"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority" - Benjamin Franklin
From the formation of the United States of America and it's landmark culture, it has not only been accepted but rather encouraged for citizens to question the person(s) to whom they are being called to follow. This has caused an exponential amount of turmoil as pertaining to Americans and their relationships and opinions about authority figures. Whether it be the harsh criticism of John Buchanan's personal affairs, Bill Nixon's political shortcomings, or even Barack Obama's views on healthcare and civil rights, it has become obvious from generation to generation that the denunciation of authority figures, presidents in particular, is regrettably unavoidable.
One president who had to endure a painfully large amount of criticism in his life was President Warren G. Harding. He was the 29th president, a former Ohio senator, and served in office from March 4, 1921 to August 2, 1923. He was the "compromise candidate" of the 1920 election, and promised to recreate America's strong economy, independent of foreign interference or influence. He sought to shake off the troubling memories and damage left behind after World War I, and intended to return the nation to "normalcy". Throughout his term, however, he fell victim to the Teapot Dome Scandal, and his weaknesses of gambling. These led to the imprisonment of various members of his cabinet, and his marking in history as "one of the worst presidents that the U.S. has ever seen".
The Teapot Dome Scandal was one caused by the presidents aid in the bribing of certain oil companies, causing them to compete with one another and, as an end result, haul in more government money. After this scandal's investigation and exploitation in 1922, much trust in President Harding was lost. In addition to this vast slip up, Harding was known for having a nettlesome gambling problem. He once lost an entire set of White House china in a single hand - a set dating back to the times of Benjamin Harrison. Soon after both of these upsets, the president collapsed and died in California in 1923. His disappointments to the general public were never able to be put right, because he hadn't the time - he was gone sooner than any could have guessed.
President Harding is rarely remembered for his achievements, however. He was a large supporter of the 8-hour work day, brought the unemployment rate down by 50%, and signed the first child welfare program. The public overlooked these groundbreaking improvements, rather to focus on Warren G. Harding's follies. This parallel to Hawthorne's disdain of authority in "Young Goodman Brown" truly displays the severity in which citizens of the United States choose to mistrust their leaders, counting them out before the possibility of achieving greatness becomes tangible. Through the decades, Americans have loathed authority, and likely will continue until the end of the age.
