Harding Administration
    When the presidential elections arrived in 1920, Republicans selected Warren Harding. Although Harding was an indistinguished member of the party, he was the embodiment of Constitutional delegates. His opponent, Democratic Candidate Warren Cox, based his campaign upon the ideals that Wilson had stood for, particularly, the establishment of a League of Nations (Leuctenburg 88). But most people were weary of the League, and were impressed with Harding's promise to return the nation to "not heroism, but healing, not nostrums but normalcy" (Leuctenburg 89). Harding won by a landslide (Roberts 379).
        Once put into power, Harding took steps to protect American industries by proposing high tarrifs on foreign products. the Fordney-McCumber Tariff set high duties on manufactured imports.
        In another attempt to keep immigrants from plagueing the labor force, the Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 which limited the number of people from any given country that could immigrate to the United States. In 1924,  the Immigration Act lowered quotas even further, reducing European immigration by eighty-five percent. percent and ending all Asian immigration (Roberts 379).
    After Harding died in August, 1923, many scandals began coming to the surface.  His administration was made up to a large extent of Hardings friends, some of which were corrupt.  Attorney General Harry Dougherty was resonsible for selling government favors such as immunities from prosecution and pardons.  Charles Forbes, the head of the Veterans Bureau, sold shipments of drugs, bandages, and bedding, and pocketed the money; meanwhile Veterans laid in the hospital in dire need of supplies.
    The most significant scandal during his administration was known as the Teapot-Dome Scandal.  In 1921, Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall, convinced Harding to give the Department of Interior control of the oil reserves, in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, instead of the Department of the Navy.  Then he leased the reserves in exchange for $400,000.  When the scandal was revealed, Fall was the first cabinet officer in history to be sent to prison (Davidson 551).
Coolidge Administration
    When Harding died, Coolidge became the President.  No one really knew Coolidge overly well and they referred to him as "cool Cal" because he was so reserved.  He ran for president on the Republican ticket again in 1924 and won.  Coolidge had the job of restoring faith in the government after all of the Scandals in the Harding administration.  As president, Coolidge was a believer of laissez faire and had a hand's off policy toward business and agriculture.  He took steps to lower the cost of government and reduce the dantional debt.  His tax policy was based on the Secretary of Treasury, Andrew Mellon.  Coolidge believed that if the rich didn't have to pay as many taxes, they would put more money into the economy (Roberts 380).   In 1926 Coolidge signed the Revenue Act which cut taxes very low for the rich, but middle class families had to pay almost the normal amount.
    Coolidge appointed William Humphrey to chair the Federal Trade Commision (FTC).  He believed this to be oppressing and under his leadership the FTC refused to investigate some monopolies.Coolidge was a businessman and under his administration the government quickly became a "businessman's government" (Leuchtenburg 96).