, but those

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early losses, they stick with you. That's a powerful

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observation. So these early losses, coupled with

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his father's, you know, unwavering industriousness

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and strong work ethic, that must have played

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a huge role in shaping the young Coolidge. Undeniably,

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it likely contributed to his famously reserved

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nature, that quiet determination that would define

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his public and private life. This sort of stoicism

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may be born of early hardship. It really became

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a hallmark of his public image later on. So with

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these foundational experiences marked by both

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discipline and, well, profound loss, a young

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Coolidge starts to forge his intellectual identity.

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This sets the stage for the principals that would

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guide his entire career. Right. He attended Black

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River Academy and St. Johnsbury Academy before

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enrolling at Amherst College. And he did well

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there. He did. He really distinguished himself

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particularly in debating, apparently. And he

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graduated cum laude. But it wasn't just about

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the grades or the debating trophies. It was about

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the ideas he encountered there. Okay, like what?

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Well, while at Amherst, he was deeply influenced

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by his philosophy professor, Charles Edward Garman.

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Garman was a congrega - mystic, apparently, with

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a neo -Hegelian philosophy. Neo -Hegelian. What

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does that mean in practice? It's a school of

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thought emphasizing, sort of, a progressive ethical

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development towards a higher societal purpose,

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a belief in reason unfolding in history. And

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it deeply shaped Coolidge's worldview. Interesting.

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And it's quite revealing how these early philosophical

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teachings informed the man who would later champion,

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you know, pro -business, small government policies.

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Forty years later, Coolidge actually articulated

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Garmin's ethics, he said, and I'm quoting here.

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There is a standard of righteousness that might

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does not make right, that the end does not justify

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the means, and that expediency as a working principle

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is bound to fail. The only hope of perfecting

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human relationships is in accordance with the

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law of service, under which men are not so solicitous

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about what they shall get as they are about what

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they shall give. That's quite profound, service

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over getting. Exactly. But he continues, yet

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people are entitled to the rewards of their industry.

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What they earn is theirs, no matter how small

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or how great, but the possession of property

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carries the obligation to use it in a larger

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service. Ah, okay. That insight really reframes

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things, doesn't it? Connecting his early philosophy

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directly to his later policies. So it wasn't

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just about making money. No. But the ethical

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framework around it, the responsibility that

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comes with property and wealth. Precisely. It's

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about responsibility, not just accumulation.

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A profound connection, as you say. So after graduating

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from Amherst at his father's urging, Coolidge

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moves to Northampton, Massachusetts. Yeah. pursues

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law. Right. He didn't go to law school, though,

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which was common then. He apprenticed with a

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local firm, Hammond and Field. He read law, passed

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the bar. Admitted in 97. Yep. Admitted to the

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Massachusetts Bar in 1897. By 1898, he opened

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his own law office. What kind of law did he practice?

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Mostly commercial law. He built a reputation

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as a, well, diligent attorney for local banks

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and businesses. And interestingly, he had a belief

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in staying out of court whenever possible. Huh.

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Already showing that quiet, practical approach.

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Very characteristic, yes. Much like his personal

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demeanor. And his personal life also took a significant

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turn during this period. Right, he met his wife,

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Grace Goodhue. Yes, in 1903, she was a University

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of Vermont graduate and a teacher at the Clark

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School for the Deaf in Northampton. A very different

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personality, apparently quite vivacious. Opposites

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attract, maybe? Perhaps. They married on October

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4th, 1905 in a small ceremony. Apparently Grace's

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mother initially objected to the marriage. Why?

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Her impression of Coolidge was, well, stern and

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uncommunicative, but they overcame it. And the

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honeymoon story is quite telling, isn't it? It

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is. They went to Montreal, planned for two weeks,

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but Coolidge requested they cut it short after

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just one week. Back to work. Seems likely. Years

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later, he wrote of her quite touchingly. For

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almost a quarter of a century, she is born with

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my infirmities, and I have rejoiced in her graces.

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It suggests this deep appreciation for her balancing

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spirit. They went on to have two sons, John,

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born in 1906, and Calvin Jr. born in 1908. Yes.

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But tragedy would strike their family quite devastatingly.

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in June 1924 while Coolidge was president. Right.

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This was during his presidency. Yes. Calvin Jr.

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died. He was just 16 years old, died from sepsis.

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How did that happen? It was something seemingly

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small, wasn't it? Tragically small. He developed

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a blister on his toe while playing tennis on

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the White House courts without wearing socks.

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The blister got infected and the infection spread

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rapidly. Sepsis. Oh, that's just heartbreaking,

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especially for a father and a president. It's

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truly awful for any parent. But for a man as

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reserved as Coolidge, already known as Silent

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Cal, this personal tragedy seemed to cast an

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even deeper shadow. Did it affect his presidency?

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Well, a psychiatric biographer even suggested

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that Coolidge, quote, ceased to function as president

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in the same way after his son's death, displaying

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symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder.

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Wow. His elder son, John, confirmed it years

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later, saying it hurt Coolidge terribly. It's

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just a sobering reminder of the immense human

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cost often hidden beneath the surface of public

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office. How intensely personal grief can impact

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even the most public figures. That profound personal

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grief, especially while holding the highest office,

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it must have been almost unimaginable. And it

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makes you wonder how that internal struggle may

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be further solidified that public image of quiet

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stoicism. It's very possible. Throughout his

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life, Coolidge was known for his frugality, too.

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Preferred renting homes rather than owning, even

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as president. Really? Even in the White House

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years they rented elsewhere. or just before?

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Well, before the presidency, certainly. They

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rented in Northampton. The family were active

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members of Northampton's Edwards Congregational

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Church, grounding him in tradition, personal

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discipline. So all these experiences, the family

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lineage, the early losses, the philosophical

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grounding, the tragedy, this was the bedrock

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upon which his political career was built. Absolutely.

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All key elements of the man. Hashtags, hashtag

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two, the ascendancy in Massachusetts politics,

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1898 and 1921. OK, so from these four... In the

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formative years, Coolidge begins his climb in

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Massachusetts politics, a journey that eventually

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leads him to the national stage. The Republican

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Party was dominant in New England then. Oh, very

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much so. And Coolidge quickly became active.

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He campaigned for Republican presidential candidate

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William McKinley back in 1896. Joined the Republican

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city committee the following year. So he started

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at the local level. Very much a step -by -step

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approach. Pragmatic. In 1898, he was elected

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to the City Council of Northampton. It was a

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non -salaried position, but gave him valuable

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early political experience, you know, learning

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the roots of local governance. Right. density

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solicitor. Yes, from 1899 to 1901. Gained legal

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experience, got a modest salary $600, which you

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said is about $22 ,000 today. Roughly, yeah.

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He even briefly served as quirk of courts, but

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resigned because it restricted him from practicing

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law. Still committed to his legal career at that

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point. And here's that little anecdote that gives

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us a glimpse of the Silent Cowell persona even

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back then. His only defeat at the Baller Box.

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Right, the school board election in 1904. Yeah,

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1904. He ran it for the Northampton School Board

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and lost. When someone told him his neighbors

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voted against him because he didn't have any

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children in the schools. He'd just gotten married.

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Right. Recently married Coolidge reportedly replied,

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with that signature dry wit, might give me time.

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Classic Coolidge. That subtle humor, it hints

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at the man we'd come to know. So from local politics,

00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:40.039
he steadily moves up to the state level. Correct.

00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:42.940
In 1906, elected to the Massachusetts House of

00:12:42.940 --> 00:12:45.740
Representatives served two terms. And interestingly,

00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.580
he was known as a progressive Republican during

00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:51.379
this period. Progressive. How so? He supported

00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:54.159
measures like women's suffrage and the direct

00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:57.200
election of senators, even while generally voting

00:12:57.200 --> 00:12:59.299
with his party. So it shows a kind of nuanced

00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:01.980
approach to his conservative leanings early on,

00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:04.500
a willingness to embrace certain reforms. He

00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:06.769
also forged some important political alliances,

00:13:07.129 --> 00:13:09.889
right, which seems crucial for his rise, showed

00:13:09.889 --> 00:13:12.009
some strategic thinking. Absolutely critical.

00:13:12.250 --> 00:13:14.669
One was with U .S. Senator Winthrop Murray Crane,

00:13:14.809 --> 00:13:16.710
who controlled the powerful western faction of

00:13:16.710 --> 00:13:18.710
the Massachusetts Republican Party. Coolidge

00:13:18.710 --> 00:13:21.009
was from the west of the state. Okay, geographical

00:13:21.009 --> 00:13:23.389
connection. And another key alliance was with

00:13:23.389 --> 00:13:26.769
Guy Currier. Currier provided the social distinction,

00:13:27.009 --> 00:13:29.230
the wealth, the connections that Coolidge himself

00:13:29.230 --> 00:13:32.250
lacked initially. That proved very helpful throughout

00:13:32.250 --> 00:13:34.519
his career. So after the State House? He goes

00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:36.919
back home, returns to Northampton, gets elected

00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:41.100
mayor, serves from 1910 to 1912. Was he effective

00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.860
as mayor? Seems so. Achieved some impressive

00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:46.580
results, increased teachers' salaries, retired

00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:49.700
some city debt, even managed a slight tax decrease.

00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:52.259
And he was reelected with an increased margin,

00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:54.320
showing his local popularity and effectiveness

00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:57.059
as a... you know, pragmatic leader. Then back

00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:58.940
to Boston to the State Senate. Elected to the

00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:02.039
State Senate in 1911. And a significant early

00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:04.720
test of his leadership came pretty quickly. He

00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:06.820
chaired a committee to arbitrate the Bretton

00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:09.440
Roses strike. Ah, yes. Lawrence, Massachusetts,

00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:13.679
1912. A big, contentious strike. Very tense situation.

00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.559
American woolen company workers. But Coolidge

00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:18.840
successfully navigated it, leading to a settlement

00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:21.460
that largely met the workers' demands, an early

00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:23.980
indicator of his ability to handle complex labor

00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.580
disputes with that quiet, firm hand. It's also

00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:28.679
important to note his party loyalty during this

00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:30.860
time, especially with the big Republican split.

00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:34.740
Oh, yes. 1912, the Taft versus Roosevelt split.

00:14:35.259 --> 00:14:38.360
The Bull Moose Party. Right. The party was tearing

00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.039
itself apart. Deeply split between the progressive

00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:44.000
wing backing Teddy Roosevelt and the conservative

00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:47.440
wing supporting Taft. Despite his own progressive

00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:50.580
leanings on some issues, Coolidge remained loyal

00:14:50.580 --> 00:14:52.879
to the official Republican Party. And that paid

00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:55.120
off. While he was reelected to the Senate with

00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.379
an increased margin, further solidifying his

00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:59.840
position, showed his commitment to party unity,

00:14:59.940 --> 00:15:03.059
which Republicans valued. Then, January 1914,

00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:05.379
he gets a big promotion within the Senate. Yes.

00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:08.500
With help from Senator Crane and also his pro

00:15:08.500 --> 00:15:11.120
-women suffrage stance, still quite progressive,

00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:13.820
then Coolidge was unanimously elected president

00:15:13.820 --> 00:15:16.299
of the state Senate. A powerful role. And it

00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:18.320
was in this role that he delivered that famous

00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:20.820
speech, have faith in Massachusetts. That's the

00:15:20.820 --> 00:15:23.419
one. Now, this speech, It isn't just a catchy

00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:25.899
title, is it? It seems like a really foundational

00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:28.299
text for understanding Coolidge's whole approach.

00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:31.559
Restrained, principled. Even as a progressive

00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:34.460
Republican, yes, it really lays out his governing

00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:36.879
philosophy. What did he say? He said, do the

00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.580
day's work, if it be to protect the rights of

00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:43.220
the weak, whoever objects, do it. But then also,

00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:45.320
don't expect to build up the weak by pulling

00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:48.500
down the strong. Don't hurry to legislate. Give

00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:51.000
administration a chance to catch up with legislation.

00:15:51.789 --> 00:15:54.409
Protect the weak, but don't tear down the strong.

00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:57.860
and slow down on making laws. Exactly. It was

00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:00.700
extremely well received, garnered him admirers

00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:03.879
across the state, significantly boosted his profile,

00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.360
really laid the groundwork for higher office.

00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:09.279
So that speech was a crucial turning point, crystallizing

00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.919
his image and philosophy. Absolutely. Bolstered

00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:14.620
by the success and encouraged by supporters like

00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:17.200
Frank Stearns, a Boston department store executive

00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:19.779
who became another key ally and lifelong friend,

00:16:20.340 --> 00:16:22.419
Coolidge ran for lieutenant governor. Paired

00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:25.399
with Samuel McCall for governor. Coolidge's Western

00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:27.279
Massachusetts base helped balance the ticket

00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.360
geographically. They won the 1915 election and

00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:32.820
Coolidge defeated his opponent by over 50 ,000

00:16:32.820 --> 00:16:35.919
votes, a clear sign of his growing appeal statewide.

00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:39.059
And as lieutenant governor, from 1916 to 19,

00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:42.450
he wasn't just ceremonial. No, he took on a significant

00:16:42.450 --> 00:16:45.289
administrative role. Deputy governor, administrative

00:16:45.289 --> 00:16:47.669
inspector, chairman of finance and pardons committees.

00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:50.429
He even stopped practicing law during this time,

00:16:50.649 --> 00:16:53.090
showing full commitment to public service. Re

00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:55.840
-elected twice alongside McCall. Then McCall

00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:58.220
retires, and Coolidge makes his move for the

00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:01.460
top job. Runs for governor in 1918, unopposed

00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:04.200
for the Republican nomination, his platform.

00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:07.680
Fiscal conservatism, vague opposition to prohibition,

00:17:07.940 --> 00:17:10.180
support for women's suffrage, and support for

00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:12.319
American involvement in World War I, which was

00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.700
ongoing then. How did the election go? He won

00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:17.119
the general election, but by a surprisingly narrow

00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:21.079
margin of just under 17 ,000 votes. Close call.

00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:24.500
But as governor, after WWI ended, he delivered.

00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:27.480
pushed for a $100 bonus for Massachusetts veterans

00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:30.380
about $1 ,800 today. Significant for veterans.

00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:32.920
Yes. He also signed a bill reducing the work

00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:35.559
week for women and children from 54 to 48 hours,

00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:38.180
said something like, we must humanize the industry

00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:41.160
or the system will break down. Interesting. Balancing

00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:43.839
progressive labor reform with fiscal conservatism.

00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:46.759
Exactly. He also passed a budget keeping tax

00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:48.960
rates stable while trimming four million dollars

00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:52.319
from expenditures, reducing state debt delivered

00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:54.599
on those fiscal promises. And he wasn't afraid

00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:57.680
to use the veto pen. Not at all. Famously vetoed

00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:00.519
a 50 percent pay increase for legislators. That

00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:02.599
must have been popular with voters, if not legislators.

00:18:02.779 --> 00:18:05.440
Likely. And despite his personal opposition to

00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.619
prohibition, he held that privately he vetoed

00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:12.039
a bill in May 1920 that would have allowed selling

00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:15.559
low alcohol beer and wine. Why? Constitutional

00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.940
supremacy. He declared, opinions and instructions

00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:21.859
do not outmatch the Constitution. Against it,

00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:24.650
they are void. Deep respect for the rule of law

00:18:24.650 --> 00:18:26.710
above personal preference or public sentiment.

00:18:26.849 --> 00:18:28.710
But the event that really catapulted him onto

00:18:28.710 --> 00:18:31.190
the national stage was the Boston police strike

00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:34.450
of 1919. Oh, absolutely pivotal. Boston police

00:18:34.450 --> 00:18:36.769
officers plan to unionize with the American Federation

00:18:36.769 --> 00:18:39.430
of Labor, the AFL. Police Commissioner Edwin

00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:41.970
U. Curtis strongly opposed this, suspended the

00:18:41.970 --> 00:18:43.990
union leaders. And the police walked out. About

00:18:43.990 --> 00:18:46.170
three quarters of the force went on strike. This

00:18:46.170 --> 00:18:48.589
led to sporadic violence, rioting in the city,

00:18:48.910 --> 00:18:51.529
a major public safety crisis unfolded. What did

00:18:51.529 --> 00:18:54.039
Governor Coolidge do? Initially, he deferred

00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:56.480
to local authorities, which was characteristic.

00:18:56.920 --> 00:18:59.339
But when the situation escalated, he acted swiftly,

00:18:59.700 --> 00:19:02.119
called up more units of the National Guard, restored

00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:04.519
Commissioner Curtis to office, and took personal

00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:06.839
control of the police force. And Curtis fired

00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:10.000
the strikers. All of them. Coolidge then called

00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:13.099
for a new permanent police force to be recruited.

00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:16.500
Then came the famous telegram exchange. The defining

00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:19.869
moment. AFL leader Samuel Gompers telegraphed

00:19:19.869 --> 00:19:22.529
Coolidge, arguing the disorder was Curtis's fault

00:19:22.529 --> 00:19:25.430
for denying policemen's rights. Coolidge's public

00:19:25.430 --> 00:19:28.269
reply was electrifying. It just shot him into

00:19:28.269 --> 00:19:30.549
the national consciousness. What did he say again?

00:19:30.809 --> 00:19:32.849
It's such a famous line. There is no right to

00:19:32.849 --> 00:19:35.250
strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere,

00:19:35.450 --> 00:19:38.369
anytime, he added. I am equally determined to

00:19:38.369 --> 00:19:40.690
defend the sovereignty of Massachusetts and to

00:19:40.690 --> 00:19:42.750
maintain the authority and jurisdiction over

00:19:42.750 --> 00:19:44.930
her public officers where it has been placed

00:19:44.930 --> 00:19:47.750
by the Constitution and laws of people. Wow.

00:19:48.309 --> 00:19:50.769
So direct. So forceful. Especially given the

00:19:50.769 --> 00:19:53.430
context. Exactly. This was right in the middle

00:19:53.430 --> 00:19:56.509
of the first Red Scare. Intense anti -communist

00:19:56.509 --> 00:19:58.910
fear. Paranoia about revolution sweeping the

00:19:58.910 --> 00:20:01.230
country after Russia. So his stance resonated.

00:20:02.150 --> 00:20:05.150
Powerfully. Coolidge's decisive action against

00:20:05.150 --> 00:20:07.589
the strike transformed him into a national hero

00:20:07.589 --> 00:20:10.440
for law and order. He lost some friends in organized

00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:13.940
labor, sure, but he emerged as a clear rising

00:20:13.940 --> 00:20:17.400
star among conservatives nationwide. And this

00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.119
really raises an important question, doesn't

00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:23.240
it? How much did this single highly publicized

00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:26.220
event shape the public perception of Silent Cowell

00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:29.380
as this firm, decisive leader? And how much did

00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:31.779
it propel him onto the national stage almost

00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:33.609
overnight? That's a fantastic point. It makes

00:20:33.609 --> 00:20:35.549
you really consider the power of one defining

00:20:35.549 --> 00:20:37.869
moment. How quickly did that image of the firm

00:20:37.869 --> 00:20:40.390
leader solidify after Boston? Well, the electoral

00:20:40.390 --> 00:20:42.490
consequences were immediate and dramatic. His

00:20:42.490 --> 00:20:44.329
actions were widely publicized by supporters.

00:20:44.390 --> 00:20:47.230
And in the 1919 gubernatorial election... His

00:20:47.230 --> 00:20:49.509
re -election did. Right. He faced the same opponent

00:20:49.509 --> 00:20:52.009
as in 1918, but this time he won by an astounding

00:20:52.009 --> 00:20:56.349
125 ,101 votes. Whoa. Compared to less than 17

00:20:56.349 --> 00:20:59.210
,000 the year before. More than seven times his

00:20:59.210 --> 00:21:03.049
previous margin. A landslide. And this victory

00:21:03.049 --> 00:21:05.029
immediately sparked suggestions that he should

00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:08.230
run for president in 1920. The stage was set.

00:21:08.529 --> 00:21:10.509
Okay, let's follow that improbable path right

00:21:10.509 --> 00:21:13.650
to the White House. The 1920 Republican National

00:21:13.650 --> 00:21:15.630
Convention sounds like it was quite something.

00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.819
Oh, it was. Most delegates were chosen by state

00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:21.319
party caucuses back then, which meant the field

00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:23.660
of presidential candidates was really fragmented.

00:21:23.859 --> 00:21:26.099
Lots of local favorites. And Coolidge was one

00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:28.859
of those? He was one, placed as high as sixth

00:21:28.859 --> 00:21:31.660
in early voting. But he wasn't really seen as

00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:34.819
a serious contender by the powerful party bosses

00:21:34.819 --> 00:21:37.079
who were mostly U .S. senators pulling the strings

00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:38.880
behind the scenes. So who did the bosses want?

00:21:39.210 --> 00:21:41.869
Well, after 10 ballots, with no clear front runner,

00:21:42.029 --> 00:21:44.470
the bosses and delegates finally settled on Senator

00:21:44.470 --> 00:21:47.849
Warren G. Harding of Ohio, a compromise candidate.

00:21:48.150 --> 00:21:50.170
OK, so Harding for president. That seems settled.

00:21:50.269 --> 00:21:52.190
It seems like it. And this is where things get

00:21:52.190 --> 00:21:54.829
really interesting, almost chaotic. It's a fantastic

00:21:54.829 --> 00:21:57.730
story. After picking Harding, the party bosses

00:21:57.730 --> 00:22:00.230
also announced their choice for vice president,

00:22:00.650 --> 00:22:03.369
Senator Irvine Lenroot of Wisconsin. Then they

00:22:03.369 --> 00:22:05.769
just left. They left, assuming the delegates

00:22:05.769 --> 00:22:07.670
would just rubber stamp their choice. Apparently

00:22:07.670 --> 00:22:10.839
so. But a delegate from Oregon, Wallace McCament,

00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:13.700
who had read Coolidge's Have Faith in Massachusetts

00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:16.819
speech and was inspired. Ah, the speech again.

00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:19.819
Right. He spontaneously proposed Coolidge for

00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:22.700
vice president instead. And the suggestion, as

00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:25.079
the sources say, caught on quickly. The rank

00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:27.759
and file delegates were, quote, craving an act

00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.299
of independence from the absent bosses. So the

00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:32.619
delegates revolted against the bosses pick. Exactly.

00:22:32.859 --> 00:22:35.400
Led to Coolidge's totally unexpected nomination

00:22:35.400 --> 00:22:38.180
for vice president, completely reshaped the ticket

00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:40.500
set him on this unforeseen path. It's a great

00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:43.000
example of, you know, grassroots momentum defying

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.779
the establishment, a truly pivotal moment. Absolutely

00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:48.920
remarkable. So with the ticket unexpectedly set,

00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:51.400
Harding and Coolidge, they faced the Democrats

00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:54.359
in 1920. Right. James M. Cox and a young Franklin

00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:57.380
D. Roosevelt. Major issues were things like joining

00:22:57.380 --> 00:22:59.980
the League of Nations, the legacy of progressivism.

00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:02.859
How did the campaign play out? Harding ran his

00:23:02.859 --> 00:23:05.420
famous front porch campaign from home in Ohio.

00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:08.180
Very traditional. Let the voters come to him.

00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:10.799
And Coolidge. Coolidge hit the trail, traveled

00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:13.119
through the Upper South, New York, New England.

00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:16.799
But his audiences were carefully limited. Either

00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.180
people already familiar with him or those who

00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:22.460
appreciated his concise, short speeches. Already

00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:24.660
leaning into the silent cow thing, even on the

00:23:24.660 --> 00:23:28.380
campaign trail. Brevity is a virtue. Seems that

00:23:28.380 --> 00:23:32.279
way. It worked. On November 2, 1920, Harding

00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:35.299
and Coolidge won in a landslide. How big? Over

00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:38.519
60 % of the popular vote won every single state

00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:40.940
outside the South. And notably, they even won

00:23:40.940 --> 00:23:42.859
Tennessee the first time a Republican ticket

00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:44.880
had won a southern state since Reconstruction.

00:23:45.380 --> 00:23:48.359
A decisive mandate for a return to normalcy,

00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:50.720
as Harding called it. So Coolidge becomes vice

00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:53.339
president. What was his role like? VP wasn't

00:23:53.339 --> 00:23:55.519
a very powerful office back then. No, not many

00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:58.279
official duties. But Harding did invite him to

00:23:58.279 --> 00:24:00.019
attend cabinet meetings, which was actually a

00:24:00.019 --> 00:24:02.900
first. Made him the first VP to do so, a precedent

00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:06.269
that continues today. He also gave a number of,

00:24:06.349 --> 00:24:09.559
well... Unremarkable speeches around the country,

00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:13.079
mostly sticking to standard Republican positions.

00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:16.500
But it was really during this period that the

00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:19.920
legend of Silent Cow blossomed and became fixed

00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:22.579
in the public mind, often overshadowing what

00:24:22.579 --> 00:24:24.680
he was actually doing. Right. The dinner party

00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:27.559
stories. Exactly. He and his wife, Grace, who

00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:30.539
is much more outgoing, were invited to lots of

00:24:30.539 --> 00:24:33.539
Washington parties and his quiet nature quickly

00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:36.910
became famous. Stories and jokes abounded, like

00:24:36.910 --> 00:24:39.529
him being silent in five languages. And that

00:24:39.529 --> 00:24:41.950
famous bet. The one where a dinner guest supposedly

00:24:41.950 --> 00:24:44.009
bet she could get more than two words out of

00:24:44.009 --> 00:24:46.329
him. Yeah. And he supposedly replied, you lose.

00:24:46.950 --> 00:24:49.009
It's likely Apocryphal Coolidge himself denied

00:24:49.009 --> 00:24:51.170
it later, but it certainly stuck. Stripped the

00:24:51.170 --> 00:24:53.710
image perfectly. Perfectly. When asked why he

00:24:53.710 --> 00:24:55.509
went to so many parties if he was uncomfortable,

00:24:55.710 --> 00:24:59.599
he reportedly said, got to eat somewhere. practical.

00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:01.940
And Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy's daughter,

00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.420
a famous wit, said that when Coolidge wished

00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:06.500
he were elsewhere, he looked then precisely as

00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:09.180
though he'd been weaned on a pickle. Ouch. Yeah.

00:25:09.380 --> 00:25:11.859
A vivid description. And even as president, he

00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:14.700
sort of leaned into this image. He did. He once

00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:17.440
said, the words of a president have an enormous

00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:19.920
weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately.

00:25:20.170 --> 00:25:23.250
He even told actress Ethel Barrymore, with that

00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:25.809
dry wit, I think the American people want a solemn

00:25:25.809 --> 00:25:28.049
ass as a president and I think I will go along

00:25:28.049 --> 00:25:29.990
with them. He had a sense of humor about it then.

00:25:30.109 --> 00:25:32.930
It would seem so. But this does raise that important

00:25:32.930 --> 00:25:36.650
question. Was Silent Cal a carefully constructed

00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:40.170
persona, a natural disposition, maybe even a

00:25:40.170 --> 00:25:42.700
coping mechanism after his son's death? That's

00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:44.839
the core question, isn't it? Historians still

00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:47.500
debate it. Was it a shrewd political tactic in

00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:50.900
a noisy era, or just who he was, maybe deepening

00:25:50.900 --> 00:25:53.859
after that terrible loss in 1924? Right. Dorothy

00:25:53.859 --> 00:25:56.099
Parker's cynical remark when he died, how can

00:25:56.099 --> 00:25:58.779
they tell, really highlights how pervasive that

00:25:58.779 --> 00:26:01.440
quiet reputation was. Yeah. His ability to both

00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:04.200
embody and maybe cultivate this image is quite

00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:06.789
unique. Makes you wonder about the real man beneath

00:26:06.789 --> 00:26:09.289
the silence. It's truly a captivating part of

00:26:09.289 --> 00:26:11.910
his story. And then that sudden presidential

00:26:11.910 --> 00:26:15.710
ascension. August C, 1923. President Harding

00:26:15.710 --> 00:26:18.509
dies unexpectedly. Heart attack in San Francisco

00:26:18.509 --> 00:26:21.109
during a speaking tour. And where was Vice President

00:26:21.109 --> 00:26:23.490
Coolidge? Visiting his family home in Plymouth

00:26:23.490 --> 00:26:26.710
Notch, Vermont. A place so rural it lacked electricity

00:26:26.710 --> 00:26:29.670
and a telephone. Truly off the grid. So how did

00:26:29.670 --> 00:26:33.170
he find out? News arrived via messenger. Middle

00:26:33.170 --> 00:26:35.430
of the night, hand delivered. Coolidge got the

00:26:35.430 --> 00:26:38.630
word, dressed, said a prayer, then came downstairs

00:26:38.630 --> 00:26:40.869
to greet reporters who had somehow already gathered

00:26:40.869 --> 00:26:43.049
outside the farmhouse. Amazing how fast news

00:26:43.049 --> 00:26:45.589
traveled even then. And then came that truly

00:26:45.589 --> 00:26:47.690
unique, almost theatrical moment in American

00:26:47.690 --> 00:26:50.450
history. His father, John Calvin Coolidge, Sr.,

00:26:50.450 --> 00:26:52.609
who happened to be a notary public and a justice

00:26:52.609 --> 00:26:54.650
of the peace. Right, his father swore him in.

00:26:54.849 --> 00:26:56.589
Administered the oath of office right there in

00:26:56.589 --> 00:26:58.730
the family parlor by the flickering light of

00:26:58.730 --> 00:27:02.829
a kerosene lamp, 2 .47 a .m., August 3, 1923.

00:27:03.190 --> 00:27:05.940
Incredible scene. And then what? After being

00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:08.420
sworn in as the 30th president, Coolidge simply

00:27:08.420 --> 00:27:11.019
returned to bed. The epitome of quiet dignity,

00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:13.819
even in that extraordinary moment. Imagine the

00:27:13.819 --> 00:27:17.400
quiet drama. The profound dignity of that scene.

00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:20.400
It's such a powerful image. Part of American

00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:22.559
lore now. Absolutely. And there's a little footnote

00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:25.940
to that. The next day, back in Washington, Coolidge

00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:29.240
was secretly sworn in again. Why? By Justice

00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:31.859
Adolph A. Holing Jr. of the D .C. Supreme Court.

00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:35.380
It was purely precautionary to prevent any potential

00:27:35.380 --> 00:27:37.680
legal questions about a state official administering

00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:40.720
a federal oath. This second oath taking actually

00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:43.200
remained a secret for years, only revealed in

00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:47.500
1932. Wow. A remarkable, almost clandestine start

00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:50.579
to a presidency that would really shape the decade.

00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:53.220
So stepping into the Oval Office after Harding's

00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:54.700
sudden death, the nation wasn't quite sure what

00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:57.180
to make of Coolidge. He'd kept a pretty low profile

00:27:57.180 --> 00:27:59.799
as VP. Many even expected him to be replaced

00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:02.779
on the 1924 ballot. Right. And he immediately

00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:05.859
faced this huge challenge, restoring public confidence

00:28:05.859 --> 00:28:08.200
after all the Harding administration scandals,

00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:10.380
Teapot Dome being the most notorious trust in

00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:12.440
government was really shaken. How did he handle

00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:14.400
that? Did he clean house immediately? He took

00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:18.269
a very methodical, principled approach. Not impulsive.

00:28:18.789 --> 00:28:21.289
He believed those under suspicion were entitled

00:28:21.289 --> 00:28:24.609
to the presumption of innocence. He felt thorough

00:28:24.609 --> 00:28:27.690
Senate investigations would suffice rather than,

00:28:27.690 --> 00:28:30.289
you know, hasty condemnation. So let the process

00:28:30.289 --> 00:28:32.589
play out. Let the process play out. However,

00:28:32.869 --> 00:28:35.569
he did personally demand the resignation of Attorney

00:28:35.569 --> 00:28:38.529
General Harry Doherty when Doherty refused to

00:28:38.529 --> 00:28:40.910
cooperate with those investigations. OK, so he

00:28:40.910 --> 00:28:44.319
acted when necessary. Yes. And then he meticulously

00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:46.880
arranged for a full briefing on all the wrongdoing

00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:49.319
from various experts to ensure no loose ends

00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:53.240
remained. This quiet, deliberate approach slowly

00:28:53.240 --> 00:28:56.039
began to rebuild trust, which was critical for

00:28:56.039 --> 00:28:59.930
the presidency at that time. December 6, 1923,

00:28:59.930 --> 00:29:02.990
he addresses Congress. What was significant about

00:29:02.990 --> 00:29:05.650
that speech? Well, content wise, he notably supported

00:29:05.650 --> 00:29:07.809
many of Harding's policies, formal budgeting,

00:29:08.150 --> 00:29:10.049
immigration restrictions, arbitration of coal

00:29:10.049 --> 00:29:12.710
strikes. But the truly significant thing was

00:29:12.710 --> 00:29:16.170
the delivery. How so? It was the very first presidential

00:29:16.170 --> 00:29:19.289
speech ever broadcast over the radio. The first

00:29:19.289 --> 00:29:22.430
ever? Wow. A truly pioneering moment in presidential

00:29:22.430 --> 00:29:25.369
communication. It allowed him to connect directly

00:29:25.369 --> 00:29:27.670
with the American public in an entirely new way.

00:29:27.529 --> 00:29:29.950
bypass the newspapers to some extent. That's

00:29:29.950 --> 00:29:33.819
huge. So his first year in office, 1924. see

00:29:33.819 --> 00:29:36.740
some important legislative action. Yes, several

00:29:36.740 --> 00:29:39.819
key acts reflecting his priorities. The Washington

00:29:39.819 --> 00:29:42.420
Naval Treaty limiting naval arms was proclaimed

00:29:42.420 --> 00:29:45.680
just a month into his term, generally well received.

00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:49.119
Then the Veterans Bonus Bill. Right. In May 1924,

00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:51.900
Congress passed the World War One Veterans Bonus

00:29:51.900 --> 00:29:55.400
Bill over Coolidge's veto, a rare but significant

00:29:55.400 --> 00:29:57.640
clash with Congress over spending, showing his

00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:00.079
fiscal conservatism early on. And immigration.

00:30:00.299 --> 00:30:02.160
Later that year, he signed the Immigration Act

00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:05.200
of 1920. It aimed to restrict Southern and Eastern

00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:08.359
European immigration, reflecting the era's, frankly,

00:30:08.619 --> 00:30:10.859
nativist sentiments. Though Coolidge did append

00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:13.019
a signing statement expressing unhappiness with

00:30:13.019 --> 00:30:15.240
the specific exclusion of Japanese immigrants.

00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:18.500
A small pushback. Hmm, taxes. The Revenue Act

00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:21.910
of 1924. Significantly reduced the top marginal

00:30:21.910 --> 00:30:25.589
tax rate from 58 % down to 46%. Cut personal

00:30:25.589 --> 00:30:28.269
income taxes across the board. But it also increased

00:30:28.269 --> 00:30:30.970
the estate tax and added a new gift tax. Kind

00:30:30.970 --> 00:30:33.910
of a mixed bag fiscally. And perhaps most significantly

00:30:33.910 --> 00:30:37.000
for one group. The Indian Citizenship Act. A

00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:39.720
landmark piece of legislation signed June 2,

00:30:39.940 --> 00:30:43.619
1924. It granted U .S. citizenship to all Native

00:30:43.619 --> 00:30:46.259
Americans born in the United States. Now, about

00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:48.500
two -thirds already had citizenship through various

00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:51.019
means, marriage, military service, land allotments.

00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:53.579
Right. But this act completed the process for

00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:55.900
all remaining Native Americans living on reservations,

00:30:56.339 --> 00:30:58.500
extending full rights to a long marginalized

00:30:58.500 --> 00:31:00.920
group. A very important step. So looking ahead

00:31:00.920 --> 00:31:03.259
to the 1924 election, Coolidge seeks the nomination

00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:05.589
in his own right. Yes. And he gets it easily.

00:31:05.970 --> 00:31:07.670
Nominated on the first ballot at the Republican

00:31:07.670 --> 00:31:09.750
convention in Cleveland, solidified his grip

00:31:09.750 --> 00:31:12.109
on the party. Former Brigadier General Charles

00:31:12.109 --> 00:31:14.930
G. Dawes was nominated as his VP after Frank

00:31:14.930 --> 00:31:17.789
Loudon declined. And the opposition? Quite fractured.

00:31:18.069 --> 00:31:20.410
The Democrats nominated John W. Davis after a

00:31:20.410 --> 00:31:23.490
deadlocked convention, 103 ballots. Charles W.

00:31:23.609 --> 00:31:27.650
Bryan was his VP. 103 ballots. Wow. Yeah. And

00:31:27.650 --> 00:31:30.619
critically. Robert M. La Follette, a progressive

00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:33.720
Republican senator, split from the GOP to form

00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:36.720
a new progressive party. This led many to believe

00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:39.519
a Democrat would win, just like in 1912 when

00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:41.619
Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote.

00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:44.559
But then personal tragedy strikes Coolidge again

00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:46.799
right in the middle of this campaign. Yes. Just

00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:49.640
as things were ramping up, his younger son, Calvin

00:31:49.640 --> 00:31:55.160
Jr., dies in June 1924. That devastating infection

00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:57.549
from the blister. How did that affect the campaign

00:31:57.549 --> 00:32:00.029
and Coolidge himself? He became deeply withdrawn,

00:32:00.390 --> 00:32:02.869
outwardly even more subdued than usual. He later

00:32:02.869 --> 00:32:06.009
said quite profoundly that when he the son died,

00:32:06.170 --> 00:32:08.269
the power and glory of the presidency went with

00:32:08.269 --> 00:32:10.910
him. Oh, heartbreaking. His campaign became notably

00:32:10.910 --> 00:32:13.410
subdued, reflecting his grief and his naturally

00:32:13.410 --> 00:32:15.869
non -confrontational style. He delivered speeches

00:32:15.869 --> 00:32:17.650
on his theory of government and several were

00:32:17.650 --> 00:32:19.849
broadcast over the radio again, pioneering that

00:32:19.849 --> 00:32:22.450
medium, allowing his quiet, measured voice to

00:32:22.450 --> 00:32:25.369
reach millions directly. So despite the Republicans

00:32:25.420 --> 00:32:28.420
despite his subdued campaign. How did the election

00:32:28.420 --> 00:32:30.880
turn out? A resounding victory for Coolidge.

00:32:31.140 --> 00:32:33.980
He won every state outside the South except Wisconsin,

00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:37.619
which was La Follette's home state, secured 382

00:32:37.619 --> 00:32:41.000
electoral votes, won the popular vote by 2 .5

00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:44.140
million. a powerful affirmation of his leadership,

00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:46.460
and maybe a testament to the nation's desire

00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:49.319
for stability and prosperity under his quiet

00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:51.980
guidance. Moving beyond the election, then, his

00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:54.500
presidency famously coincides with the roaring

00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:57.900
20s, this period of, well, really rapid and expansive

00:32:57.900 --> 00:33:00.420
economic growth. The Coolidge Prosperity, as

00:33:00.420 --> 00:33:02.619
it was often called. Right. And he became known

00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:05.079
for his hands -off governing approach, his staunch

00:33:05.079 --> 00:33:08.079
pro -business stance. Many credited these policies

00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:10.509
for the era's boom. His philosophy on this was

00:33:10.509 --> 00:33:13.569
really summed up in that 1925 speech to newspaper

00:33:13.569 --> 00:33:16.329
editors, where he famously said, after all, the

00:33:16.329 --> 00:33:18.430
chief business of the American people is business.

00:33:18.509 --> 00:33:21.009
That's a quote everyone remembers. They are profoundly

00:33:21.009 --> 00:33:23.710
concerned with buying, selling, investing and

00:33:23.710 --> 00:33:26.190
prospering in the world. It perfectly captures

00:33:26.190 --> 00:33:28.730
his belief in the central role of commerce, private

00:33:28.730 --> 00:33:31.450
enterprise, prosperity as the natural outcome

00:33:31.450 --> 00:33:34.089
of unburdened economic activity. Interestingly,

00:33:34.509 --> 00:33:37.920
though, He largely entrusted a lot of the administration's

00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:41.180
industrial policy to his Secretary of Commerce,

00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:43.980
Herbert Hoover. Who was very activist, wasn't

00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:47.240
he? Very. Hoover energetically used government

00:33:47.240 --> 00:33:49.740
auspices to promote business efficiency, help

00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:51.799
develop new industries like airlines and radio.

00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:55.859
So while Coolidge kept his personal hands -off

00:33:55.859 --> 00:33:58.740
style, he allowed cabinet members like Hoover

00:33:58.740 --> 00:34:01.619
to be quite proactive, especially in fostering

00:34:01.619 --> 00:34:04.309
business growth. That's a key distinction. However,

00:34:04.670 --> 00:34:07.549
Coolidge himself generally disdained direct federal

00:34:07.549 --> 00:34:10.389
regulation of business. He appointed men to the

00:34:10.389 --> 00:34:12.630
Federal Trade Commission, the Interstate Commerce

00:34:12.630 --> 00:34:15.050
Commission, who did little to restrict business

00:34:15.050 --> 00:34:17.070
activities. So the regulatory state was pretty

00:34:17.070 --> 00:34:20.190
minimal. One biographer described it as thin

00:34:20.190 --> 00:34:22.599
to the point of invisibility. But it's important

00:34:22.599 --> 00:34:24.719
to understand this in the context of the era's

00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:27.440
federalism. Historian Robert Sobel points out

00:34:27.440 --> 00:34:30.179
that Coolidge's seemingly contradictory stances

00:34:30.179 --> 00:34:32.699
supporting worker protections as governor, but

00:34:32.699 --> 00:34:35.239
not pushing for them as president, were likely

00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:37.619
due to the prevailing understanding of federal

00:34:37.619 --> 00:34:40.679
versus state responsibility. Things like wages,

00:34:41.079 --> 00:34:44.059
hours, child labor. Those were seen as state

00:34:44.059 --> 00:34:46.940
and local issues then, not federal ones. So it

00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:49.090
wasn't necessarily a change in principle. but

00:34:49.090 --> 00:34:51.469
a difference in perceived federal jurisdiction.

00:34:51.809 --> 00:34:54.110
Exactly. That was the common view in the 1920s.

00:34:54.190 --> 00:34:56.829
One notable exception, though, to this non -regulation

00:34:56.829 --> 00:35:00.800
was the Radio Act of 1927. Right. He signed that

00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:02.960
act, established the Federal Radio Commission,

00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:06.099
imposed the Equal Time Rule for broadcasters,

00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:09.019
restricted licenses to stations serving the public

00:35:09.019 --> 00:35:11.960
interest, convenience, or necessity. Why regulate

00:35:11.960 --> 00:35:14.159
radio, but not other industries? Well, radio

00:35:14.159 --> 00:35:16.719
was burgeoning, chaotic. Someone needed to assign

00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:19.559
frequencies, bring order. It was seen as a necessary

00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:22.460
step for the public good, managing a new, limited

00:35:22.460 --> 00:35:25.239
resource to the airwaves. Demonstrated a pragmatic

00:35:25.239 --> 00:35:27.360
acceptance of federal intervention where a clear

00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:30.329
need arose. Let's talk taxation and government

00:35:30.329 --> 00:35:32.969
spending. That was really a cornerstone of his

00:35:32.969 --> 00:35:35.230
economic policy, wasn't it? Working with Andrew

00:35:35.230 --> 00:35:38.309
Mellon. Absolutely. Coolidge adopted the policies

00:35:38.309 --> 00:35:41.329
of his Treasury Secretary, Andrew Mellon. Mellon

00:35:41.329 --> 00:35:44.869
advocated scientific taxation. Scientific taxation,

00:35:45.010 --> 00:35:47.610
meaning? The idea that lowering tax rates could

00:35:47.610 --> 00:35:50.829
actually increase government receipts by stimulating

00:35:50.829 --> 00:35:53.750
economic activity rather than just reducing revenue.

00:35:54.070 --> 00:35:56.230
Get the economy humming and the government gets

00:35:56.230 --> 00:35:58.969
more, even at lower rates. And Congress bought

00:35:58.969 --> 00:36:01.969
into this? Largely, yes. Led to significant tax

00:36:01.969 --> 00:36:04.010
reductions during Coolidge's term. Along with

00:36:04.010 --> 00:36:06.809
cutting spending. Yes. In addition to the tax

00:36:06.809 --> 00:36:09.190
cuts, Coolidge proposed substantial reductions

00:36:09.190 --> 00:36:11.849
in federal expenditures and a strong commitment

00:36:11.849 --> 00:36:14.389
to retiring the federal debt. Republicans in

00:36:14.389 --> 00:36:16.349
Congress were very much on board. So what were

00:36:16.349 --> 00:36:19.110
the key pieces of legislation? We saw the Revenue

00:36:19.110 --> 00:36:23.050
Act of 1924, which cut rates and remarkably eliminated

00:36:23.050 --> 00:36:25.590
all income tax for about two million people.

00:36:25.869 --> 00:36:29.179
Wow. wiped off the rolls entirely. Then further

00:36:29.179 --> 00:36:32.340
reductions in the Revenue Acts of 1926 and 1928,

00:36:33.079 --> 00:36:35.179
all while keeping spending down to reduce the

00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:38.360
overall federal debt. By 1927, it's quite striking

00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:41.579
only the wealthiest 2 % of taxpayers were still

00:36:41.579 --> 00:36:44.280
paying federal income tax. A huge shift in the

00:36:44.280 --> 00:36:46.460
burden. What were the results of these policies?

00:36:47.059 --> 00:36:49.400
Did spending stay flat? Did the debt go down?

00:36:49.639 --> 00:36:51.639
Federal spending remained remarkably flat during

00:36:51.639 --> 00:36:54.300
his administration, yes. Allowed one fourth of

00:36:54.300 --> 00:36:56.719
the entire federal debt to be retired. A quarter

00:36:56.719 --> 00:36:59.400
of the debt. That's significant. Very. And here's

00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:01.559
an interesting data point that fuels a lot of

00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:04.809
the historical debate. By 1929, after his tax

00:37:04.809 --> 00:37:08.150
cuts, had brought the top rate down to 24 % for

00:37:08.150 --> 00:37:10.710
those making over $100 ,000. Which is quite low

00:37:10.710 --> 00:37:13.190
compared to before. Very low. The federal government

00:37:13.190 --> 00:37:16.070
collected over $1 billion in income taxes. And

00:37:16.070 --> 00:37:18.949
of that, 65 % came from those top earners making

00:37:18.949 --> 00:37:21.690
over $100 ,000. Wait, so lower rates on the rich

00:37:21.690 --> 00:37:23.809
brought in more money from the rich? That's what

00:37:23.809 --> 00:37:26.210
the data suggests for that period. Contrast that

00:37:26.210 --> 00:37:30.329
with 1921. A 73 % top tax rate yielded just over

00:37:30.329 --> 00:37:33.429
$700 million, with only 30 % coming from those

00:37:33.429 --> 00:37:36.730
wealthiest earners. That's a huge shift. Suggests

00:37:36.730 --> 00:37:39.630
Mellon's scientific taxation actually worked.

00:37:39.960 --> 00:37:42.019
at least in the short term. It certainly had

00:37:42.019 --> 00:37:44.119
a measurable impact. And while federal spending

00:37:44.119 --> 00:37:46.840
was tightly controlled, state and local governments

00:37:46.840 --> 00:37:49.159
actually saw considerable growth in spending

00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:51.880
during this period, surpassed the federal budget

00:37:51.880 --> 00:37:55.400
by 1927, again, highlighting that federalist

00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:57.840
division of responsibilities. So connecting this

00:37:57.840 --> 00:38:00.880
to the Bayer picture, Coolidge's economic policy

00:38:01.039 --> 00:38:03.900
was essentially an early experiment in supply

00:38:03.900 --> 00:38:06.679
-side economics. Decades before the term existed,

00:38:06.940 --> 00:38:10.199
yes, a bold experiment. The data clearly shows

00:38:10.199 --> 00:38:12.480
it boosted revenue from the wealthy in the short

00:38:12.480 --> 00:38:15.900
term, but its long -term impact and its potential

00:38:15.900 --> 00:38:17.880
contribution to the Great Depression that followed.

00:38:18.420 --> 00:38:20.860
That remains a central point of historical debate,

00:38:21.219 --> 00:38:23.880
a critical case study even today on tax policy

00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:26.780
and economic stability. OK, shifting to some

00:38:26.780 --> 00:38:29.019
of the more contentious issues he faced. Maybe

00:38:29.019 --> 00:38:31.420
none more debated than federal relief for farmers.

00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:33.360
They were really struggling then. They were.

00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:35.599
Agriculture hadn't shared equally in the Roaring

00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:38.559
Twenties' prosperity. Some in Congress proposed

00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:40.800
the McNary -Halgen bill. What would that have

00:38:40.800 --> 00:38:42.840
done? It would have allowed the federal government

00:38:42.840 --> 00:38:46.619
to buy surplus crops, wheat, corn, and sell them

00:38:46.619 --> 00:38:49.860
abroad at lower prices. Effectively, a government

00:38:49.860 --> 00:38:52.320
price support, a subsidy. And Coolidge's position?

00:38:52.840 --> 00:38:55.670
Strongly opposed. argued that agriculture must

00:38:55.670 --> 00:38:58.849
stand on an independent business basis, said,

00:38:58.869 --> 00:39:01.070
govern control cannot be divorced from political

00:39:01.070 --> 00:39:04.329
control. He favored Secretary Hoover's ideas

00:39:04.329 --> 00:39:07.389
for modernizing agriculture efficiency, cooperatives

00:39:07.389 --> 00:39:10.489
over direct price manipulation, believed in market

00:39:10.489 --> 00:39:12.909
solutions. Did the bill pass Congress? Twice.

00:39:13.210 --> 00:39:16.769
In 1927 and 1928, the farm block was powerful.

00:39:16.929 --> 00:39:20.389
Coolidge. Vetoed it both times, famously. In

00:39:20.389 --> 00:39:23.210
his veto messages, he argued... The bill wouldn't

00:39:23.210 --> 00:39:25.650
really help farmers, would mainly benefit exporters,

00:39:25.929 --> 00:39:27.949
and would expand the federal bureaucracy all

00:39:27.949 --> 00:39:30.170
things he opposed on principle. And he had that

00:39:30.170 --> 00:39:32.929
rather stark quote about farmers. Yes, the rather

00:39:32.929 --> 00:39:35.769
blunt remark, farmers never have made much money.

00:39:35.829 --> 00:39:38.630
I do not believe we can do much about it. Highlights

00:39:38.630 --> 00:39:40.570
his staunch commitment to limited government,

00:39:40.989 --> 00:39:43.849
even facing hardship in a key sector. A belief

00:39:43.849 --> 00:39:46.349
in individual responsibility, perhaps to a fault

00:39:46.349 --> 00:39:49.030
in this case. Another contentious issue, the

00:39:49.030 --> 00:39:52.570
great Mississippi flood of 1927. A massive disaster.

00:39:53.010 --> 00:39:55.090
The worst natural disaster on the Gulf Coast

00:39:55.090 --> 00:39:58.829
until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And Coolidge

00:39:58.829 --> 00:40:01.250
faced considerable criticism for his response

00:40:01.250 --> 00:40:04.179
or perceived lack thereof. What did he do? or

00:40:04.179 --> 00:40:06.559
not do. Well, he eventually named Herbert Hoover,

00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:08.960
who is sort of his go -to guy for big problems,

00:40:09.119 --> 00:40:11.460
to a commission for flood relief. But overall,

00:40:11.780 --> 00:40:13.900
scholars argue Coolidge showed a lack of interest

00:40:13.900 --> 00:40:16.199
in extensive federal flood control measures.

00:40:16.400 --> 00:40:18.800
Why the reluctance? It really underscores that

00:40:18.800 --> 00:40:21.900
fundamental tension of the era. Limited federal

00:40:21.900 --> 00:40:24.579
intervention versus growing public expectation

00:40:24.579 --> 00:40:27.739
for federal action in crises. Coolidge believed

00:40:27.739 --> 00:40:29.559
a presidential visit to the flood zone would

00:40:29.559 --> 00:40:32.590
be mere political grandstanding. Optics weren't

00:40:32.590 --> 00:40:36.190
his priority. No. And he felt incurring significant

00:40:36.190 --> 00:40:38.730
federal spending for flood control was undesirable,

00:40:39.190 --> 00:40:40.949
believed property owners should bear much of

00:40:40.949 --> 00:40:43.289
the cost, as had been the tradition. So when

00:40:43.289 --> 00:40:45.449
Congress did pass a compromise flood control

00:40:45.449 --> 00:40:48.750
measure in 1928, Coolidge, true to form, declined

00:40:48.750 --> 00:40:51.670
to take credit, sign a bill in private, a clear

00:40:51.670 --> 00:40:53.889
illustration of his consistent adherence to his

00:40:53.889 --> 00:40:56.530
principles, even at the cost of public relations

00:40:56.530 --> 00:40:59.469
or perceived compassion. OK, let's turn to civil

00:40:59.469 --> 00:41:02.960
rights and tolerance. How did Coolidge handle

00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:06.260
these issues? One biographer called him devoid

00:41:06.260 --> 00:41:08.739
of racial prejudice. Yes, but he rarely took

00:41:08.739 --> 00:41:11.760
a leading role on civil rights, often prioritizing

00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:14.260
states' rights and local control, which often

00:41:14.260 --> 00:41:17.360
meant inaction on racial injustice. For example,

00:41:17.659 --> 00:41:20.300
Coolidge personally disliked the Ku Klux Klan.

00:41:20.420 --> 00:41:23.360
Which was powerful in the 1920s. Very powerful.

00:41:23.780 --> 00:41:26.059
And no Klansman is known to have received an

00:41:26.059 --> 00:41:29.039
appointment from him. But during the 1924 election,

00:41:29.360 --> 00:41:31.699
while his opponents attacked the Klan, Coolidge

00:41:31.699 --> 00:41:34.619
largely avoided the subject, perhaps not wanting

00:41:34.619 --> 00:41:36.699
to give them more attention or maybe political

00:41:36.699 --> 00:41:38.739
calculation. How did that play out with African

00:41:38.739 --> 00:41:41.219
-American voters? It was complex. Some black

00:41:41.219 --> 00:41:43.219
leaders did endorse his opponent, John Davis,

00:41:43.460 --> 00:41:46.139
due to Coolidge's silence. Yet estimates suggest

00:41:46.139 --> 00:41:48.619
over 90 percent of non -Indiana black voters

00:41:48.619 --> 00:41:51.440
actually voted for Coolidge. The situation in

00:41:51.440 --> 00:41:54.000
Indiana was unique, with Klan control of the

00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:56.579
state GOP pushing many black voters there toward

00:41:56.579 --> 00:41:58.739
the Democrats. A really tangled picture. Were

00:41:58.739 --> 00:42:00.880
there any positive developments during his term

00:42:00.880 --> 00:42:03.039
on this front? It's important to note some things

00:42:03.039 --> 00:42:05.960
did improve, whether directly due to him or broader

00:42:05.960 --> 00:42:09.059
shifts. Lynchings of African -Americans decreased

00:42:09.059 --> 00:42:11.639
during his administration, and millions of people

00:42:11.639 --> 00:42:14.699
actually left the Ku Klux Klan during his tenure.

00:42:15.340 --> 00:42:18.219
Its peak influence waned. Did he use this platform

00:42:18.219 --> 00:42:21.500
at all? Speak out. He did at times. In his first

00:42:21.500 --> 00:42:23.300
state of the union, he declared that African

00:42:23.300 --> 00:42:25.679
-Americans rights were just as sacred as those

00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:28.400
of any other citizen and that protecting those

00:42:28.400 --> 00:42:31.320
rights was a public and a private duty. Strong

00:42:31.320 --> 00:42:34.340
words. Did he push for legislation? He repeatedly

00:42:34.340 --> 00:42:36.980
called for federal laws to make lynching a federal

00:42:36.980 --> 00:42:40.110
crime. But Congress, particularly sudden Democrats,

00:42:40.869 --> 00:42:43.489
consistently blocked such legislation. Legislative

00:42:43.489 --> 00:42:45.710
gridlock was fierce on this issue. But he did

00:42:45.710 --> 00:42:48.030
sign the Indian Citizenship Act. Yes. As we mentioned,

00:42:48.329 --> 00:42:51.630
Junetech 1924, granting citizenship to all Native

00:42:51.630 --> 00:42:54.610
Americans living on reservations, a very significant

00:42:54.610 --> 00:42:57.210
positive step. Any other notable public statements?

00:42:57.650 --> 00:43:01.190
Yes. On June 6, 1924, he gave a commencement

00:43:01.190 --> 00:43:03.750
address at historically black Howard University.

00:43:04.010 --> 00:43:07.050
He publicly thanked and commended African Americans

00:43:07.050 --> 00:43:10.050
for their rapid advances in education, contributions

00:43:10.050 --> 00:43:14.010
to society, and eagerness to serve in WWI, all

00:43:14.010 --> 00:43:16.150
while facing discrimination. That must have been

00:43:16.150 --> 00:43:18.989
meaningful. And later in October 1924, during

00:43:18.989 --> 00:43:21.130
the election campaign, he gave a speech stressing

00:43:21.130 --> 00:43:23.590
tolerance of differences as an American value,

00:43:24.429 --> 00:43:26.590
thanked immigrants for their contributions, noted

00:43:26.590 --> 00:43:29.010
diversity caused conflict in Europe, but was

00:43:29.010 --> 00:43:31.469
harmonious for the U .S., perhaps optimistically,

00:43:31.969 --> 00:43:34.809
urged immigrants to reject race, hatreds and

00:43:34.809 --> 00:43:37.909
prejudices. These public statements, even without

00:43:37.909 --> 00:43:40.690
sweeping legislation, offered an important moral

00:43:40.690 --> 00:43:43.340
stance from the presidency. Okay, turning to

00:43:43.340 --> 00:43:45.780
foreign policy. You mentioned he wasn't particularly

00:43:45.780 --> 00:43:48.099
interested in world affairs. Not his primary

00:43:48.099 --> 00:43:50.719
focus, no. Largely centered on U .S. business,

00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:53.159
trade, and maintaining the status quo at home.

00:43:53.679 --> 00:43:55.639
He held a strong non -interventionist foreign

00:43:55.639 --> 00:43:58.559
policy viewpoint, supported American exceptionalism.

00:43:59.019 --> 00:44:01.460
He saw the 1920 election as a clear rejection

00:44:01.460 --> 00:44:03.679
of Wilson's idea of joining the League of Nations.

00:44:04.079 --> 00:44:06.059
Believe the League just didn't serve U .S. interests.

00:44:06.360 --> 00:44:09.320
But his administration did engage. internationally,

00:44:09.699 --> 00:44:11.960
right? Yeah. Just maybe cautiously. Cautiously

00:44:11.960 --> 00:44:13.800
and with a focus on American interests, yes.

00:44:14.119 --> 00:44:16.639
He spoke in favor of joining the World Court,

00:44:16.880 --> 00:44:19.079
the permanent court of international justice.

00:44:19.519 --> 00:44:22.420
But with conditions. Yes, provided the U .S.

00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:24.920
wouldn't be bound by advisory decisions, showing

00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:27.360
that characteristic caution. The Senate approved

00:44:27.360 --> 00:44:30.500
joining with reservations in 1926, but the U

00:44:30.500 --> 00:44:33.000
.S. ultimately didn't join after the League suggested

00:44:33.000 --> 00:44:36.139
modifications the Senate failed to act on. So

00:44:36.139 --> 00:44:39.039
close, but no cigar. What about the Dawes plan?

00:44:39.119 --> 00:44:41.400
That seems like a significant intervention. It

00:44:41.400 --> 00:44:45.369
was, but primarily an economic one. 1924. The

00:44:45.369 --> 00:44:47.889
Coolidge administration nominated Charles Dawes

00:44:47.889 --> 00:44:50.650
to head a multinational committee. They produced

00:44:50.650 --> 00:44:53.710
this plan setting fixed annual amounts for Germany's

00:44:53.710 --> 00:44:57.030
WWI reparations payments and authorized a large

00:44:57.030 --> 00:44:59.610
loan mostly from U .S. banks to help stabilize

00:44:59.610 --> 00:45:02.170
the German economy. Good for Germany, good for

00:45:02.170 --> 00:45:04.730
U .S. banks getting repaid by allies. And he

00:45:04.730 --> 00:45:07.010
tried to continue naval arms control. Yes. Building

00:45:07.010 --> 00:45:09.349
on Harding's successful Washington Naval Conference,

00:45:09.610 --> 00:45:11.349
Coolidge sponsored the Geneva Naval Conference

00:45:11.349 --> 00:45:14.969
in 1927 to further curb naval strength. But this

00:45:14.969 --> 00:45:18.289
effort failed. Why? French and Italian boycotts?

00:45:18.369 --> 00:45:20.309
Disagreements between Britain and the U .S. over

00:45:20.309 --> 00:45:22.909
cruiser tonnages? It actually led, regrettably,

00:45:23.329 --> 00:45:25.489
to increased American naval spending afterwards.

00:45:25.750 --> 00:45:28.530
But one lasting peace effort, maybe more symbolic,

00:45:28.949 --> 00:45:32.820
was the Kellogg -Brien Pact. Yes, 1928. named

00:45:32.820 --> 00:45:35.619
for his Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg.

00:45:36.199 --> 00:45:39.219
This treaty committed signatories U .S., U .K.,

00:45:39.219 --> 00:45:42.920
France, Italy, Germany, Japan, many others to

00:45:42.920 --> 00:45:46.099
renounce war as an instrument of national policy.

00:45:46.380 --> 00:45:48.820
Did it work? Obviously not entirely. Well, it

00:45:48.820 --> 00:45:52.079
didn't ultimately outlaw war or prevent WWII,

00:45:52.239 --> 00:45:54.440
but it did provide a foundational principle for

00:45:54.440 --> 00:45:58.119
international law and diplomacy after WWII shifted

00:45:58.119 --> 00:46:00.360
the moral landscape around aggressive war, making

00:46:00.360 --> 00:46:02.480
it illegitimate in principle. What about regional

00:46:02.480 --> 00:46:05.840
policies? Soviet Union? Mexico. Continued Harding's

00:46:05.840 --> 00:46:08.119
policy of when holding recognition of the Soviet

00:46:08.119 --> 00:46:10.960
Union standard anti -communist stance then. He

00:46:10.960 --> 00:46:12.960
normalized ties with post -revolution Mexico,

00:46:13.260 --> 00:46:15.559
recognizing new governments, supporting the elected

00:46:15.559 --> 00:46:17.380
government against the Cristero rebellion, lifting

00:46:17.380 --> 00:46:19.860
the arms embargo. Appointed Dwight Morrow as

00:46:19.860 --> 00:46:22.039
ambassador, who did a good job avoiding further

00:46:22.039 --> 00:46:24.860
conflict. In Central America. The Caribbean.

00:46:25.980 --> 00:46:28.780
Still intervention is there. Mixed bag. Ended

00:46:28.780 --> 00:46:31.280
the US occupation of the Dominican Republic in

00:46:31.280 --> 00:46:34.920
1924. ordered withdrawal of Marines from Nicaragua

00:46:34.920 --> 00:46:38.219
in 1925, but then had to redeploy them in 1927

00:46:38.219 --> 00:46:41.000
after political instability flared up again,

00:46:41.539 --> 00:46:43.820
sent Henry Stimson to mediate a peace deal, but

00:46:43.820 --> 00:46:46.300
that actually extended the U .S. military presence

00:46:46.300 --> 00:46:49.039
beyond his presidency, showed the complexities

00:46:49.039 --> 00:46:51.900
of that region. And he went to Cuba. Yes, January

00:46:51.900 --> 00:46:55.800
1928, led the U .S. delegation to the sixth international

00:46:55.800 --> 00:46:58.420
conference of American states in Havana, his

00:46:58.420 --> 00:47:00.840
only international trip as president, made him

00:47:00.840 --> 00:47:03.139
the last sitting U .S. president to visit Cuba

00:47:03.139 --> 00:47:06.360
until Barack Obama in 2016. Wow, quite a gap.

00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:08.880
and Canada. Authorized the St. Lawrence Seaway

00:47:08.880 --> 00:47:11.699
Project, a massive system of locks and canals

00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:14.320
allowing large vessels passage between the Atlantic

00:47:14.320 --> 00:47:16.820
and the Great Lakes. Huge for infrastructure

00:47:16.820 --> 00:47:19.659
and trade. So while often quiet, his foreign

00:47:19.659 --> 00:47:22.059
policy showed pragmatic engagement where U .S.

00:47:22.420 --> 00:47:24.380
economic or security interests were clearly involved.

00:47:24.500 --> 00:47:26.880
OK, let's talk about his team, his cabinet, his

00:47:26.880 --> 00:47:29.260
judicial appointments. Did he keep Harding's

00:47:29.260 --> 00:47:32.909
people? Initially, yes, all of them. He believed

00:47:32.909 --> 00:47:35.429
that as successor to a president who died in

00:47:35.429 --> 00:47:38.309
office, he was obligated to keep Harding's counselors

00:47:38.309 --> 00:47:41.670
until the next election cycle, a move for continuity

00:47:41.670 --> 00:47:46.550
stability after the scandals. Andrew Mellon,

00:47:46.670 --> 00:47:49.630
Treasury Secretary, was arguably the most powerful,

00:47:50.170 --> 00:47:52.820
controlled financial policy. Some considered

00:47:52.820 --> 00:47:55.320
him more influential than Coolidge himself. Really?

00:47:55.599 --> 00:47:57.860
Well on economic matters, certainly very influential,

00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:00.300
Herbert Hoover at commerce was also prominent.

00:48:00.780 --> 00:48:03.039
Coolidge valued Hoover's ability to generate

00:48:03.039 --> 00:48:05.400
positive publicity for pro -business proposals

00:48:05.400 --> 00:48:08.599
and his energetic activist style in that specific

00:48:08.599 --> 00:48:13.219
area. Charles Evans Hughes until 1925, a heavyweight.

00:48:13.559 --> 00:48:16.119
Then Frank B. Kellogg of Kellogg -Brian Pact

00:48:16.119 --> 00:48:18.559
fame. Attorney General, after Harry Doherty resigned

00:48:18.559 --> 00:48:21.559
in disgrace in 24, was Harlan F. Stone, then

00:48:21.559 --> 00:48:23.239
John G. Sargent. And Vice President, he didn't

00:48:23.239 --> 00:48:25.980
have it for his first term, right? Correct. 1923

00:48:25.980 --> 00:48:30.099
to 1925, no VP because Harding died. Meant no

00:48:30.099 --> 00:48:32.960
direct successor in line initially. Charles G.

00:48:33.119 --> 00:48:36.420
Dawes served as VP during his second term, 1925

00:48:36.420 --> 00:48:40.280
to 1929. And Dawes, notably clashed with Coolidge

00:48:40.280 --> 00:48:42.699
sometime, especially over farm policy, shows

00:48:42.699 --> 00:48:45.139
some internal tensions. What about the courts?

00:48:45.880 --> 00:48:47.579
Supreme Court appointments? Just one Supreme

00:48:47.579 --> 00:48:50.739
Court appointment. In 1925, he appointed Harlan

00:48:50.739 --> 00:48:52.900
F. Stone. The same Stone who was attorney general?

00:48:52.980 --> 00:48:56.050
Yes. Fellow Amherst alumnus, Wall Street lawyer,

00:48:56.369 --> 00:48:58.349
conservative Republican, Coolidge brought him

00:48:58.349 --> 00:49:00.929
in as AG specifically to restore the Justice

00:49:00.929 --> 00:49:03.650
Department's reputation after Daugherty. Stone

00:49:03.650 --> 00:49:06.030
became a firm believer in judicial restraint

00:49:06.030 --> 00:49:08.250
on the court and was later appointed Chief Justice

00:49:08.250 --> 00:49:11.289
by FDR, interestingly. In lower courts. Any milestones

00:49:11.289 --> 00:49:13.929
there? He appointed 17 judges to the courts of

00:49:13.929 --> 00:49:17.449
appeals, 61 to district courts, and he made history

00:49:17.449 --> 00:49:19.849
by appointing Genevieve R. Klein to the United

00:49:19.849 --> 00:49:23.010
States Customs Court in 1928. She was the first

00:49:23.010 --> 00:49:25.230
woman ever named to the federal judiciary. That's

00:49:25.230 --> 00:49:27.389
a significant first. A progressive step for the

00:49:27.389 --> 00:49:30.829
time. He also signed the Judiciary Act of 1925,

00:49:31.090 --> 00:49:32.969
which gave the Supreme Court more discretion

00:49:32.969 --> 00:49:36.050
over its caseload, helping its efficiency. So

00:49:36.050 --> 00:49:39.570
after all these eventful years, the scandals,

00:49:39.630 --> 00:49:42.820
the economy, The personal tragedy. He decides

00:49:42.820 --> 00:49:45.599
not to run again in 1928, even though he was

00:49:45.599 --> 00:49:48.199
popular. Highly popular, yes. But in the summer

00:49:48.199 --> 00:49:50.860
of 1927, while vacationing in the Black Hills

00:49:50.860 --> 00:49:53.679
of South Dakota, he made that choice. Issued

00:49:53.679 --> 00:49:56.179
that famously terse statement to reporters. The

00:49:56.179 --> 00:49:59.059
classic Coolidge statement. Just 10 words. I

00:49:59.059 --> 00:50:01.880
do not choose to run for president in 1928. Just

00:50:01.880 --> 00:50:04.260
like that. Did he explain further? After letting

00:50:04.260 --> 00:50:07.159
reporters absorb it, he elaborated a bit. If

00:50:07.159 --> 00:50:09.119
I take another term, I will be in the White House

00:50:09.119 --> 00:50:12.110
till 1933. Ten years in Washington is longer

00:50:12.110 --> 00:50:14.349
than any other man has had it. Too long. Ten

00:50:14.349 --> 00:50:16.789
years is a long time in that office. This decision,

00:50:16.969 --> 00:50:19.090
coming during prosperity and high popularity,

00:50:19.590 --> 00:50:21.769
really reveals a deeply personal understanding

00:50:21.769 --> 00:50:23.949
of the burdens of office. What did he say in

00:50:23.949 --> 00:50:26.969
his memoirs about it? He explained further, noting,

00:50:32.579 --> 00:50:35.059
While we should not refuse to spend and be spent

00:50:35.059 --> 00:50:37.559
in the service of our country, it is hazardous

00:50:37.559 --> 00:50:39.619
to attempt what we feel is beyond our strength

00:50:39.619 --> 00:50:42.699
to accomplish. Wow. Speaks to his quiet character,

00:50:42.940 --> 00:50:45.199
that self -awareness. Maybe the shadow of his

00:50:45.199 --> 00:50:48.119
son's death still lingering too? A sense of limits?

00:50:48.340 --> 00:50:50.800
Very possibly. A clear understanding of the personal

00:50:50.800 --> 00:50:56.389
cost. post presidency and death, 1929, 1933.

00:50:56.829 --> 00:50:59.829
So after leaving office in 1929, Calvin and Grace

00:50:59.829 --> 00:51:01.909
Coolidge head back to Northampton, Massachusetts,

00:51:02.449 --> 00:51:04.949
to their home, the beaches. But retirement for

00:51:04.949 --> 00:51:07.570
Coolidge, the man who believed in diligent work,

00:51:07.989 --> 00:51:10.690
wasn't exactly a feet up on the porch. No, far

00:51:10.690 --> 00:51:13.260
from it. He kept active. had a hacker runabout

00:51:13.260 --> 00:51:15.280
boat on the Connecticut River, apparently enjoyed

00:51:15.280 --> 00:51:17.840
boating. Nice image. He chaired the Nonpartisan

00:51:17.840 --> 00:51:19.780
Railroad Commission, surveying the country's

00:51:19.780 --> 00:51:22.480
transportation needs, served as honorary president

00:51:22.480 --> 00:51:24.760
of the American Foundation for the Blind. He

00:51:24.760 --> 00:51:26.719
was a director of New York Life Insurance Company,

00:51:26.940 --> 00:51:28.960
president of the American Antiquarian Society,

00:51:29.500 --> 00:51:32.400
a trustee of Amherst College. Kept busy applying

00:51:32.400 --> 00:51:35.460
those administrative skills. Definitely. Applying

00:51:35.460 --> 00:51:38.380
them to various civic and corporate roles. And

00:51:38.380 --> 00:51:41.300
he even took up writing. He did. Published his

00:51:41.300 --> 00:51:44.599
autobiography in 1929, gave his own perspective

00:51:44.599 --> 00:51:47.920
on his life and presidency, and from 1930 to

00:51:47.920 --> 00:51:50.679
1931, he wrote a syndicated newspaper column,

00:51:50.980 --> 00:51:53.340
Calvin Coolidge says. Sharing his thoughts with

00:51:53.340 --> 00:51:56.019
the nation again. A quiet commentary on the unfolding

00:51:56.019 --> 00:51:58.440
events of the time, yes. But the piece of his

00:51:58.440 --> 00:52:00.400
retirement was pretty quickly overshadowed by

00:52:00.400 --> 00:52:02.360
the Great Depression, wasn't it? Started just

00:52:02.360 --> 00:52:05.340
months after he left office. Exactly. And with

00:52:05.340 --> 00:52:07.820
Herbert Hoover facing almost certain defeat in

00:52:07.820 --> 00:52:10.840
the 1932 election, some Republicans actually

00:52:10.840 --> 00:52:13.579
considered rejecting Hoover and trying to draft

00:52:13.579 --> 00:52:16.519
Coolidge to run again. Draft Coolidge? Did they

00:52:16.519 --> 00:52:18.619
think his popularity could save them? That was

00:52:18.619 --> 00:52:21.480
the hope, I suppose, that his image of prosperity

00:52:21.480 --> 00:52:23.719
and stability could somehow stem the economic

00:52:23.719 --> 00:52:26.480
tide. Was Coolidge interested? Not in the slightest.

00:52:26.980 --> 00:52:28.880
The former president made it crystal clear he

00:52:28.880 --> 00:52:31.900
was not interested. Said he would publicly repudiate

00:52:31.900 --> 00:52:34.260
any draft efforts. Even though he apparently

00:52:34.260 --> 00:52:36.739
wasn't Hoover's biggest fan privately? Right,

00:52:36.920 --> 00:52:39.460
despite privately remarking about Hoover. For

00:52:39.460 --> 00:52:42.420
six years that man has given me unsolicited advice.

00:52:42.659 --> 00:52:46.329
All of it bad. Ouch. Huh. But he still supported

00:52:46.329 --> 00:52:49.110
Hoover publicly. He did. Made several radio addresses

00:52:49.110 --> 00:52:51.489
supporting Hoover's reelection bid. Showed his

00:52:51.489 --> 00:52:53.650
party loyalty, commitment to the ticket, even

00:52:53.650 --> 00:52:56.289
with his reservations. Hoover, of course, lost

00:52:56.289 --> 00:52:58.929
to Franklin D. Roosevelt in a landslide. And

00:52:58.929 --> 00:53:01.449
sadly, Coolidge didn't live much longer after

00:53:01.449 --> 00:53:04.920
that. No, he died quite suddenly. Coronary thrombosis,

00:53:05.159 --> 00:53:08.340
a heart attack at the beaches. January 5th, 1933.

00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:11.179
He was only 60 years old. Just a few short years

00:53:11.179 --> 00:53:13.380
after leaving office. And shortly before his

00:53:13.380 --> 00:53:15.500
death, in a really poignant reflection of his

00:53:15.500 --> 00:53:17.960
personality, he told an old friend, I feel I

00:53:17.960 --> 00:53:20.760
no longer fit in with these times. Wow. The sense

00:53:20.760 --> 00:53:22.679
of being out of step with the new era of the

00:53:22.679 --> 00:53:24.820
Depression and the New Deal dawning. It seems

00:53:24.820 --> 00:53:27.300
that way. He's buried in Plymouth Notch Cemetery,

00:53:27.500 --> 00:53:29.760
back in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, where his family

00:53:29.760 --> 00:53:31.940
home is maintained today as a historic site.

00:53:32.269 --> 00:53:35.090
A quiet resting place for Silent Tal. So what

00:53:35.090 --> 00:53:37.690
does history truly make of this silent president

00:53:37.690 --> 00:53:41.070
of the Roaring Twenties? It's complex, right?

00:53:41.170 --> 00:53:43.210
Despite being incredibly popular while in office.

00:53:43.389 --> 00:53:46.110
Hugely popular. His historical reputation is

00:53:46.110 --> 00:53:48.670
generally rated below average by modern historians.

00:53:49.389 --> 00:53:52.710
That's quite a shift. It is. Scholar David Greenberg

00:53:52.710 --> 00:53:55.050
notes that the Great Depression, starting so

00:53:55.050 --> 00:53:57.869
soon after Coolidge left office, seriously eroded

00:53:57.869 --> 00:54:01.409
his reputation. Fairly or unfairly, the crash

00:54:01.409 --> 00:54:04.489
cast a long shadow back on the preceding prosperity.

00:54:04.710 --> 00:54:06.670
What are the main criticisms historians level

00:54:06.670 --> 00:54:09.170
against him? Often criticized for a perceived

00:54:09.170 --> 00:54:11.750
lack of assertiveness, sometimes called a do

00:54:11.750 --> 00:54:14.519
-nothing president. The argument being he only

00:54:14.519 --> 00:54:16.460
enjoyed high approval because times were good

00:54:16.460 --> 00:54:19.079
and he didn't tackle underlying problems. Some

00:54:19.079 --> 00:54:21.440
also scrutinize him for signing laws that broaden

00:54:21.440 --> 00:54:23.820
federal regulatory authority like the Radio Act,

00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:25.880
arguing it inadvertently paved the way for more

00:54:25.880 --> 00:54:28.420
federal expansion later, ironically contrary

00:54:28.420 --> 00:54:30.880
to his own philosophy. And the surveys, the rankings

00:54:30.880 --> 00:54:34.179
reflect this critical view. Often, yes. A 1982

00:54:34.179 --> 00:54:37.639
Chicago Tribune survey of 49 historians ranked

00:54:37.639 --> 00:54:40.300
him eighth worst U .S. president. Eighth worst.

00:54:40.699 --> 00:54:44.409
That's harsh. Yeah. In 2006, British journalist

00:54:44.409 --> 00:54:47.010
William Shawcross called him the worst president

00:54:47.010 --> 00:54:50.530
of the 20th century, though a more recent 2021

00:54:50.530 --> 00:54:53.750
C -SPAN survey was a bit more nuanced. How so?

00:54:53.889 --> 00:54:56.190
It gave him higher marks for moral authority

00:54:56.190 --> 00:54:58.389
and administrative skills, acknowledging his

00:54:58.389 --> 00:55:00.969
integrity and competence. But it still ranked

00:55:00.969 --> 00:55:04.400
him only 24th out of 44 presidents overall. with

00:55:04.400 --> 00:55:06.840
poor ratings for setting an agenda and pursuing

00:55:06.840 --> 00:55:09.760
equal justice, reflecting those criticisms about

00:55:09.760 --> 00:55:12.320
his passive approach to some big issues. Yet

00:55:12.320 --> 00:55:14.920
despite these often critical historical rankings,

00:55:15.500 --> 00:55:18.119
Coolidge's hands -off government approach, his

00:55:18.119 --> 00:55:20.920
fiscal conservatism, it continues to resonate

00:55:20.920 --> 00:55:22.840
strongly with modern conservatives, doesn't it?

00:55:22.880 --> 00:55:25.000
Oh, absolutely. His principles are frequently

00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:27.099
invoked in discussions about limited government,

00:55:27.420 --> 00:55:29.780
fiscal responsibility, the idea that too much

00:55:29.780 --> 00:55:32.579
government stifles prosperity. He's become something

00:55:32.579 --> 00:55:34.800
of an icon. for that wing of political thought.

00:55:35.139 --> 00:55:36.840
It's really interesting how historical figures

00:55:36.840 --> 00:55:39.800
like Coolidge get reinterpreted, championed by

00:55:39.800 --> 00:55:42.179
different ideologies across generations. Ronald

00:55:42.179 --> 00:55:44.880
Reagan was a big admirer, wasn't he? Huge admirer.

00:55:45.280 --> 00:55:49.280
In 1981, President Reagan publicly praised Coolidge's

00:55:49.280 --> 00:55:52.480
laissez -faire policy as a model. And in a very

00:55:52.480 --> 00:55:55.599
powerful symbolic gesture, Reagan actually replaced

00:55:55.599 --> 00:55:58.199
a portrait of Thomas Jefferson in the White House

00:55:58.199 --> 00:56:01.300
cabinet room with one of Coolidge. Swapped Jefferson

00:56:01.300 --> 00:56:03.760
for Coolidge. That's a statement. A very clear

00:56:03.760 --> 00:56:06.159
nod to his admiration and a statement about his

00:56:06.159 --> 00:56:09.099
own conservative philosophy. So Coolidge's principles

00:56:09.099 --> 00:56:12.219
clearly, they continue to spark debate and inspire

00:56:12.219 --> 00:56:14.500
certain groups. Now, one of the most surprising

00:56:14.500 --> 00:56:16.679
aspects of his legacy, something that really

00:56:16.679 --> 00:56:18.920
pushes back against the Silent Cal stereotype,

00:56:19.559 --> 00:56:22.159
is his role as a communication innovator. Yes.

00:56:22.519 --> 00:56:24.900
This is often overlooked. Despite that reputation

00:56:24.900 --> 00:56:27.840
for being quiet, even reclusive, Coolidge was

00:56:27.840 --> 00:56:31.099
actually a pioneer in using new media. Made radio

00:56:31.099 --> 00:56:33.280
history several times as president, showed a

00:56:33.280 --> 00:56:35.380
really pragmatic understanding of the evolving

00:56:35.380 --> 00:56:38.309
public sphere. How so? beyond the radio speeches.

00:56:38.590 --> 00:56:40.429
Well first, he made himself incredibly available

00:56:40.429 --> 00:56:44.250
to reporters, gave an astounding 520 press conferences

00:56:44.250 --> 00:56:47.179
during his presidency. 520, that's a lot. More

00:56:47.179 --> 00:56:50.219
regularly than any president before or since,

00:56:50.699 --> 00:56:54.079
a real commitment to press access, which contrasts

00:56:54.079 --> 00:56:56.340
sharply with the silent image. And the media

00:56:56.340 --> 00:56:59.980
firsts. His second inauguration in 1925 was the

00:56:59.980 --> 00:57:02.280
first presidential inauguration ever broadcast

00:57:02.280 --> 00:57:05.679
on radio. His December 1923 speech to Congress

00:57:05.679 --> 00:57:07.760
was the first presidential radio address, as

00:57:07.760 --> 00:57:10.920
we noted, bringing his voice directly into American

00:57:10.920 --> 00:57:15.329
homes. And film. Yes. August 1924, he became

00:57:15.329 --> 00:57:17.670
the first president to appear in a sound film.

00:57:18.389 --> 00:57:20.550
President Coolidge taken on the White House grounds

00:57:20.550 --> 00:57:23.469
using the cutting edge phono film sound on film

00:57:23.469 --> 00:57:26.269
process. Groundbreaking stuff. You could actually

00:57:26.269 --> 00:57:28.170
hear the president speak on film for the first

00:57:28.170 --> 00:57:30.989
time. Exactly. He also famously welcomed Charles

00:57:30.989 --> 00:57:34.190
Lindbergh back after his 1927 transatlantic flight

00:57:34.190 --> 00:57:36.730
presented him with the Medal of Honor. That event

00:57:36.730 --> 00:57:39.369
was film and widely seen, reinforcing his image

00:57:39.369 --> 00:57:41.750
as a modern leader connected to moments of national

00:57:41.750 --> 00:57:44.030
pride. And he even took legislative action to

00:57:44.030 --> 00:57:46.900
regulate radio with the Radio Act of 1927. Right,

00:57:47.179 --> 00:57:48.840
establishing the federal radio commissions. So

00:57:48.840 --> 00:57:51.820
this whole aspect of his legacy truly challenges

00:57:51.820 --> 00:57:55.480
that simple silent cow stereotype. It reveals

00:57:55.480 --> 00:57:58.659
a pragmatic leader who understood and leveraged

00:57:58.659 --> 00:58:00.980
the power of emerging communication technologies

00:58:00.980 --> 00:58:03.960
to connect with the public just in his own quiet

00:58:03.960 --> 00:58:06.960
but effective way. A testament to his adaptability,

00:58:07.199 --> 00:58:09.579
his foresight, proves he was anything but just

00:58:09.579 --> 00:58:12.340
a relic of the past, even if he felt out of step

00:58:12.340 --> 00:58:15.550
by the very end. Hashtag tag tag outro. So we've

00:58:15.550 --> 00:58:17.369
journeyed through the pretty remarkable life

00:58:17.369 --> 00:58:19.889
of Calvin Coolidge. From those humble Vermont

00:58:19.889 --> 00:58:22.610
beginnings, those profound intellectual influences,

00:58:23.269 --> 00:58:26.050
his unexpected rise through Massachusetts politics

00:58:26.050 --> 00:58:28.510
capped by that decisive handling of the Boston

00:58:28.510 --> 00:58:30.909
police strike. We've seen him navigate profound

00:58:30.909 --> 00:58:33.510
personal tragedy, restore confidence to the White

00:58:33.510 --> 00:58:35.909
House after scandal. preside over the roaring

00:58:35.909 --> 00:58:38.789
20s with that distinctive hands -off economic

00:58:38.789 --> 00:58:40.769
philosophy. And surprisingly make pioneering

00:58:40.769 --> 00:58:44.050
use of new media like radio and sound film. Exactly.

00:58:44.150 --> 00:58:46.489
His story is really one of principled conservatism,

00:58:46.690 --> 00:58:49.369
quiet determination, and maybe surprisingly an

00:58:49.369 --> 00:58:51.210
ability to capture the public imagination in

00:58:51.210 --> 00:58:53.889
his own unique way. You now have hopefully a

00:58:53.889 --> 00:58:56.449
much deeper understanding of the man behind Silent

00:58:56.449 --> 00:58:59.349
Cow, the context of that Coolidge prosperity,

00:58:59.389 --> 00:59:01.650
and the debates, the very lively debates that

00:59:01.650 --> 00:59:04.389
continue to surround his legacy today. You've

00:59:04.389 --> 00:59:06.610
heard his own words on ethics, on governance,

00:59:07.150 --> 00:59:09.530
even on the chief business of America. He was

00:59:09.530 --> 00:59:12.389
definitely a man of paradoxes, a reserved leader

00:59:12.389 --> 00:59:16.170
in a truly vibrant, almost chaotic era, who left

00:59:16.170 --> 00:59:19.590
an indelible, if intensely debated mark on American

00:59:19.590 --> 00:59:21.909
history. Definitely debated. And as we reflect

00:59:21.909 --> 00:59:24.650
on his tenure, that economic boom he oversaw,

00:59:24.869 --> 00:59:26.989
only to be followed so quickly by the Great Depression.

00:59:27.389 --> 00:59:29.849
We're left with a powerful question, aren't we?

00:59:30.269 --> 00:59:32.150
Was Coolidge's commitment to limited government

00:59:32.150 --> 00:59:34.989
and fiscal restraint a wise stewardship of prosperity

00:59:34.989 --> 00:59:38.329
that built reserves for a rainy day? Or did his

00:59:38.329 --> 00:59:41.090
do -nothing approach, as critics call it, miss

00:59:41.090 --> 00:59:43.150
critical opportunities to address underlying

00:59:43.150 --> 00:59:45.590
economic vulnerabilities before the crash? It's

00:59:45.590 --> 00:59:47.710
the central question about his economic legacy.

00:59:47.960 --> 00:59:50.119
And maybe more broadly, what might that tell

00:59:50.119 --> 00:59:53.340
us today about the delicate balance between government

00:59:53.340 --> 00:59:56.480
action and individual liberty, especially in

00:59:56.480 --> 00:59:59.579
times of rapid change, and that enduring debate

00:59:59.579 --> 01:00:01.840
over the proper role of government in a free

01:00:01.840 --> 01:00:04.420
society? A question that certainly hasn't gone

01:00:04.420 --> 01:00:07.460
away. It resonates just as strongly now. Something

01:00:07.460 --> 01:00:09.079
for all of you to think about. Thanks for diving

01:00:09.079 --> 01:00:09.760
deep with us.