He signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans, and oversaw a period of rapid and expansive economic growth known as the "Roaring Twenties", leaving office with considerable popularity.[3] He was known for his hands-off governing approach and pro-business stances. As a Coolidge biographer wrote: "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."[4]
Scholars have ranked Coolidge in the lower half of U.S. presidents. He gains almost universal praise for his stalwart support of racial equality during a period of heightened racial tension in the United States,[5] and is highly praised by advocates of smaller government and laissez-faire economics, while supporters of an active central government generally view him far less favorably. His critics argue that he failed to use the country's economic boom to help struggling farmers and workers in other flailing industries,[6] and there is still much debate among historians as to the extent to which Coolidge's economic policies contributed to the onset of the Great Depression.