Presidents of the 1920sAn Age of Republican Dominance

…And a legacy

President Herbert Hoover (Republican)Years in Office: 1929-1933

1. From the end of WWI until the dawn of the Great Depression in 1929, in what years did the U.S. have presidential elections?

• 1920• 1924• 1928

Warren G. Harding (Republican)Years in office: 1921-1923

Calvin Coolidge (Republican)Years in office: 1923-1929

2. Who won the Presidential election of 1920?• Warren G. Harding, a Republican from Ohio

3. During the 1920 campaign, what did Harding promise to bring back to America, in the wake of the Woodrow Wilson (a Democrat) years?• “Normalcy”

4. Generally speaking, the election of Republican Warren G. Harding signaled something of an end of what historical era in American government?• The Progressive Era

5. But did Warren G. Harding snuff out Progressivism forever?• No• The reforms of the Progressive Era stayed intact, for the most

part• But the election of Harding did inaugurate a period in which

progressive reforms were slowed down

6. What happened to Warren G. Harding in 1923?• He died of a heart attack

7. Thus, who became the new President of the United States in 1923?• Calvin Coolidge, the Vice President under

President Harding• Calvin Coolidge was from Vermont

8. Who won the Presidential election of 1924?• President Calvin Coolidge (Republican)

9. Thus how long did Calvin Coolidge serve as President of the United States?• He from August 2, 1923 to March 4, 1929• In short, due to finishing out Warren G.

Harding’s term, Coolidge served as president for over 5 years

10. Who did the Republican Party nominate as its candidate for President in 1928?• Herbert Hoover of Iowa• Hoover was the first U.S. President born west of

the Mississippi River• Hoover was born in 1874 and died in 1964 at

the age of 90• In terms of religion, Herbert Hoover was a

Quaker

11. In 1928, who did the Democratic Party nominate as its candidate for president?• Al Smith of New York• Al Smith was elected multiple times as the

governor of New York

12. Of what religion was Al Smith?• Roman Catholic

Al Smith (on the right) golfing with baseball great, Babe Ruth

13. What was significant about Al Smith’s religious identity?• Smith was the first Roman Catholic to receive

the presidential nomination from either of the two major political parties, i.e. the Democratic Party and/or the Republican Party

14. Since Al Smith in 1928, what other two Catholic Democrats have won the presidential nomination?• John F. Kennedy in 1960 (He won the

presidency)• John F. Kerry in 2004 (He did not win the

presidency)

15. How many Catholic Republicans have ever won the presidential nomination of the Republican Party?• None• To this day, no Catholic has ever been the

Republican nominee for the presidency• In 2012, Catholics Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich

both tried to win the Republican nomination, but as of May 2012, it seems quite evident that they will fail

16. Have any Catholics ever served as Vice President of the United States?• Yes• Vice President of Joe Biden of Delaware

became V.P. under President Barack Obama in January 2009

17. Who won the Presidential election of 1928?• Herbert Hoover, the Republican

18. What was a particularly interesting aspect of Hoover’s state-by-state electoral victory in 1928?• He carried several Southern states, a feat that was rare

given that the Republican Party had been seen by most white Southerners as the party that had invaded the South during the Civil War.

• Hoover won 5 former Confederate states: Texas, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia

1928: Herbert Hoover and the Slow Rise of the Republican Party in the South

In a sense, the presidential election of 1928 began a slow process of party re-alignment in the South. From 1928 on, the Republican Party slowly became an increasingly conservative party with increasing appeal in the conservative South. Conversely, the Democratic Party evolved in a more liberal direction, and by the mid-1960s, the once solid Democratic South was a concept that was all but dead.

19. After the American Civil War and Reconstruction, in presidential elections (1880-1924), the former Confederate States had been what for the Democratic Party, for the most part?• “The Solid South”• That is, white Southerners were unwilling to vote

Republican, the party of Lincoln (the conqueror of the South)

• The former Confederate states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina

20. In 1928, why did Herbert Hoover make inroads into the former Confederacy?• In all likelihood, it was because of the Al Smith’s Roman

Catholic faith and identity• The South was staunchly anti-Catholic, and rather

supportive of Prohibition (the banning of alcohol)• Al Smith was believed by many to be an un-American

alcohol drinker with an un-American Catholic faith• In short, anti-Catholic bigotry likely helped the Republican

candidate make inroads into the former Confederacy.

Did the Republicans Conquer Dixie, or did Dixie Conquer the Republicans?

J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina

Thurmond was a Democrat who became a “Dixiecrat” in 1948, and led a Southern Revolt against the Democratic Party. In 1964, after Democratic President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, Senator Strom Thurmond became a Republican. Thurmond continued to serve and died in 2003.

21. In time, what became of the so-called Solid South?• From 1928 to 1968, during Presidential elections,

the South moved away from the Democratic Party, largely for reasons related to race

• In short, as the Democratic Party became more liberal (i.e. supportive of Civil Rights for African Americans), the South became less Democratic, and ultimately, more Republican…but it did not happen overnight.

22. From 1928 to 1948, in what presidential elections did white Southern voters move away from the Democratic Party in significant numbers?• 1928…The Republicans carried 5 Southern States• 1948…Strom Thurmond and States’ Rights

Conservatives (a White Supremacist party) broke from the Democratic Party and carried Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina

23. In 1952 and 1956, two elections won by Republican Dwight Eisenhower, how did the Republicans do in the South?• In 1952, the Republicans won Tennessee,

Texas, North Carolina, and Florida (4 States of the former Confederacy)

• In 1956, the Republicans won Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana (5 States of the former Confederacy)

1964: In a landslide loss, conservative Republican Barry Goldwater won five

Deep South states

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 did much to remove white Southern voters from the Democratic camp. In the Presidential election of 1964, Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, an opponent of the civil rights bill, lost 44 states. But he won 5 states in the Deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina). In short, as the Republican Party became more conservative, the South became more Republican.

Segregationist Alabama Governor George C. Wallace

In 1962 George C. Wallace of Alabama ran for governor on a staunch platform of racial segregation. In 1963, he “stood in the schoolhouse door” at the University of Alabama in defense of racial segregation. In 1964, Wallace made a minor run for president as a Democrat, but as an opponent to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party In 1968, however, Wallace ran for President as an independent and carried five southern states. Nixon carried five other southern states. In short, Wallace did much break away white southern voters from the Democratic Party.

Richard Nixon and the Southern Strategy

In 1968, Richard Nixon campaigned on a platform of “law and order,” a message tailored, in part, to disaffected Southern whites. The strategy paid off in both 1968 and 1972, and Nixon enjoyed great popularity in Dixie until nearly the end of his presidency in 1974.

24. In 1960, 1964, and 1968 presidential elections, what became of the so-called Solid South?• In 1960, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia went Republican while

Mississippi went to an unofficial candidate as a protest vote. Alabama did something similar…but it’s complicated

• In 1964, the conservative Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater, won only 6 states total…but 5 of his wins were in the Deep South, those being Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina

• In 1968, the Democrats only carried one former Confederate state, that being Texas. Republican Richard Nixon carried Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Independent George Wallace of Alabama carried Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi

25. In 1972, Republican President Richard Nixon carried how many of the eleven former Confederate States?• Nixon carried all eleven in 1972• The Solid South for the Democratic Party was dead

26. Beginning in 1972 has Dixie been a Solid South for the Republican Party?• Yes…for the most part…with a few exceptions• But in general, the former Confederate States of America belonged to the

Republican Party by the early 21st century.• In 2000 and 2004, Republican George W. Bush of Texas won every former

Confederate state each time he ran.• In 2008, Republican John McCain carried every former Confederate State

except Virginia and North Carolina