Warren Harding: Damaged
2023-09-10
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1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about Warren Harding.
3He was the 29th president of the United States.
4Harding was very different from the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson.
5Wilson supported change; Harding promised "a return to normalcy."
6Wilson took steps to protect American workers; Harding often worked to protect business owners.
7Wilson was slow in supporting voting rights for women, and in accepting African-American people as equal to whites.
8Harding supported women's suffrage and civil rights for African-Americans.
9Yet both men were popular during their years in office.
10Today, however, historians usually think of Wilson as one of America's best presidents.
11But Harding is remembered as one of the worst.
12Warren Harding was the eighth president from the state of Ohio.
13His parents were both doctors.
14Harding spoke about having a happy childhood, growing up on a farm with his brothers and sisters.
15Some of his favorite early activities were performing in a band.
16Later, Harding - along with two friends - bought a newspaper.
17The paper became successful for several reasons.
18Harding was kind to his employees and shared the company's profits with them.
19He also tried not to publish stories that criticized politics or politicians from any party.
20Finally, he married a woman who had an excellent head for business.
21Florence Kling Harding led the newspaper's circulation department.
22She also helped to direct her husband's political career.
23In time, Warren Harding became a state senator, a lieutenant governor of Ohio, and then a member of the U.S. Senate.
24He especially liked being a senator - and many of the other lawmakers liked him.
25One reason is because Harding rarely took a controversial position on any issue.
26Instead, he accepted most of the ideas of the Republican Party.
27He was also good-looking and had an excellent speaking voice.
28These qualities helped earn him the Republican presidential nomination in 1920.
29A few months later, he easily won the national election.
30President Harding took office shortly after World War I ended.
31He promised to make Americans feel calm again, and also improve the nation's prosperity.
32Two of Harding's goals were to support business and to limit immigration.
33He succeeded on both issues.
34His administration reduced taxes for big businesses and wealthy people.
35It also increased tariffs -- taxes on foreign imports.
36And the Harding administration put in place new rules on immigration.
37The rules made it easier for immigrants from northern Europe to enter the country,
38but harder for immigrants from Russia, eastern and central Europe.
39Harding also took steps to improve the effectiveness of the federal government.
40But his administration is remembered mostly for its problems.
41At the beginning of his term, Harding reportedly told friends that the job of being president was too much for him.
42He appeared to want to do well, and he worked hard.
43But he turned over most of the responsibility to his friends in the cabinet.
44A few were very able. But some were dishonest.
45They abused their positions to gain wealth for themselves and their families.
46One of the most famous examples of corruption during Harding's administration is known as the Teapot Dome Scandal.
47The name "Teapot Dome" comes from a rock in the state of Wyoming.
48The rock looked like a teapot. Scientists correctly believed that oil could be found in the ground underneath it.
49At the time, the U.S. navy depended on oil to fuel its ships.
50So, the federal government claimed the land in case the navy needed to use the oil in an emergency.
51But a cabinet official who was a friend of Harding took control of the land.
52He gave a private company permission to search for oil on it in exchange for a large amount of money.
53Some lawmakers became suspicious. So they opened an investigation.
54In time, lawyers proved the act of corruption.
55Harding's friend was the first person to be found guilty of a crime while serving as a cabinet official.
56But President Harding did not live to see his friend go to jail.
57The investigation was just beginning when Harding took a trip to the West Coast to campaign for his policies.
58Some say that Harding was also trying to escape the problems in his administration.
59He reportedly told one reporter that worrying about what his friends were doing kept him awake at nights.
60During the trip, Harding showed signs of not being in good health.
61Doctors thought he could have food poisoning or pneumonia.
62He was taken to a hotel in San Francisco, California. For a day, he appeared to be feeling better.
63He was sitting up in bed. And then suddenly, his body shook and collapsed. He died instantly.
64Reports at the time differed on the cause of Harding's death.
65Some even said that his wife poisoned the president to protect him from being punished for the wrongdoing in his administration.
66But most historians think that he had long suffered from heart failure, and was struck by a heart attack. He was 57.
67Millions of Americans mourned over Warren Harding's death.
68They stood beside railroad tracks as his body traveled from California back to Washington, DC.
69The following year, Florence Harding also died.
70She and her husband are buried together under a grand memorial in their hometown in Ohio.
71But in the years after his death, Harding's public image worsened.
72More corruption scandals in his administration came to light.
73And some historians have criticized him for not having a clear idea about how he wanted to lead the country.
74In 1927, a woman published a book saying she had a long, but secret relationship with Harding, both before and during his presidency.
75She also said he was the father of her daughter. Genetic testing has confirmed her claim.
76More than 30 years after her book was published, a lawyer discovered love letters from Harding to a different woman.
77They confirmed that he had a long romantic affair with the wife of one of his friends.
78Harding had also been married at the time.
79These reports, as well as the corruption during his administration, damaged Harding's public image.
80But he also seemed to know that he would not be remembered as one of the best occupants of the White House.
81Instead, he tried to be likable and modest.
82He called himself "a man of limited talents" who was "not fit for the office" of president.
83I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about Warren Harding. He was the 29th president of the United States. 3Harding was very different from the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson. 4Wilson supported change; Harding promised "a return to normalcy." 5Wilson took steps to protect American workers; Harding often worked to protect business owners. 6Wilson was slow in supporting voting rights for women, and in accepting African-American people as equal to whites. Harding supported women's suffrage and civil rights for African-Americans. 7Yet both men were popular during their years in office. 8Today, however, historians usually think of Wilson as one of America's best presidents. But Harding is remembered as one of the worst. 9Early life 10Warren Harding was the eighth president from the state of Ohio. His parents were both doctors. 11Harding spoke about having a happy childhood, growing up on a farm with his brothers and sisters. Some of his favorite early activities were performing in a band. 12Later, Harding - along with two friends - bought a newspaper. The paper became successful for several reasons. 13Harding was kind to his employees and shared the company's profits with them. He also tried not to publish stories that criticized politics or politicians from any party. Finally, he married a woman who had an excellent head for business. 14Florence Kling Harding led the newspaper's circulation department. She also helped to direct her husband's political career. 15In time, Warren Harding became a state senator, a lieutenant governor of Ohio, and then a member of the U.S. Senate. He especially liked being a senator - and many of the other lawmakers liked him. 16One reason is because Harding rarely took a controversial position on any issue. 17Instead, he accepted most of the ideas of the Republican Party. He was also good-looking and had an excellent speaking voice. 18These qualities helped earn him the Republican presidential nomination in 1920. A few months later, he easily won the national election. 19Presidency 20President Harding took office shortly after World War I ended. He promised to make Americans feel calm again, and also improve the nation's prosperity. Two of Harding's goals were to support business and to limit immigration. 21He succeeded on both issues. His administration reduced taxes for big businesses and wealthy people. It also increased tariffs -- taxes on foreign imports. 22And the Harding administration put in place new rules on immigration. The rules made it easier for immigrants from northern Europe to enter the country, but harder for immigrants from Russia, eastern and central Europe. 23Harding also took steps to improve the effectiveness of the federal government. 24But his administration is remembered mostly for its problems. 25At the beginning of his term, Harding reportedly told friends that the job of being president was too much for him. He appeared to want to do well, and he worked hard. But he turned over most of the responsibility to his friends in the cabinet. 26A few were very able. But some were dishonest. They abused their positions to gain wealth for themselves and their families. 27One of the most famous examples of corruption during Harding's administration is known as the Teapot Dome Scandal. 28The name "Teapot Dome" comes from a rock in the state of Wyoming. The rock looked like a teapot. Scientists correctly believed that oil could be found in the ground underneath it. 29At the time, the U.S. navy depended on oil to fuel its ships. So, the federal government claimed the land in case the navy needed to use the oil in an emergency. 30But a cabinet official who was a friend of Harding took control of the land. He gave a private company permission to search for oil on it in exchange for a large amount of money. 31Some lawmakers became suspicious. So they opened an investigation. 32In time, lawyers proved the act of corruption. Harding's friend was the first person to be found guilty of a crime while serving as a cabinet official. 33But President Harding did not live to see his friend go to jail. 34The investigation was just beginning when Harding took a trip to the West Coast to campaign for his policies. 35Some say that Harding was also trying to escape the problems in his administration. He reportedly told one reporter that worrying about what his friends were doing kept him awake at nights. 36During the trip, Harding showed signs of not being in good health. Doctors thought he could have food poisoning or pneumonia. He was taken to a hotel in San Francisco, California. For a day, he appeared to be feeling better. 37He was sitting up in bed. And then suddenly, his body shook and collapsed. He died instantly. 38Reports at the time differed on the cause of Harding's death. Some even said that his wife poisoned the president to protect him from being punished for the wrongdoing in his administration. 39But most historians think that he had long suffered from heart failure, and was struck by a heart attack. He was 57. 40Legacy 41Millions of Americans mourned over Warren Harding's death. They stood beside railroad tracks as his body traveled from California back to Washington, DC. 42The following year, Florence Harding also died. She and her husband are buried together under a grand memorial in their hometown in Ohio. 43But in the years after his death, Harding's public image worsened. More corruption scandals in his administration came to light. And some historians have criticized him for not having a clear idea about how he wanted to lead the country. 44In 1927, a woman published a book saying she had a long, but secret relationship with Harding, both before and during his presidency. She also said he was the father of her daughter. Genetic testing has confirmed her claim. 45More than 30 years after her book was published, a lawyer discovered love letters from Harding to a different woman. They confirmed that he had a long romantic affair with the wife of one of his friends. Harding had also been married at the time. 46These reports, as well as the corruption during his administration, damaged Harding's public image. But he also seemed to know that he would not be remembered as one of the best occupants of the White House. 47Instead, he tried to be likable and modest. He called himself "a man of limited talents" who was "not fit for the office" of president. 48I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 49Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 50____________________________________________________________ 51____________________________________________________________ 52Words in This Story 53band - n. a usually small group of musicians who play popular music together 54circulation - n. the average number of copies of a newspaper that are sold over a particular period 55prosperity - n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money 56instantly - adv. without delay; immediately 57grand - adj. impressive because of size or importance 58talents - n. special abilities that allow someone to do something well