Pull one hundred Americans aside on the street and ask each of them to name a President. If even one of them mentioned Warren Gamaliel Harding I would be astonished. The 29th President of the United States may have been a household name a century ago, but today he is lucky to be a footnote in a history book. When I was memorizing the nation's leaders in my high school days, I was vexed by three obscure names that refused to stick in my brain. Curiously, all three were Ohio-born Republicans: Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Warren G. Harding.
Deficiencies of Harding information are common in the public and the academic community. A Time article lists Harding among the 10 most forgettable presidents. While there are dozens of statues memorializing President Washington or President Lincoln, it is almost impossible to find a statue of President Harding. Of course, I do not plan to ever claim that President Harding was historically significant enough to warrant the widespread fame of a Lincoln-level statesman, but it frustrates me how little the modern American - even the modern student of history - appreciates the brief "Normalcy" era of Harding and his successor Calvin Coolidge.
The idea for this blog/historical compilation project has simmered for years in my subconscious; finally, as the centennial of Harding's November 1920 election approaches, I feel that it is now or never to make my quirky dream side passion a reality. With "100 Years of Harding," my goal is not to overly praise nor to tear down Mr. Harding's legacy as many have tried to do. Outside of any opinion pieces I write on the blog, I will attempt to be as historically unbiased and fair as I can. I consider myself a student of history and a lover of truth above everything save my God. The study of history is a conversation with the past, and I do not want to turn my conversations into a conquest based on my prior conceptions. That being said, my biases will undoubtedly seep into my writings. This is why I hope that any readers of this humble project comment and join the conversation!
In a nutshell, "100 Years of Harding" will cover the Harding years as close to a century later to the day. Major speeches, legislation, and world events will be covered; I also plan on doing the occasional book review of relevant material, commentary on the rare bit of Harding/Coolidge news in the modern day, and opinion posts (should there be anything relevant to raise my ire). Hopefully, as the months go by, this site becomes a place where much of the splintered information on President Harding throughout the internet becomes compiled into one location. I expect that my blog posts will become somewhat more sophisticated and insightful as I learn more, for this will be a progression of learning for me and for anyone who follows along.