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Salient Cal's America: Reappraising the Harding & Coolidge Era
The Twenties are unique as the first generation to step into “our” world and try it. Or, it may be more accurate to say we are the latest arrivals to live in their world. The Twenties provide us the clearest reflection of ourselves but also the strongest link to what can be accomplished to reunify America. Rather than blaming the Twenties for not achieving enough we can rediscover how Coolidge’s America got as far as it did toward results we are still struggling to replicate.
And make no mistake, Coolidge’s name belongs on the Era that bears it.
As Robert Nisbet said,
A monarch was known throughout most of Western history for the age he presided over. The 1920s is probably the single most resplendent age of culture the United States has in the novel, in poetry, drama, criticism, in music (jazz, blues, etc.) and art -- if only in the motion picture, Coolidge has as much right to an ‘Age of Coolidge’ as Louis XIV or Elizabeth I had to theirs.
It was not mere coincidence that the same age which produced Doug Fairbanks and Mary Pickford also elevated the savvy Mr. Coolidge to the Presidency. Coolidge, like another “accidental President” after him, Harry Truman, remains a quintessential representative of “MainStreet” America. This is why attacking his legacy cannot be separated from also vilifying his America. His rise to the heights of leadership was not proof of some embarrassing flaw in America’s psyche. Coolidge is not some out-of-touch, incompetent or ineffective leader but demonstrates that the world’s small things and “little people” can still humble “the wise,” overcome “the strong,” and make history.
And make no mistake, Coolidge’s name belongs on the Era that bears it.
As Robert Nisbet said,
A monarch was known throughout most of Western history for the age he presided over. The 1920s is probably the single most resplendent age of culture the United States has in the novel, in poetry, drama, criticism, in music (jazz, blues, etc.) and art -- if only in the motion picture, Coolidge has as much right to an ‘Age of Coolidge’ as Louis XIV or Elizabeth I had to theirs.
It was not mere coincidence that the same age which produced Doug Fairbanks and Mary Pickford also elevated the savvy Mr. Coolidge to the Presidency. Coolidge, like another “accidental President” after him, Harry Truman, remains a quintessential representative of “MainStreet” America. This is why attacking his legacy cannot be separated from also vilifying his America. His rise to the heights of leadership was not proof of some embarrassing flaw in America’s psyche. Coolidge is not some out-of-touch, incompetent or ineffective leader but demonstrates that the world’s small things and “little people” can still humble “the wise,” overcome “the strong,” and make history.
803 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2024
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September 22, 2024
When I was an undergraduate I had a political science professor who denigrated the administrations of both Harding (where he said the "only good thing which Harding did for the country was die") and to a lesser extent Coolidge. But in the time when the Schlesinger's (Father and Son) very partisan interpretation of history of that period (both seemed to want to lionize FDR) there have been some new interpretations of the period and its leaders.
This book contains a series of essays as well as some original documents which present an interesting set of things about the 30th President. Real income for all Americans went up during his administration AND the national debt was reduced after WWI costs and the increases caused by the Wilson administration.
In the epilogue the author takes on the needs of historians to not be the partisans that many current historians are. I enjoyed this book but as you can see it took me a long time to get through it (2 months) because I preferred to read a couple of chapters at a time. There is a ton of good stuff in it and as a fan of Coolidge - this book was a wonderful addition to my library and to my thinking about Coolidge.
This book contains a series of essays as well as some original documents which present an interesting set of things about the 30th President. Real income for all Americans went up during his administration AND the national debt was reduced after WWI costs and the increases caused by the Wilson administration.
In the epilogue the author takes on the needs of historians to not be the partisans that many current historians are. I enjoyed this book but as you can see it took me a long time to get through it (2 months) because I preferred to read a couple of chapters at a time. There is a ton of good stuff in it and as a fan of Coolidge - this book was a wonderful addition to my library and to my thinking about Coolidge.
Displaying 1 of 1 review