CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS OVER REPUBLICAN CONTROL & MIXED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DURING THE 1920S
1. If you would have voted during the 1920 presidential election, which candidate would you have voted for & explain your choice?
2. After reading the "Business Doctrine" what doctrines did Republicans believe in during the 1920s that were different from the Progressive
Doctrines of the pre-WWI years.
3. After reading "A few good choices" what do you think caused President Harding to pick some of his cabinet positions and Chief Justice?
4.If you would have been President Harding would you have taken the same action that he did in regards to Eugene Debs. Explain your decision.
5. After reading "Domestic Policy" what do you think caused President Harding to enact is reduction in the income tax & an increase in tariffs?
6-7. If you would have been President Harding how would you have handled two of the scandals that occurred on his watch: Explain your
actions.
- Teapot Dome Scandal involving Sec. of Interior Albert Fall
- Attorney General Daugherty
8. What do you think caused Calvin Coolidge's popularity when he had been the governor of Massachusetts & explain why you would or would
not have supported what he had done as Governor during the Boston Police Strike?
9. After reading about the Presidency of Calvin Coolidge, do you agree with his key phrases that he was known to have said regarding silence
and the business of America? Why or Why Not?
10. After reading the section over the 1924 election, why do you think President Coolidge won reelection rather easily?
11-14. After examining Coolidge's record after he was reelected, what would you have done on the following issues compared to Coolidge:
- Limited Government & Letting business conduct its own affairs
- Cutting spending to the bone
- No bonuses for WWI veterans
- Vetoing a bill to help farmers cope with falling prices (McNary-Haugen Bill)
15-17. After reading the section over the 1928 election, answer the following:
- Why do you think Republicans thought Herbert Hoover was the best choice for president?
- Why do you think Protestants were prejudiced against the Democratic Candidate (Alfred Smith) & what made him popular in Northern cities?
- What factors in the end do you think made the biggest difference in the Republican winning the 1928 election?
18-19. After reading the section "Mixed Economic Development" comment on the following:
- What evidence would you give that the economy did fine during the 1920s?
- What evidence would you give that prosperity was not experienced by everyone during the 1920s?
20. Rank which factors you think caused business prosperity to go up the most during the 1920s…and explain your ranking.
(Increased Productivity, Energy Technologies, Government Policy)
21. If you would have been a farmer during the 1920s, which problems would have been the biggest obstacles in your opinion?
22. After reading "Labor Problems", list five problems that organized labor experienced during the 1920s.