Calvin Coolidge: The American Presidents Series: The 30th President, 1923-1929The austere president who presided over the Roaring Twenties and whose conservatism masked an innovative approach to national leadership He was known as "Silent Cal." Buttoned up and tight-lipped, Calvin Coolidge seemed out of place as the leader of a nation plunging headlong into the modern era. His six years in office were a time of flappers, speakeasies, and a stock market boom, but his focus was on cutting taxes, balancing the federal budget, and promoting corporate productivity. "The chief business of the American people is business," he famously said. But there is more to Coolidge than the stern capitalist scold. He was the progenitor of a conservatism that would flourish later in the century and a true innovator in the use of public relations and media. Coolidge worked with the top PR men of his day and seized on the rising technologies of newsreels and radio to bring the presidency into the lives of ordinary Americans—a path that led directly to FDR's "fireside chats" and the expert use of television by Kennedy and Reagan. At a time of great upheaval, Coolidge embodied the ambivalence that many of his countrymen felt. America kept "cool with Coolidge," and he returned the favor. |
What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - HistReader - LibraryThingAs a biography, this was easy to read and seems complete (this is my first biography of Calvin Coolidge). One thing that struck me was that I got the sense Mr. Greenberg was tamping or doing his best ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - xieouyang - LibraryThingThis is a rather straightforward biography of our 30th President. The author does not seem to be very enthusiastic about his subject or his policies. The book is a reasonable introduction to the presidential term of Calvin Coolidge however. Read full review
Other editions - View all
Calvin Coolidge: The American Presidents Series: The 30th President, 1923-1929 David Greenberg No preview available - 2007 |