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Warren Harding (b November 2, 1865, d August 2, 1923) was an Ohio Senator and the 29th President of the [[United States of America]]. His presidency, although recently maligned in the [[mainstream media]], helped transition the nation from a war to a peacetime posture. Mr. Harding and his running mate Calvin Coolidge were elected by a large majority over James Cox and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], in a large part because of the American people's rejection of the internationalist policies of former President Woodrow Wilson, particularly the League of Nations. <ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb037b09&templatename=/article/article.html</ref>
Warren Harding (b November 2, 1865, d August 2, 1923) was an Ohio Senator and the 29th President of the [[United States of America]]. After the [[First World War]], his presidency was marked as a "return to normalcy". Mr. Harding and his running mate Calvin Coolidge were elected by a large majority over James Cox and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], in large part because of the American people's rejection of the internationalist policies of former President Woodrow Wilson, particularly the League of Nations. <ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb037b09&templatename=/article/article.html</ref>
== Key Accomplishments ==
== Key Accomplishments ==
=== Immigration Control ===
=== Immigration Control ===
Mr. Harding signed into law the [[Emergency Quota Act]]<ref>http://tucnak.fsv.cuni.cz/~calda/Documents/1920s/QuotaAct1918.html</ref> which sought to control runaway immigration following [[World War I]] and preserve the distinctive American culture by ensuring the majority of immigrants came from the historically compatible cultures of Northern Europe. This law aimed to bring wages of hard working Americans under control by limiting immigration to 3% of the 1910 census. It was so successful that it was followed on by a similar act in 1924, after Mr. Harding's death.<ref>http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/hodgson/Courses/so11/Race/quota_acts.htm</ref>
Mr. Harding signed into law the [[Emergency Quota Act]]<ref>http://tucnak.fsv.cuni.cz/~calda/Documents/1920s/QuotaAct1918.html</ref> which sought to control immigration following World War I and preserve the distinctive American culture by ensuring the majority of immigrants came from the historically compatible cultures of Northern Europe. This law aimed to bring wages of hard working Americans under control by limiting immigration to 3% of the 1910 census. It was followed on by a similar act in 1924, after Mr. Harding's death.<ref>http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/hodgson/Courses/so11/Race/quota_acts.htm</ref>
=== Tulsa Race Riot ===
=== Tulsa Race Riot ===
=== Justice ===
=== Justice ===
Harding pardoned the [[socialist]] Eugene Debs who was wrongly imprisoned during World War I for opposing the war. Despite their political differences, Harding was cordial to him and met with him in the White House, "I have heard so damned much about you, Mr Debs, that I am very glad to meet you personally."<ref>http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/vodebs.htm</ref>
Harding pardoned the [[socialist]] Eugene Debs who was imprisoned during World War I for opposing the war. Despite their political differences, Harding was cordial to him and met with him in the White House, "I have heard so damned much about you, Mr Debs, that I am very glad to meet you personally."<ref>http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/vodebs.htm</ref>
Harding defined the Supreme Court for two decades, appointing four solidly [[conservative]] justices. Harding's appointments included former President [[William Howard Taft]] to be Chief Justice (1921), [[George Sutherland]] (1922), [[Pierce Butler]] (1923) and [[Edward Terry Sanford]] (1923). Two of these justices (Taft and Sanford) served until 1930. The other two (Sutherland and Butler) served until the late 1930s and stood up to the [[liberal]] policies of President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]].
Harding defined the Supreme Court for two decades, appointing four solidly [[conservative]] justices. Harding's appointments included former President [[William Howard Taft]] to be Chief Justice (1921), [[George Sutherland]] (1922), [[Pierce Butler]] (1923) and [[Edward Terry Sanford]] (1923). Two of these justices (Taft and Sanford) served until 1930. The other two (Sutherland and Butler) served until the late 1930s during the [[New Deal]] of President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]. Sutherland and Butler were the core of the conservative [[Four Horsemen]] who invalidated key aspects of the New Deal and was counter by President Roosevelt with his [[court-packing scheme]], and was wifely criticized.
In selecting Pierce for the bench, Harding broke with tradition by picking a conservative Democrat even though Harding was a Republican.
In selecting Pierce, Harding broke with tradition by picking a conservative Democrat even though Harding was a Republican.
=== Fiscal ===
=== Fiscal ===
The Bureau of the Budget was created during Harding's tenure. Harding attempted to restrain the federal budget and reduce esxpenses on wartime armaments. This stimulated the privatge economy and lead to a period of prosperity experienced in the United States during the 1920s known as the ''Roaring 20s''. Shortly after taking office, Harding also successfully passed promotion of US Agriculture, repeal of the wartime "excess profits" tax and reduction of rail rates.<ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0193620-00</ref> Due in part to Mr. Harding's conservative economic policies, the US experienced a period of profound economic growth in the early 1920s that continued through most of the decade.
=== Military ===
=== Military ===
Harding presided over modernization of the U.S. forces including the addition of the experimental aircraft carrier Langley and the T-2 submarine, as well as the creation of a merchant marine which was critical in early US involvement in WWII via the [[Lend-Lease Act]].<ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0193620-00</ref>
=== Diplomatic ===
=== Diplomatic ===
Supported by his conservative colleagues in congress as well as the American people, Harding succeeded at continuing to keep the United States out of the League of Nations. <ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb037b09&templatename=/article/article.html</ref>
Supported by his conservative colleagues in congress as well as the American people, Harding succeeded at continuing to keep the United States out of the League of Nations. <ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb037b09&templatename=/article/article.html</ref>
=== Labor issues ===
=== Labor interests ===
Mr. Harding's administration helped bring about the 40-hour work week which restricted the economic output of the US and restricted small, medium and large businesses alike.
Mr. Harding's administration helped bring about the 40-hour work week which restricted the economic output of the US and restricted small, medium and large businesses alike.
=== Teapot Dome incident ===
=== Teapot Dome incident ===
Mr. Harding, in a quest to help re-privatize land taken from the American people and industry by their own government, appointed Senator Albert B. Fall of New Mexico as his Secretary of the Interior. While Falls efforts to open reserves for private exploration are commendable, he misappropriated this effort for his own gain in an abuse of the public trust. In revenge, Democrats in congress, lead by Senator [[Thomas J. Walsh]] and Republican Senator [[Robert M. LaFollette]] (a former progressive), began an investigation with the support of the [[conservationist]] interests that backed them. They found that Fall had used his privatization efforts to benefit himself to the tune of over $400,000. Mr. Fall also had entangled other businessmen and politicians into his wrongdoing which lead to other indictments of both Democrats and Republicans and continued into the Coolidge administration. While Mr. Harding did not know about these dealings until shortly before his death, he was indirectly at fault as it was his appointee behind them. In later years the petroleum reserves would prove to be less valuable than initially overestimated by the government. <ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0380900-00</ref>
Mr. Harding, in a quest to help re-privatize land taken from the American people and industry by their own government, appointed Senator Albert B. Fall of New Mexico as his Secretary of the Interior. Falls misappropriated this effort for his own gain in an abuse of the public trust. Democrats in congress, lead by Senator [[Thomas J. Walsh]] and Republican Senator [[Robert M. LaFollette]] (a former progressive), began an investigation with the support of the [[conservationist]] interests that backed them. They found that Fall had used his privatization efforts to benefit himself to the tune of over $400,000. Mr. Fall also had entangled other businessmen and politicians into his wrongdoing which lead to other indictments of both Democrats and Republicans and continued into the Coolidge administration. Mr. Harding did not know about these dealings until shortly before his death. In later years the petroleum reserves would prove to be less valuable than initially overestimated by the government. <ref>http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0380900-00</ref>
== Death ==
== Death ==
== Assault in the MSM ==
== Assault in the MSM ==
Recently liberals have maligned Harding so far as to cast him as being one of the worst U.S. Presidents. They point to a dubious assortment of allegations as to the president's respect for his marriage. They go so far as to blame him for setting into place policies that helped bring about the [[Great Depression]] despite Mr Harding's death nearly 7 years before its start. A number have suggested that he was a "do nothing" president and overlook his accomplishments. Much of this is due to a liberal bias that government should do more which opposes Mr. Harding's conservative Republican beliefs that there should be less government in business and more business in government.
Recently liberals have maligned Harding so far as to cast him as being one of the worst U.S. Presidents. They point to a dubious assortment of allegations as to the president's respect for his marriage. They go so far as to blame him for setting into place policies that helped bring about the [[Great Depression]]. A number have suggested that he was a "do nothing" president.
==References==
==References==