The Teapot Dome Scandal Of President Warren Harding

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“Few political Scandals in American history have stirred as much controversy or received as much attention as the Teapot Dome Scandal that took place during the presidency of Warren Harding” (Vile). The Teapot Dome Scandal was the first major political scandal in United States history. The incident was so extreme that stress from the backlash even lead to the death of President Warren Harding. The republican party was shown as being incredibly corrupt during this incident, yet somehow, Calvin Coolidge, the republican candidate, won the election of 1924, just three years after the scandal. The Teapot Scandal, along with the split democratic party, led to Coolidge’s success in the 1924 election. The Teapot Dome Scandal started in 1921 when …show more content…

Instead of Coolidge being blamed with fallout from the scandal, the republicans were able to connect McAdoo to the Scandal by connecting him with Doheny, who was in charge of the American Petroleum and Transport Company (“The Teapot Dome Scandal”). Although McAdoo did not end up being the democratic candidate, this connection to the Teapot Dome Scandal affected voters during the nomination. contributing to the split party. Furthermore, by placing blame on McAdoo, the Teapot Dome Scandal became even more linked to the Democrats than the Republicans in the election, as Calvin Coolidge had not been involved. This lead to the Republican party seeming less corrupt in terms of the candidates for the election, leading to more votes for the Republican party. the Overall, much of Coolidge’s success in the election was the result of the democratic candidates, as without them, Coolidge would have dealt with much more blame from the election, as well as fiercer …show more content…

After all of the corruption and greed caused by the Teapot Dome Scandal, Americans wanted a break and for everything to go back to normal. Coolidge was the perfect fix to the insanity. “Coolidge's image as an honest, frugal New Englander committed to small government helped the Republicans to avoid the worst of the backlash from the Scandal”(“The Teapot Dome Scandal”). After the Teapot Dome Scandal, Americans were begging for a return to normalcy, and Coolidge was able to offer just that as President. He was very honest, unlike the officials during Harding’s presidency, and frugal as well, which was needed to combat the greed of the Scandal. “The rural, small-town, back-to-old-fashioned-values Coolidge personified a longing among many Americans for a simpler life after a period of extravagance and waste.”(O’Brien). This shows that the Teapot Dome Scandal actually helped Coolidge win the election. The Teapot Dome Scandal lead to people wanting to take a break from the corruption. Coolidge’s want for a simple life matched the want of many Americans at the time, making him appeal to more voters. Coolidge’s natural approach to politics helped him win, because the Teapot Dome Scandal changed Americans views on politics to match his own. Without the Teapot Dome Scandal, not as many Americans would have changed their ideals in Government, leading to far fewer Americans’ views matching