How did the three presidents of 1920s reflect the general mood of many Americans?

The three presidents of the 1920s, Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, reflected the mood of the American people. After the Progressive Era and World War I, the American people were tired of dealing with problems both internally and externally. We had been focusing on problems within our society with the Progressive Movement since the early 1900s, and we were dealing with world issues, especially with World War I, also since the early 1900s. By 1920, Americans wanted to stop worrying about internal and external issues. They wanted to focus on living a normal life, having a good time, and enjoying prosperity.

 When Warren Harding campaigned on a slogan of a return to normalcy, Americans loved the concept. Harding wanted to focus on the United States. He wanted the economy to grow and businesses to prosper. While he was president, the economy did grow and prosperity increased.

The trend continued under President Coolidge. President Coolidge reflected the phrase “The business of America is business” with his policies and actions. He believed in laissez-faire, or hands off, approach to the economy. Under his administration, the government had little involvement in economic matters. The economy really grew during this time as the country became more prosperous.

President Hoover got elected to the presidency with policies similar to President Coolidge. President Hoover expected the economy to continue to grow. He also expected Americans to be prosperous. When the economy collapsed with the stock market crash in 1929, President Hoover took little action. His laissez-faire attitude was very evident. President Hoover believed things would work themselves out without much government involvement.

The actions of each president during this decade reflected the mood of the American people. This mood was to let business do its thing and keep the government out of business activities. At the same time, our people wanted to enjoy life and not worry about dealing with many internal or external problems.