Plenty of folks in the 1920s thought the country's values and morals were eroding. Coolidge laced his Inaugural Address with appeals to America's traditional values, and did it in the language of the Christian majority. Even with our constitutional wall of separation of church and state, Coolidge still presents his idea of America in religious terms, as if the morality of the nation relies on the people's faith. It's clearly Christianity he's referencing; he uses the image of the cross to symbolize spirituality and virtue.
God's been on our money since 1864 (religious revival) and in our Pledge of Allegiance since 1954 (in response to the threat of godless communism). It would've been unheard of in 1925 (and still is today) for a President to ignore God in an inaugural speech. What was different back then was Coolidge using specifically Christian symbolism, rather than a more inclusive religious reference.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
Questions About Religion
- What's the overall message Coolidge is trying to convey through the religious theme of his speech?
- How does Coolidge try to appeal to non-Protestant Americans? Or does he?
- How does the religion theme tie into Coolidge's ideas about the economy and foreign policy?
- Was Coolidge violating the wall of separation by using all his religious language?
Chew on This
The speech showed that Coolidge was one of the folks who believed that the U.S. was a Christian nation.
At this point in history, the religion angle was probably a pretty good way to appeal to people's better natures.