nPosted on July 4, 2017
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Key Points
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nA president who has the same birthday as his nation?
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nThat’s pretty cool.
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nI’ve always thought it was pretty amazing that three of the earliest U.S. presidents died on July 4th (actually, two died the same July 4, in 1826 – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams), but I never realized that Calvin Coolidge was born in Vermont on this date in 1872.
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nCoolidge was in some ways a typical president – he was once a lawyer, he worked his way up in the Republican Party through Massachusetts state offices, including the governorship, and then became a Vice President of the entire nation.
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nThat’s a pattern we’ve seen a few times.
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nWhat’s unusual is that he became president when a president died in office.
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The 29th President, Warren G. Harding, was fairly popular as president but after he died of a heart attack in 1923, people found out about some scandals in his administration and about his marital affairs. Nowadays Harding has a pretty low rating among historians.
The 29th President, Warren G. Harding, was fairly popular as president but after he died of a heart attack in 1923, people found out about some scandals in his administration and about his marital affairs. Nowadays Harding has a pretty low rating among historians.n
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Coolidge has fared at least a bit better. He was a small-government conservative, and he was able to restore public confidence after all the scandals-and-affairs of Harding, and to retire from office with quite a bit of popularity.
Coolidge has fared at least a bit better. He was a small-government conservative, and he was able to restore public confidence after all the scandals-and-affairs of Harding, and to retire from office with quite a bit of popularity.n
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nApparently he was a believer in racial equality. He mostly stayed away from controversial issues, so he was not a great leader on civil rights, but he avoided appointing white supremacists in his administration, he chose a VP running mate who attacked the KKK, he tried to make lynching a federal crime, he signed the Indian Citizenship Act, and he used important speeches as ways to promote civil rights and tolerance.
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nCoolidge was known for his quiet personality. He didn’t say much, although he had a good, dry sense of humor. His nickname was Silent Cal. Here are a few of his quotes about being quiet – plus a great one that is commonly attributed to everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain:
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nAlso on this date:
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nFourth of July
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nIndependence Day in the USA
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nBoom Box Parade Day in Willimantic, CT
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nFourth of July in U.S. Territories
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nAnniversary of a BIG birthday gift
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nAstronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt’s birthday
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nIndivisible Day
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nPlan ahead:
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nCheck out my Pinterest boards for:
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nJuly holidays
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nJuly birthdays
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nHistorical anniversaries in July
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nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
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nAugust holidays
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nAugust birthdays
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nHistorical anniversaries in August
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