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Americans love the 4th of July—and for good reason. Writing to his wife in July 1776, John Adams hailed the Fourth as “the day of deliverance” and predicted that it would be “celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” He correctly foresaw these annual celebrations “with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” On the first anniversary in 1777, the celebrations started, and they have continued ever since. The year 2015 will be no exception. But as Americans...

President Calvin Coolidge warned in a speech given MAY 15, 1926, at the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia: "But there is another...recent development... the greatly disproportionate influence of organized minorities. Artificial propaganda, paid agitators, selfish interests, all impinge upon members of legislative bodies to force them to represent special elements rather than the great body of their constituency. When they are successful, minority rule is established... ...The result is an extravagance on the part of the Government which is ruinous to the people and a multiplicity of regulations and restrictions for the conduct of all kinds of...

Author David Petrusza discusses the pivotal 1924 election for president, won by "Silent Cal Coolidge."

"A President should not only not be selfish, but he ought to avoid the appearance of selfishness. The people would not have confidence in a man that appeared to be grasping for office. It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion. They are always surrounded by worshipers. They are constantly, and for the most part sincerely, assured of their greatness. They live in an artificial atmosphere of adulation and exaltation which sooner or later impairs their judgment. They are in grave danger of becoming careless and arrogant.”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania We meet to celebrate the birthday of America. The coming of a new life always excites our interest. Although we know in the case of the individual that it has been an infinite repetition reaching back beyond our vision, that only makes it the more wonderful. But how our interest and wonder increase when we behold the miracle of the birth of a new nation. It is to pay our tribute of reverence and respect to those who participated in such a mighty event that we annually observe the fourth day of July. Whatever may have been the...

On Thursday evening, October 28, 1920, vice presidential candidate Silent Cal Coolidge invaded Manhattan. Commencing from Wall Street, his plan was to process steadily uptown, being joined by as many supporters as he might, to finally reach Carnegie Hall, there to address whatever Republican faithful he might attract within the city limits. The New York Times, for some reason, lacked faith that much might come from his plan. But as Coolidge advanced ever northward, a full seventy-five thousand enthusiastic marchers joined with him, representing any number of the city’s trades and professions. They advanced through Greenwich Village’s Washington Square and...

Some stuff still leaves me puzzled here. How can a 'Bollywood 'dance sequence be considered 'Miss.America's' talent? If someone’s born an American and claim to be all American, wouldn’t they have some original American talent to show and win the prestigious Miss.America title? Does a nation have to become so diverse that it'd loose its own identity? The most sad part is the dance number the winner performed - in no way shows how beautiful Indian fine arts are either. I find the performance to be more of mockery of classical form of the art. I don't honestly think that...

Ninety years ago today, on August 2, 1923, President Warren G. Harding died at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. It was sudden, shocking, and has been fodder for conspiracy theorists ever since. His wife, Florence—described derisively by some as “The Duchess”—didn’t allow an autopsy, so we’ll never know exactly what caused the demise of the 29th President of the United States. It might have been congestive heart failure, or food poisoning, or even something more sinister. Seen in retrospect, through the prism of the scandals associated with his White House tenure, Harding is usually ranked well toward the...

Ninety years ago today, on August 2, 1923, President Warren G. Harding died at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. It was sudden, shocking, and has been fodder for conspiracy theorists ever since. His wife, Florence—described derisively by some as “The Duchess”—didn’t allow an autopsy, so we’ll never know exactly what caused the demise of the 29th President of the United States. It might have been congestive heart failure, or food poisoning, or even something more sinister. Seen in retrospect, through the prism of the scandals associated with his White House tenure, Harding is usually ranked well toward the...

David Pietrusza talked about his book, Calvin Coolidge: A Documentary Biography, in which he recounts the life and career of the 30th president. Born in Vermont and left motherless at just 10 years old, Coolidge attended Amherst College, worked his way up through Massachusetts state politics to serve in the state House of Representatives and Senate, and ultimately was elected governor of his adopted state. In 1920, he was elected as Warren G. Harding’s vice president. Just three years later, with Harding’s sudden death, the man nicknamed “Silent Cal” was sitting in the Oval Office. The event took place at...

Traditional presidential polls give Calvin Coolidge a low ranking. One reason for this is that he is often blamed for egging on the already boisterous stock market of the late 1920s, especially toward the end of his presidency. Particularly disparaging is John Kenneth Galbraith’s account that Coolidge said in 1929 that prosperity was “absolutely sound” and that equities were “cheap at current prices.” This assertion is said to have stoked market fires so that stocks continued heavenward during the first half-year of Herbert Hoover’s presidency. The crash, when it came, was therefore all the more violent. Parts of this older...

Recently, Politico ran an article piquantly entitled “Calvin Coolidge, civil rights pioneer?” One might surmise such an opinion piece might be penned by Amity Shlaes, author of the recent best-selling biography of Silent Cal—but even more remarkably it had been authored not by the ubiquitous Ms. Shlaes but by Kurt L. Schmoke, the black former Democratic mayor of Baltimore. Schmoke, taking note of Senator Rand Paul’s April visit to Howard University, reminded readers of Coolidge’s June 6, 1924 commencement address there. “Coolidge gave the commencement . . .,” noted Schmoke, now vice president and general counsel at the school, “and...

WITH THE FEDERAL DEBT spiraling out of control, many Americans sense an urgent need to find a political leader who is able to say “no” to spending. Yet they fear that finding such a leader is impossible. Conservatives long for another Ronald Reagan. But is Reagan the right model? He was of course a tax cutter, reducing the top marginal rate from 70 to 28 percent. But his tax cuts—which vindicated supply-side economics by vastly increasing federal revenue—were bought partly through a bargain with Democrats who were eager to spend that revenue. Reagan was no budget cutter—indeed, the federal budget...

Calvin Coolidge and the Greatness of a 'Not Great' President Written by Jack Kenny If brevity is the soul of wit, it is unfortunate that Calvin Coolidge (shown) is remembered more for his greatly exaggerated brevity than for his frequently overlooked wit. Indeed, two of the famous quotes attributed to Coolidge have often been cited to suggest dullness rather than keenness of insight. "The business of America is business," our 30th president said, suggesting to some people a too narrow view of the meaning of life and politics in this blessed Republic. Worse, a badly worded statement about unemployment ("When...

Conservatives long for another Ronald Reagan. But is Reagan the right model? He was of course a tax cutter, reducing the top marginal rate from 70 to 28 percent. But his tax cuts—which vindicated supply-side economics by vastly increasing federal revenue—were bought partly through a bargain with Democrats who were eager to spend that revenue. Reagan was no budget cutter—indeed, the federal budget rose by over a third during his administration. An alternative model for conservatives is Calvin Coolidge.

Speech on the Occasion of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence Calvin Coolidge July 5, 1926 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  We meet to celebrate the birthday of America. The coming of a new life always excites our interest. Although we know in the case of the individual that it has been an infinite repetition reaching back beyond our vision, that only makes it the more wonderful. But how our interest and wonder increase when we behold the miracle of the birth of a new nation. It is to pay our tribute of reverence and respect to...

Derided by New Dealers, Coolidge gets long-overdue respect in Shlaes’s biography. For years, most Americans’ vision of history has been shaped by the New Deal historians. Writing soon after Franklin Roosevelt’s death, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and others celebrated his accomplishments and denigrated his opponents. They were gifted writers, and many of their books were bestsellers. They have persuaded many Americans — Barack Obama definitely included — that progress means an ever-bigger government. In their view, the prosperous 1920s were a binge of mindless frivolity. The Depression of the 1930s was the inevitable hangover, for which FDR administered the cure.That’s one...

For years, most Americans' vision of history has been shaped by the New Deal historians. Writing soon after Franklin Roosevelt's death, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and others celebrated his accomplishments and denigrated his opponents. They were gifted writers, and many of their books were bestsellers. And they have persuaded many Americans -- Barack Obama definitely included -- that progress means an ever bigger government In their view, the prosperous 1920s were a binge of mindless frivolity. The Depression of the 1930s was the inevitable hangover, for which FDR administered the cure. That's one way to see it. But there are others,...

My phone rang late on a Friday evening. The number was from an area code with which I wasn’t too familiar. Would I be able to attend a dinner in Manhattan honoring Amity Shlaes on the occasion of the publication of her new Calvin Coolidge biography? Well, yes — yes, I would. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/02/20/my-dinner-with-calvin/#ixzz2LdOsACmC

Before Ronald Reagan traveled the 16 blocks to the White House after his first inaugural address, the White House curator had, at the new president’s instruction, hung in the Cabinet room a portrait of Calvin Coolidge. The Great Communicator knew that “Silent Cal” could use words powerfully — 15 of them made him a national figure — because he was economical in their use, as in all things.