Reference no: EM133647308
Read the information below and answer the following questions.
When Warren G. Harding took over the White House in 1921, he brought with him many friends and supporters from Ohio. Harding and his cronies fit in well with the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. They spent their evenings drinking and playing poker well into the night. The members of the so-called Ohio Gang were not politicians and had little experience in government, and Harding's practice of hiring his pals soon got him into trouble. The Teapot Dome affair, exposed in 1922, was perhaps the most sensational scandal, but it was not the first-or the last-time someone in the Harding administration was accused of bribery or corruption. The head of the Veterans' Bureau later went to jail for scamming $250 million from the government.
Harding's good friend Harry Daugherty was accused several times of taking bribes to settle matters before the Justice Department. There was no indication that Harding profited from any of these scandals, and he complained privately that his friends had betrayed his trust. Harding died before he could address the problems or usher in reforms. In addition, historians remember Harding primarily for the corruption in his administration. Senate investigations and trials continued to capture the attention of Americans throughout the 1920s, undermining Americans' faith in their government. Political cartoons, such as "Bargain Day in Washington," captured the growing sense of betrayal of and mistrust felt by Americans.
A. What are some reasons that government corruption occurs? Did any aspects of the Harding administration contribute to the scandals?
B. Warren G. Harding has been ranked among the worst presidents to have served, primarily due to the corruption of his administration. Do you think this is a fair assessment? Should Harding be responsible for the actions of his political appointees? Why or why not?
C. Public opinion polls suggest that Americans today have less faith in government than did Americans in the 1920s. What factors might have contributed to this trend?