Sworn in after the death of President Harding by the light of a kerosene lamp, the 30th President of the United States led the country through 6 years of the prosperous roaring 1920s.Coolidge polled more than 54% of the popular vote in 1924, so what was so good about 'silent Cal'? To find out, Don is joined by Amity Shlaes, author of 'Coolidge' and 'The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression'.Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey at https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK.All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3 Media.American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.
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The year is 1924, and it's quite the holiday season here at the newly renovated Macy's Department Store in New York City. After completing a vast expansion of more than 1.5 million square feet, Macy's is now officially the largest store in the world, with some 20 wooden escalators carrying customers to 148 departments, selling nearly everything a retailer can possibly offer.
To usher in the season and to celebrate the transformation, Macy's staged the first of its famous Thanksgiving Day parades, complete with Santa Claus ushering in the season. From fine watches to vacuum cleaners, newfangled washing machines and refrigerators to women's apparel, beauty goods and travel needs, never mind hardware and children's toys.
Macy's
It is American History Hit, and I am Don Wildman. And it's time for another in our ever-lengthening series on the American presidents. We've even elected a new one since we recorded our last. Today, the story behind our 30th chief executive, Silent Cal, Calvin Coolidge. Born in the Green Mountains of Vermont on July 4th, 1872. Talk about destiny. He's the only U.S.
president hatched on Independence Day. Automatic annual birthday parade. Not bad. John Calvin Coolidge, Calvin being his middle name, served two terms in the White House from 1923 to 1929. As Warren G. Harding's vice president when that poor man perished from a heart attack, he was next in line. Have a listen to episode 228 for extra credit.
Coolidge's entire presidency rode on the wave of the economic prosperity we know today as the Roaring Twenties. Rode it right into the year 1929 when it crashed onto the rocks of the Great Depression. For many conservatives, even today, Coolidge is a model president. Ronald Reagan considered him a hero, hung his portrait in the Oval Office.
Coolidge pursued a small government, low-tax, pro-business agenda. Straightforward stuff there. But it's his personal leadership style that needs an update. He gets a bad rap as a dour and dry guy, even that he was directly responsible for teeing up the Depression. But read a few things on the man, and that seems to ring less true.
So let's find out about who the real Calvin Coolidge was and what he did leading the nation with Amity Shlaes, a former reporter and editor with The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, now chair of the board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. an author of a Coolidge biography and other bestselling history books, including The Forgotten Man, A New History of the Great Depression.
Hello, Amity. Nice to meet you.
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