Calvin Coolidge

Birth-Death: (1872 - 1933 ) Term: (1923-1929 )

In his first message to Congress, President Coolidge stated he would encourage isolation. However, he was not able to fulfill this statement completely. In 1925, he sent U.S. Marines to Nicaragua after civil war broke out, and then tried to negotiate a compromise with Nicaragua, which failed and resulted in armed conflict. In 1928, he signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, designed "to renounce war as an instrument of national policy."

Foreign Events of Calvin Coolidge

    The United States continued on its way towards neutrality during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge. The only major international conflict was over oil in Mexico. The new Mexican government stated that it owned all of the oil wells. The United States was concerned that the $300 million that the US has invested would be nationalized. There was an increased concentration of troops along the Mexican border for a while, however the issue was quickly settled when the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that all of the oil wells owned by the United States before 1917 would still be owned by the United States.

    The United States participated in more conferences designed to prevent another world war. The Kellogg-Briand Treaty that was signed in 1928 outlawed war, stating that war was no longer a means of settling international disputes. However, since there was no one to enforce the law, it was not followed by the international community.