Final answer:
Warren G. Harding's 'return to normalcy' appealed to post-WWI Americans' desire for economic prosperity, limited government intervention, and attention to domestic issues over foreign engagement. Harding's pro-business and isolationist policies reflected the mood of the nation, leading to policies that encouraged economic growth and personal freedom in what became known as the Jazz Age.
Step-by-step explanation:
Warren G. Harding’s campaign for the presidency in 1920 centered around the idea of a "return to normalcy". This concept resonated deeply with Americans who had endured the challenges of World War I, a devastating flu pandemic, and the instability of the Progressive Era. Harding’s promise appealed to their desire for a simpler, pre-war state of life, one with fewer government interventions, lower taxes, and more focus on domestic concerns over international issues.
The Harding administration aimed to promote policies that would benefit businesses, support isolation from foreign affairs, and essentially restore the laissez-faire approach of the late nineteenth century. Following his death in 1923, these principles were carried on by Calvin Coolidge, and later resonated in the policies sought by Herbert Hoover.
Americans in the postwar mood were looking for stability and prosperity, and Harding’s victory with a remarkable 60 percent of the popular vote revealed their overwhelming preference for a less intrusive government that prioritized economic growth and limited social progressivism. The era of personal freedom and hedonism that followed became known as the Jazz Age.