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Cory French __ Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) __


 * Political Party:** Republican
 * Terms:** 1929-1933
 * Vice President:** Charles Curtis


 * Theme: American Identity **

Within months after the beginning of Hoover’s Presidency, a major disaster in America began with the start of the world’s Great Depression, the worst and most wide spread economic trouble in history. To the world of the 1930’s, the depression could not have come at a worse time since the Great War had ended only a decade before and many nations were still recovering and rebuilding from the damage. Although mostly unaffected by the war, the depression hit Americans hard as many war debts were not repaid by the Europeans and banks were forced to close. As many Americans joined unemployment lines and begged for food and shelter, it was evident that the Great Depression would leave scars for decades. Beginning during Hoover’s term, the depression grew the people’s distrust in banks as failures caused many individuals to lose their entire life’s savings. The damage from the Great Depression would stay with America until the early 1940’s. Many were forced to live in the slums and shelters hastily erected to combat the weather and elements that faced the now poverty stricken people of America. The Great Depression, although creating a national sense of dread and despair, joined together many people as families lived in multigenerational homes, worked together with neighbors to survive, and saw the suffering of their fellow people. Although it was one of the hardest times in American history, the Great Depression helped unite Americans strongly as a society and as fellow Americans. Having been a fighter for prosperity, Hoover was doomed with the Great Depression weighing him down and harming his presidency

Before the Twentieth Amendment, President-elects had to wait four months before taking office during which time the nation could change drastically or a major event could occur which requires dedicated attention for a new mind. While Hoover was President, Congress passed the 20th Amendment to prevent problems like those during Lincoln’s time when the nation fought segregation while an incapable President remained in office for four months longer than necessary. By taking the transition time down two months, Congress changed the nation and people’s view of the President. Although it is only two months, the change allowed for quicker removal of unfavorable presidents at the end of their terms and gave Americans less to worry about with Presidents at the end of their times who may not put 100% into the job. The office of the President was thereby strengthened for incoming Presidents who now went into office quicker and with a smaller chance of major occurrences happening during the time in between.


 * Presidential Grading **

Throughout his Presidency, Herbert Hoover was a prosperity seeking leader who was faced with some of the hardest challenges in American history, mainly the Great Depression, holding him back. Because the nation was in a state of despair with the Great Depression, bank/ business failures, and mass unemployment, the country needed a strong and capable leader, which they found in President Hoover, but even as wise and foresighted Hoover was he could not fight against the strength and power of the Great Depression. Although he failed to stop the Great Depression and other problems of the early 1930’s, he did slow the nations decent into disparity and went down fighting earning him a B-.

In his inaugural address, Hoover stated that the nation was in a time of prosperity and good will following the reconstruction after the Great War but there were also many problems facing the nation. The largest of which was the Judiciary System of government and increase in criminal activity throughout the nation. Although President Hoover attempted to reorganize the justice system, the losing battle of the Great Depression impeded his progresses by increasing the amount of crime, namely theft and embezzlement, as Americans attempted to survive in the rough times of history. He also aimed to prevent government interference in society by asking for Americans to volunteer and take active roles in the economy and public issues facing the nation. However, as Americans were forced to fend for themselves during the Great Depression, many could not volunteer and take the roles to fight the problem that was plaguing them, even as others took up volunteer work to help those in need. Hoover did succeed in the sense that he refused government assistance to the poor fearing that the dependence on the government would harm the American people more than help. This gave him the image of an uncaring leader and would later lead to his loss in the election but at least he stuck to his morals and beliefs. After the fighting of the Great War, he spoke of how the world was at peace and should stay that way as the losses experienced from the war were still felt in many homes around the world. Although the economic crisis affected the world and prevented much fighting among the countries, it was not long after the end of Hoover’s Presidency that the world experience World War II, but considering how hindered the Great Depression left the President, there is not much he could have done to protect the fragile “world peace” he wanted to protect.

Since Hoover was against government interference in American society and more often promoted self-help for the citizens, he was not overtly loved in Congress where he opposed many bills and requests to send federal aid to relieve the American people. For the first half President Hoover’s term, there was a Republican majority in Congress, but as the Great Depression worsened, the majority decreased in the Senate and was lost in the House as the two parties held equal number of seats at 217 apiece. After Hoover’s Presidency, the Democrats would take the majority in both Houses of Congress due to Americans distrust in the Republican’s leadership and administration. Originally seen as the harbinger of prosperity for the nation, President Hoover was able to pass several important acts including the Agriculture Marketing Act, to help the farm industry, and the Davis-Bacon Act with the Republican majority in Congress. However, as his refusal towards federal aid stayed adamant and his party began to lose trust in him, Hoover was seen as the cause of the Great Depression even though he had fought against speculation and the causes of the depression. If Hoover had agreed to federal aid, he may have kept the support and favor of Congress and the American people, but he stuck to his ideals and saw the danger of American dependence on federal aid.

The most positive action of Hoover’s Administration was his refusal to supply federal aid to “fix” the Great Depression. Although he was seen as an evil and harmful leader for fighting aid, President Hoover understood the harm that could be caused by federal aid and the debt it would incur on the nation. He believed that Americans had to work and fight with the assistance, not guidance, of the government to better the economic situation. If he had resorted to federal aid as many Congressmen wanted, the nation could have slipped even further into a depression boosted by the failure of the government on top of the bank failures. Hoover did not want to incur additional debt onto a nation already in the throes of an international economic disaster and aimed to promote Americans to aid themselves through community and hard work. Seeing as the Great Depression was a lose-lose situation for President Hoover since no matter what he did the nation would progress furtherer into despair and he would be to blame, it is evident that he did the only logical thing to do and attempted to slow down and not accelerate America’s fall into the Great Depression.

President Hoover’s decision to put the burden of care for the suffering Americans on local governments and the volunteerism of American citizens can also be seen as the worst action of his Presidency since it allowed the Great Depression to worsen and cost him his reelection. His actions made many view him as a callous and cruel leader who allowed many to suffer without acting. The Great Depression was the hardest economic challenge any President had faced in American history, and although his inaction fit his ideals and stop the depression from worsening quicker, Hoover did not face the Great Depression and fight to end it. There may have been a solution to the problem if Hoover had acted and worked towards it instead of waiting and seeing what would happen. Giving encouragement and promoting self-help was not all he could have done, yet he would not allow the federal government to get involved in the “local” affairs of the suffering Americans. If he had actually tried to find a solution and allowed for federal aid, he may have failed or succeed, but either way, he would have at least been appreciated for trying. At times as dire as the Great Depression, inaction is a choice for a President, and the one that Hoover made, but the other option is to act and, for a morale low nation, that is the better solution because it gives Americans hope and belief in a better tomorrow through good leadership.

Even though President Hoover may have failed as a leader because of the Great Depression, he left one very important lasting effect on the office of the President. With the passage of the Twentieth Amendment, Hoover’s administration changed the status of the President by changing the amount of time between two Presidents and having a plan in place for any disasters that may befall the President or President-elect at any time. It also strengthened the powers of Congress by allowing them to make laws in the cases where the Electoral College could not elect a president and an individual is needed. By having this power, the checks and balances against the executive branch by the legislative branch were strengthened, and the office of the President could be kept in line during the period between Presidents.

As opposed to the views of American citizens of the 1930’s, President Herbert Hoover was a thoughtful, intelligent, and economic savvy president who was faced with an impossible situation with the Great Depression that would have ended the career of any president. Even with the despair caused by the problems of the 1930’s, Hoover continued to use his wits and ideals to lead the nation and tried his hardest to combat the depression and help the American people, earning him the grade of a B- for his efforts in continuing the prosperity of the nation.

Works Cited

"American President: Herbert Clark Hoover." //Miller Center//. University of Virginia. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <[]>.

"Herbert Hoover." //The White House//. United States Goverment. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <[]>.

"Herbert Hoover." //United States American History//. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <[]>.