Skip to content
12 Axes Test
Portrait of Calvin Coolidge

Thirtieth US president

Calvin Coolidge’s political views

The thirtieth president, who cut taxes and held federal spending flat, vetoed the McNary–Haugen farm bill twice, signed the Immigration Act of 1924 and backed the Kellogg–Briand Pact.

Presidency
30th, 1923–1929
Party
Republican
Lived
1872–1933
Scored on
5 of 12 axes

Strongest documented leanings

  1. Privatize85%
  2. Laissez-faire85%
  3. Assimilationist75%
Where Coolidge stood on the twelve axes
Take the quiz

Where Coolidge stood on the twelve axes

Each bar is one axis, between its two poles. Only axes with a documented position are scored; the others are shown as faint stubs on the icon and listed below, never as neutral.

Based on his record from 1923 to 1929. He is scored on five axes; his record on social questions beyond immigration is too thin to score.

  • Nationalism vs InternationalismNationalism 55%
    NationalismInternationalism

    Backed United States membership of the World Court only if the country were not bound by its advisory opinions; the Senate approved joining with reservations in 1926, but the country never joined.

  • Militarist vs PacifistPacifist 68%
    MilitaristPacifist

    The United States signed the Kellogg–Briand Pact in Paris on 27 August 1928, renouncing war as an instrument of national policy, and the Senate approved it 85–1, although the occupation of Nicaragua went on.

  • Assimilationist vs MulticulturalistAssimilationist 75%
    AssimilationistMulticulturalist

    Signed the Immigration Act of 1924, which cut each country’s annual quota to 2% of its 1890 immigrant population, and the Indian Citizenship Act of 2 June 1924.

  • Collectivize vs PrivatizePrivatize 85%
    CollectivizePrivatize

    Signed the Revenue Act of 1924, which cut the top income tax rate from 58% to 46%, and a further tax cut in 1926, while holding federal spending flat and cutting the debt by about a quarter.

  • Planned vs Laissez-faireLaissez-faire 85%
    PlannedLaissez-faire

    Vetoed the McNary–Haugen farm relief bill in February 1927 and again in May 1928, siding with business leaders who said it was contrary to economic law.

No documented position, so not scored: Federal vs Unitary, Democratic vs Autocratic, Security vs Freedom, Isolationism vs Globalism, Irreligious vs Religious, Progressive vs Traditional, and Acceleration vs Bioconservative.

What shaped the scores

Dated actions from the record. Each is tied to the axis it informs.

  1. Coolidge vetoes the veterans’ bonus bill; Congress overrides him.

    Collectivize vs Privatize

    Presidency of Calvin Coolidge · Wikipedia
  2. He signs the Indian Citizenship Act, which makes Native Americans born in the country citizens.

    Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist

    Presidency of Calvin Coolidge · Wikipedia
  3. He signs the Immigration Act, which sets the annual quota for each country at 2% of its 1890 immigrant population.

    Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist

    Presidency of Calvin Coolidge · Wikipedia
  4. In a speech to newspaper editors he says that the chief business of the American people is business.

    Planned vs Laissez-faire

    Presidency of Calvin Coolidge · Wikipedia
  5. He vetoes the McNary–Haugen farm bill, and does so again in May 1928.

    Planned vs Laissez-faire

    McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill · Wikipedia
  6. The Kellogg–Briand Pact is signed in Paris; the Senate approves it 85–1.

    Militarist vs Pacifist

    Kellogg–Briand Pact · Wikipedia

Questions about Calvin Coolidge’s politics

The thirtieth president, who cut taxes and held federal spending flat, vetoed the McNary–Haugen farm bill twice, signed the Immigration Act of 1924 and backed the Kellogg–Briand Pact. On our twelve axes, the strongest documented leanings are Privatize 85%, Laissez-faire 85%, Assimilationist 75%.

Those labels changed meaning over time, so this site describes Coolidge on twelve axes instead. On the economy, Coolidge’s record leans toward free markets and private provision. The scores above give the evidence behind each axis.

Calvin Coolidge was a Republican. Coolidge was the 30th president, serving 1923–1929.

On the axes they are both scored on, Coolidge is closest to Grover Cleveland, Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Jackson and furthest from Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry S. Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

He said it in a speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on 25 January 1925. It is often quoted to sum up his hands-off approach to the economy, which showed in his two vetoes of the McNary–Haugen farm bill.

Something else on your mind? Get in touch

Sources and credits

How close are you to Coolidge?

Take the test and see how your twelve scores compare, axis by axis.