Calvin Coolidge's Legacy
20 members have voted
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1. Which of the following Coolidge decisions/events are positives for his legacy?
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Reduced taxes even more from the Harding administration, only the wealthiest 2% paid income tax
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Signed one of the most restrictive immigration policies in history
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Worked to deregulate businesses
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Refused to intervene during a major natural disaster ("Great Mississippi Flood"), often called his "Katrina" nowadays
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Advocated civil rights and urged anti-lynching bills
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Granted US citizenship to all Native Americans
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Initiated the Kellog-Briand Pact, which aimed at renouncing war as an instrument of national policy
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Like Harding, refused to recognize the Soviet Union.
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In relation to other modern presidents, a strong believer in an inactive presidency -- believed in State's Rights, a clear separation of powers, and he slept 10 to 14 hours a day
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Initially kept Harding's corrupt appointees, because he believed they were innocent until proven guilty.
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Saw the high point of the Roaring Twenties economy; although, some of these same economic measures might have led to the Great Depression
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Reduced the national debt and saw a budget surplus
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Despite major pressure to run for reelection, he opted not to run, even though he would have likely won very easily.
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Tried to veto benefits to WWI vets, but the veto was overidden
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Increased the penalties for prohibition laws
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Cleaned up much of the corruption from the Harding administration
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Dawes Plan, which somewhat lightened the economic burden of Germany, and tied Western Europe's economy into the US
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Would not lower the tariff when post-war European countries were struggling to carry on commerce with the US
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Continued occupation of Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua, but withdrew from the Dominican Republic
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None of the above0
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2. Which president better encompasses your view of presidential executive governance?
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Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge and "The High Tide of Conservatism"
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Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and "The Progressive Age"
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I see a lot of value in both; both have their time in place, depending on the situation
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3. Your opinion of Coolidge's presidency is...
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Positive
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Mixed
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Negative
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