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=__ Herbert Hoover __=

__**Vice President**__: Charles Curtis

 * __Thesis__**: Herbert Hoover was the 31st president of the United States. Although he had some experience in the government before his presidency, none of it prepared him for what he was about to face. The country found itself in a depression and although it was not exactly his fault, Hoover failed at helping the country recover. Because at the end of his presidency the country was worse off, I think Hoover deserves the grade of a "C-." This is seen by the use of armed forces against veterans of WW I and the great depression.

__**Goals**__: There were two main subjects that were important to Hoover when he first stepped into office. Those were improving the agricultural economy and reforming the tariff. To help farmers with surplus, he created the Federal Farm Board. This was supposed to loan money to farmers and hope that it would control productions. Over time the board was abolished because it was insufficient to handle the problem. Hoover was not a supporter of high tariffs but he thought that the farmers deserved some kind of protection. The House approved of a tariff on just agricultural products but the Senate also passed a bill to to raise the rates on industry as well.

__**Relationship with Congress**__: There was always a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. This was a positive for Hoover because he was also a Republican. One plan that Hoover and part of congress did agree on was the idea of sales tax. The Revenue Act of 1932 however, was passed without sales tax because of the opposition of progressive republicans and liberal democrats. Although you would believe Hoover would sign bills made by his fellow party members, he used his veto power 37 times. One of these was used over the Bonus Bill. This bill would give the WW I veterans the right to borrow half of their bonus money that they were going to get in 1945. It was passed over Hoover's veto. Another bill Hoover vetoed was a bill that related to unemployment. It would have set up unemployment agencies at the state level.

__**Positive** **Outcomes**__: During the beginning of his presidency, Herbert Hoover showed his love for the American people in many different ways. One of the first positive acts that he did was improve conditions for Native Americans. Hoover talked to the Department of Interior and persuaded them to make things better. Then, he helped the people of California have a source of power. This was done by passing the Boulder Canyon Project Act which created the later named Hoover Dam. A final positive from the early months of Hoover's presidency was his care about conservation. Nearly two million acres of federal land was added to the national forest reserve because of Hoover's appointment of Horace Albright to the National Park Service. These 3 decisions made by Hoover were extremely positive because they all helped the American people in one way or another.

__**Negative Outcomes**__: Hoover's decision with the most negative outcome had to do with veterans of WW I. They came to Washington to lobby for the bonus' that were promised to them by Calvin Coolidge. Congress voted down the Bonus Bill but the veterans and their families did not leave. They pitched tents and made their own bonus camp. Hoover ordered that these people be removed and the cavalry and infantry were called in, tear gas and bayonets and all. In short, a few people were hurt as they were forced out of their makeshift homes which were then burned. This insensitive treatment to war veterans and their families during a depression was not taken lightly by Americans. They felt that Hoover was heartless towards victims of the depression during their time of need. This had a negative outcome because he did not need any more dislike from the American people.

__**Influences**__: The Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression had the most influence on the American people and the future presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The unemployment rate for the United States skyrocketed and more and more Americans were loosing everything. A lot of Roosevelt's time was also dedicated to having to figure out New Deal policies to bring the country out of depression. One of Hoover's main decisions that brought the depression was the Hawley-Smoot Tariff. This replaced the Emergency Tariff Act of 1921 and the Fordney- McCumber Act of 1922 and raised the general duties to 42%. Hoover hoped that by adding tariffs, he would be protecting the farmers from foreign competition. But in reality, he was hindering the trade between countries which made it harder for the United States to recover. Another cause of the depression was a surplus of crops. Hoover tried to control them by creating the Federal Farm Board but it did not have the power it needed to control such a large problem and was later abolished.

__**Conclusion**__: Therefore, the country was definitely not better off after Hoover's presidency. In the beginning he tried to help the Americans by giving them improved conditions, electricity, and conservation but that was the limit of his positives. The country sunk into a depression and although it was not entirely his fault, Hoover could have done other things to prevent it or help the people. Instead, in the case of the bonus marchers, he set fire to their camps. That is why I think he deserves the grade of a "C-" for his presidency.

__**Sources**__: 31. "Herbert Hoover 1929-1933." __The White House__. 25 Apr. 2010. []

DeGregorio, William. __The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents__. Fort Lee: Barricade. 2005.

"Herbert Hoover." __American Presidents: An Online Reference Resource__. University of Virginia. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. []

"Herbert Hoover." //American Presidents: Life Portraits//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. []