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Evan McDaniel

Herbert Hoover (1874-1964)

Terms of Presidency: 1929- 1933

Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Charles Curtis

Theme:

Hooverball was a combination of volleyball and tennis that President Hoover played every morning during his presidency. The Roaring 20’s was the golden age for sports and Americans thrived on baseball. Horse racing also became a big hit during this era. It was becoming an important part of the American culture. His playing reflected and even influenced the sports. In the culture before sports had never been important to Americans but after WWI sports were booming and Hoover helped develop this along.

The people of the U.S. were started to think in modern ways and technology was increasing rapidly. It was being a part of the everyday life with inventions like the radio and the automobile. The Hoover Dam was ahead of its time in helping produce electricity and prevent floods. Things such as the ecological effect were overlooked, something common at this time. The U.S. was not an eco friendly culture of the time, and this shows. Other things such as sports were more important the American. Hoover backed up that the U.S. culture of the time was sports crazy and not eco friendly.

Grading:

Throughout the presidency of Herbert Hoover, much good such as his policies which brought his modern, progressive ideas in to the country helped propel the U.S. in to the future and forget the tough past and WWI. Much bad was also a result of the presidency, most notable The Great Depression which fell upon the country after the crash in 1929 left the country’s economy in pieces. This gives Hoover a rating of C-.

In his inaugural address given in 1929, Hoover expresses the low toleration for crime that he will have. He solved this many ways, despite it being a depression which is not an easy task for anyone. He shot down big Gangsters such as Al Capone, getting them with tax evasion. This showed that he meant business and he really cracked down by starting the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This let the federal prison system expand and improve by a great matter. Also wanted was an improvement in the education system which Hoover thought was mostly up to local governments but also thought that it needed some federal aid. He proposed a Depart of Education which was too progressive for congress and was not enacted for 50 more years. Hoover mentioned many other items such as prohibition but never majorly enacted upon them, bring his rating down.

At the time, both the house and the senate both had republican majorities which would have went well for a smooth relationship with republican Hoover. This allowed for many acts to be passed and for much more work to be completed than previous presidents. The Agriculture Marketing Act, Reapportionment Act of 1929 and the Davis-Bacon Act were all successes of the 71st Congress. The 72nd in the second half of his presidency had a House majority of Democrats. Despite that, many bills were passed such as the Revenue act of 1932 and the Norris-LaGuardia Act. The relation with congress was smooth and that had shown throughout his entire presidency.

The IRS or Internal Revenue Service was created by the Department of the Treasury and was responsible for collecting the taxes of Americans. This department was by far the most successful for that reason. The IRS not only collected the taxes for the federal government, it also became an enforcer of law. The gangsters, evolving from the booze trade control caused by prohibition were making millions and no taxes were being paid. The Department of the Treasury made sure to stop this and put an end to the tax evasion of gangsters. The least successful department would have been The Department of Commerce. This is simply because of The Great Depression. The department could have done a better job of getting the country out of the economic hole it was in. Trade with other countries could have been handled differently and the stock market could have been regulated by the government better. That is why it was most unsuccessful.

Being a brave man who would stick to what he thought was right was not easy for Hoover during 1932 in the midst if the depression. He was strong willed and it was shown in the Revenue Act of 1932, raising income taxes to 63%. That an extremely high and insane number but it was what needed to be done during the depression. Some might argue it was radical and not needed but it was nearly the opposite. One of the main reasons for him running again were to avoid a republican candidate from resorting to radical measures to get out of the depression. The act was needed and only a strong president would propose and carryout such a bill. This helped the market regain strength and brought back prosperity to millions of Americans for years to come.

In the year 1933 the economy was in the pits and the country was looking as if it would never regain strength. It had reached its bottom the winter of 1933 and Hoover was not reelected. The country was better off before he was president than after but that does not mean it was his fault. No single man could stop such a devastating thing from happening and this did not reflect how he ruled then. He was strong and made an honest effort to get the country back on track. This is why he got a C- rather something lower or higher. He was good president but the circumstances of the time made him look bad, despite him being a powerful honest man.

Sources:

1936, all the main economic indicators had regained the levels of the late 1920s, except for unemployment, which remained high. In 1937, the American economy unexpectedly fell, lasting through most of 1938. Production declined sharply, and as did profits. "Great Depression in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. < [|__http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Dep__]

"Herbert Hoover | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <[]

"Herbert Hoover: Inaugural Address.." //The American Presidency Project//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. < [|__http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=21804#axzz1fKKJkEbb__] >.

"Wall Street Crash of 1929 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. < [|__http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_stock_market_crash__] >.