Teapot Dome Scandal
“Roaring ’20s” Unit
U.S. History
Class Notes
What is a scandal?
Raise your hand if you can
define the word scandal.
Scandal
• An action or event regarded as morally or
legally wrong and causing general public
outrage.
• Today we are going to be talking about a
scandal that involved the US government: the
Teapot Dome Scandal.
Who was involved in the
Teapot Dome Scandal?
Who?
• Warren G.
Harding:
POTUS (1921 1923)
Who?
• Albert Fall:
Secretary of
the Interior
(1921-1923)
Who?
• Harry Sinclair:
Sinclair Oil
(Teapot Dome
reserve, WY)
Who?
• Edward Donehy:
Pan American
Petroleum (Elks
Hill reserve, CA)
Who?
• Thomas Walsh:
US Senator,
Wyoming.
Any questions?
What are the details of the
Teapot Dome Scandal?
What?
• In a nutshell, the TDS is
a bribery incident that
took place in the United
States during the
administration of
President Warren G.
Harding.
What?
• In 1921, President Harding issued an executive
order transferring the rights to three oil
reserved from the Navy Department to the
Department of the Interior.
What?
• In 1922, Albert Fall (Secretary of the Interior)
leased the oil production rights at Teapot
Dome to Harry F. Sinclair of Sinclair Oil.
• He also leased the Elk Hills reserve to Edward
L. Doheny of Pan American Petroleum.
• Both leases were issued without competitive
bidding.
What?
• The lease terms were very favorable to the oil
companies, which secretly made Fall a rich
man.
• Fall had received a no-interest loan from
Doheny of $100,000 (about $1.31 million
today). He received other gifts from Doheny
and Sinclair totaling about $404,000 (about
$5.29 million today).
Any questions?
Where did the Teapot Dome
Scandal take occur?
Where?
•
•
•
•
Teapot Dome, Wyoming
Elks Hill, CA
Washington, D.C.
All of the United States
When did the Teapot Dome
Scandal take occur?
When?
• 1922: Leases issued.
• 1922: Senator Walsh begins as investigation.
• 1923: The stress of the scandal affects President Harding’s health.
He dies in office. His VP Coolidge becomes president.
• 1922 - 1924: Fall tries to cover his tracks. Walsh (and more!) want to
know how Fall became so rich, so fast…
• 1927: SC ruled that the oil leases had been obtained fraudulently.
Leases invalidated. Reserves returned to the Navy.
• 1929: Fall found guilty of bribery, fined $100,000 and sentenced to
one year in prison. Harry Sinclair, who refused to cooperate with
the government investigators, was charged with contempt, fined
$100,000, and received a short sentence of 6.5 months for jury
tampering. Edward Doheny was acquitted of bribery in 1930.
Any questions?
Going once…
Going twice…
OK. Let’s move on.
Why is the Teapot Dome Scandal
historically significant?
(Why should you care about it?)
Why?
• Teapot Dome was the "greatest and most
sensational scandal in the history of American
politics.”
• Destroyed the reputation of the Harding
administration.
• Teapot Dome = government corruption.
How did the Teapot Dome
Scandal impact the United
States?
(What remaining effects do we see
today?)
How?
• McGrain v. Daugherty (1927): Congress now
has the power to compel testimony.
• Public distrust of politicians.
• Partisan politics.
Any questions?
A 1924 cartoon shows Washington officials fleeing in panic down an oil-slicked road to the White
House, trying desperately to outpace the giant steamroller symbolizing the Teapot Dome scandal
of President Warren G. Harding's administration.
A 1924 cartoon shows Washington officials fleeing in panic down an oil-slicked road to the White
House, trying desperately to outpace the giant steamroller symbolizing the Teapot Dome scandal
of President Warren G. Harding's administration.
Now, complete the political cartoon handout.
All questions must be answered in complete sentences.
1.
This cartoon, published in 1924,
comments on the ____________ Scandal.
2.
Why are the officials running?
3.
How do you think the White House will
be affected?
4.
What is the significance of the rolling
tank?
5.
According to the cartoon, how will this
scandal affect the government?
Any questions?
Your task (if you finish the questions):
The Teapot Dome Scandal is also known as
the Oil Reserves Scandal or Elk Hills Scandal.
Draw a political cartoon using one of the
alternative names for the scandal in which you
convey the meaning and key details of the
scandal.
Your cartoon MUST include a title and a caption
explaining the central (the scandal!)