Harding’s campaign motto was a “Return to Normalcy” and the country was looking for it after the disastrous Woodrow Wilson debacle. He wanted to bring “an end to false economics which lure humanity to utter chaos.” What did that mean? Harding believed that the world needed to be reminded that all human ills are not curable be legislation. He furthermore stated that the excess of government was no substitute for the quality of citizenship. No wonder modern progressive historians rate Harding so low! There was even a Harding campaign poster that contained the slogan “America First.” Imagine that.
The American people seemed to have had enough of Wilson’s thirst for war and desire for America to save the world. Harding shared this feeling. He truly wanted to put America first and not worry about the rest of the world. As a result, Harding won over 60% of the popular vote and a 404 to 127 electoral college victory. This was the largest popular vote margin of victory in history at the time.
President Harding had zero interest in war, but he was also smart enough not to become a complete isolationist. He convened the first arms control conference in American history in 1921/1922. Nations from all over Europe and Asia met and reached several treaties that put a halt to a post WWI arms race. Despite this, Harding was wise enough to not agree to unilateral disarmament that globalists of the day wanted.
Harding made an immediate move to combat a post war recession. He called a special joint session of Congress and communicated that national spending and high taxes were the most pressing problems facing the country. Spending was slashed, tariffs were raised, and taxes were cut by 40%. The American economy immediately exploded, and the roaring 20’s began.
By combating the out of control spending of the preceding administrations, the national debt was substantially lowered for the first time in many decades. Harding implemented the Bureau of the Budget (a precursor to D.O.G.E.) which resulted in federal spending getting cut in half! And $2 billion was cut from the national debt.
All of these economic changes also resulted in lowered in a drastic reduction in unemployment. When Harding took office in 1921, the national unemployment rate was 12%. When he died in 1923, the unemployment rate was an amazing 2.4%. Modern conservatives look at the 1980’s as the country’s best time for prosperity. The 1920’s were truly the apex of American prosperity.
President Harding’s foreign policy actions centered on repairing the country’s relationship with Latin America. Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson had sullied America’s reputation in South America with constant interventions and warfare. He normalized and improved relations through treaties and economic agreements with Mexico, Colombia, Panama, and Cuba.
When simple and biased historians denigrate Harding, they cite two issues: isolationism and the Teapot Dome Scandal. We have already seen that the isolationism (America First) charge is ridiculous. The Teapot Dome Scandal, however, was real. The Secretary of Interior was caught accepting bribes in exchange for government contracts. Like with Ulysses Grant, Harding had no knowledge of the crime. But also like Grant, Harding deserves some blame for not being aware of it occurring on his watch. This is hardly a reason to rate such a successful presidency low given all the accomplishments listed. Had he lived longer (he only served 2 years), he may have ended up at the top of the list of Presidents.
The American people seemed to have had enough of Wilson’s thirst for war and desire for America to save the world. Harding shared this feeling. He truly wanted to put America first and not worry about the rest of the world. As a result, Harding won over 60% of the popular vote and a 404 to 127 electoral college victory. This was the largest popular vote margin of victory in history at the time.
President Harding had zero interest in war, but he was also smart enough not to become a complete isolationist. He convened the first arms control conference in American history in 1921/1922. Nations from all over Europe and Asia met and reached several treaties that put a halt to a post WWI arms race. Despite this, Harding was wise enough to not agree to unilateral disarmament that globalists of the day wanted.
Harding made an immediate move to combat a post war recession. He called a special joint session of Congress and communicated that national spending and high taxes were the most pressing problems facing the country. Spending was slashed, tariffs were raised, and taxes were cut by 40%. The American economy immediately exploded, and the roaring 20’s began.
By combating the out of control spending of the preceding administrations, the national debt was substantially lowered for the first time in many decades. Harding implemented the Bureau of the Budget (a precursor to D.O.G.E.) which resulted in federal spending getting cut in half! And $2 billion was cut from the national debt.
All of these economic changes also resulted in lowered in a drastic reduction in unemployment. When Harding took office in 1921, the national unemployment rate was 12%. When he died in 1923, the unemployment rate was an amazing 2.4%. Modern conservatives look at the 1980’s as the country’s best time for prosperity. The 1920’s were truly the apex of American prosperity.
President Harding’s foreign policy actions centered on repairing the country’s relationship with Latin America. Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson had sullied America’s reputation in South America with constant interventions and warfare. He normalized and improved relations through treaties and economic agreements with Mexico, Colombia, Panama, and Cuba.
When simple and biased historians denigrate Harding, they cite two issues: isolationism and the Teapot Dome Scandal. We have already seen that the isolationism (America First) charge is ridiculous. The Teapot Dome Scandal, however, was real. The Secretary of Interior was caught accepting bribes in exchange for government contracts. Like with Ulysses Grant, Harding had no knowledge of the crime. But also like Grant, Harding deserves some blame for not being aware of it occurring on his watch. This is hardly a reason to rate such a successful presidency low given all the accomplishments listed. Had he lived longer (he only served 2 years), he may have ended up at the top of the list of Presidents.
