11
Apr, 2025

Calvin Coolidge

8G History Lesson 110 Assignment – Part 2

This is part two of my assignment for this week.

Overview

Calvin Coolidge was our 30th president. He became president after Harding died in office. In my opinion, he was one of the best presidents ever, but he is often forgotten.

Life and Presidency of Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872. He was an only child, and his parents raised him well. His father was a storekeeper, and taught Calvin many Puritan virtues. Coolidge loved reading and nature as a child.

Coolidge decided to pursue a career in law, starting in 1897. He married Grace Goodhue in 1905. Coolidge was chosen as mayor of Northampton in 1909, and was active in the Massachusetts government. He was a popular republican cantidate for Vice President, and made it onto the ballot with president Harding. They were easily elected into office by a 60 percent popular vote.

Coolidge was thrust into the presidency when Harding unexpectedly died. Harding had left Coolidge a seat surrounded by scandals. However, Coolidge was determined to restore the people’s trust. In 1924, he was nominated for president. He won more than half of the popular vote under the campaign “Keep Cool with Coolidge”.

Coolidge improved the U.S. economy and government in many ways. He was very supportive of business and the free market, and dramatically lowered the income and property tax rates. He also supported smaller government. His Secretary of the Treasury was Andrew Mellon. He believed that lowering taxes would help expand the economy. Coolidge vetoed the McNary Haugen bill 2 times, which Congress was trying to approve. This bill was a plan for the government to subsidize American crops. Coolidge’s move to veto it was a controversial one, and some people were not happy. He was also a supporter of racial equality, and tried to move the U.S. towards it.

Some people criticize Coolidge for his “lack of action”, and blamed the Great Depression on him. They thought that he should have taxed the rich more, and enact more laws that subsidized the economy.

Coolidge oversaw almost a decade of prosperity, and in 1928, he decided not to run again. 1929 saw the election of Herbert Hoover, and the biggest economic crash in United States history.

In summary, Calvin Coolidge was a somewhat controversial president, but I think the things that he did (and the things that he didn’t do) helped the economy and America as a whole.

Reference:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Calvin-Coolidge

Is College Worth It

Personal Finance Lesson 110 Assignment

In today’s assignment, I will look at the benefits and disadvantages of going to college, and decide if it is worth it. Then I’ll explore college alternatives.

What college provides:

  • Education: This is what most people think of when they hear the word college. It is (usually) the main function of a college.
  • Social activities: Some colleges also provide activities, events, clubs, and other entertainment options.
  • Temporary Housing: If you are paying the fee for living on-campus, you have access to a dorm.
  • Degree: This sits under the education category. Part of what you pay for going to college is the Masters or Graduates degree that you will receive if you stick with it.

Disadvantages of college:

  • Price: Colleges are notoriously expensive, even the smaller-town community colleges! You will be paying for the education of course, but also your room (if you decide to get a room on-campus), your textbooks which can be surprisingly costly, and perhaps your food. Also your TIME!! College takes A TON of time. There are some ways to avoid these high prices and the cost of your time. I’ll be discussing them later.
  • Loans: This fits under the price category. You will probably have to take out loans to go to college, and you may be paying them back for a long time!
  • Stress: College is a very stressful time, and it can take a toll on health
  • Travel: If you are in an out of state college, you must account for travel costs.

Whether you choose to go to college or not is a big decision, but there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It all depends on your circumstances. If you are thinking about going to college, think about the alternatives. You could take dual-enrollment classes while in high school. You can also take an apprenticeship, which is basically what it sounds like. You are apprenticed to someone in a particular field and learn about their job.

Overall, college offers a wide variety of benefits, and can be very fun! But it can also be expensive and stressful. Make sure to weigh your options and make your decision carefully. Personally, I think I would consider an apprenticeship or dual enrollment classes.

Thanks for reading!

Timeline of World War I

8G History Lesson 105 Assignment

This assignment will be a little different than the usual. I’ll be using a timeline format, covering the main facts, battles, and history of the war.

June 28, 1914

Archduke of Austria Assassinated

The Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie are are assassinated by a Serbian nationalist while traveling in Sarajevo. This sparked violence against the Serbian people.

July 28, 1914

WWI Begins

World War I officially begins when Austria declares war on Serbia. Austria starts to bomb Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

September 6, 1914

Battle of the Marne Begins

The Germans try to capture Paris, but are stopped by the British and French.

November 5, 1914

Ottoman Empire gets involved

France and Britain declare war on the Ottoman empire.

April 25, 1915

Second Battle of Ypres

The Second Battle of Ypres takes place. The Germans use chlorine gas on the Allied forces.

May 7, 1914

The Lustiania sinks

The Germans sink the British Lustiania, almost 1,200 people are killed.

February 21, 1916

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun begins. This is one of the longest and bloodiest battles in the war, over 300,000 are killed over the span of 10 months.

July 1, 1916

Battle of the Somme

In the first day of this battle, over 20,000 British soldiers are killed.

April 6, 1917

U.S. Enters the War

The U.S. declares war on Germany.

November 20, 1917

Tanks

Tanks are first used in large-scale combat by the British.

September 26, 1918

Battle of Meuse-Argonne

This is the last battle in the war. The Allied British and German forces drive out the Germans.

June 28, 1919

Treaty of Versailles

The Allies and Germany sign a peace agreement, ending the war.

The First World War had a large impact on the world. It saw the collapse of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, the Ottoman empire, and the Russian empire. It was extremely sad, as all wars are. If it was avoided, over 8 million more soldiers would have survived.

References:

https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I

Woodrow Wilson

8G History Lesson 100 Assignment

This week’s assignment is about Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president.

Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856, in Virginia. His father was a Presbyterian minister, and his mother was the daughter of an English Presbyterian minister. He was raised as a Christian. Wilson didn’t learn how to read until he was 10, but he became very interested in literature and politics. He went to Princeton University, then went to the University of Virginia, where he studied law. He became bored and felt like law wasn’t the right career for him, so he studied government at Johns Hopkins University. He is the only president to earn a Ph.D, and he wrote many books on politics.

Woodrow Wilson married Ellen Louise Axon in 1885, and guess what? She was the daughter of a Presbyterian minister! They had three daughters. He started teaching at Princeton in 1890, and quickly became president of the university. This attracted the attention of many politicians, and he decided to resign as president of Princeton to run for governor of New Jersey, where he became very popular as a conservative.

Wilson decided to run for U.S. president in 1912. There were not one, but two rivals he faced in the main race for president. Theodore Roosevelt split from the Republicans to join the Bull Moose party, and William H. Taft ran as a Republican. He won with a huge 435 electoral college votes, compared to Roosevelt’s 88 votes and Taft’s 8.

As president, Woodrow Wilson increased tariffs significantly, and added an income tax. He also helped to start the Federal Reserve. He was troubled by his wife’s death in 1914, and the beginning of WWI didn’t help things. The U.S. stayed neutral at first, but as America’s ally Britain was being attacked by German ships, Wilson was on the verge of declaring war.

He was again successful in the re-election of 1916, barely winning against Charles Hughes. Woodrow made an attempt at peace in January 1917. But the Germans didn’t care, and kept attacking American ships. After that, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The American troops helped the Allies out, and Germany begged for peace in November of 1918.

Wilson returned to “normal” presidency, but his health was failing. He had a stroke on October 2, 1919 that made him partly paralyzed on his left side. His wife Edith Galt, who he married in 1915, tried to cover up Wilson’s condition. She made a lot of the decisions instead of Wilson.

In his later years, Wilson remained active in politics for a few years. He died somewhat unexpectedly in his sleep at the age of 67.

References:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Woodrow-Wilson