27.+William+Howard+Taft

William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States of America.


 * William Taft's Life Before Becoming President**

//Early Life//

William Taft was born in Cincinnati Ohio. on September 15, 1857. Taft spent a lot of his childhood at his Unitarian church with his parents. He continued to attend his church later in life, but not as often. In high school he enjoyed wrestling, baseball, and rowing. He was always a large person, weighing around 250 pounds and being 6 feet tall in high school. After graduating from high school Taft went to Yale. After graduating from Yale he continued to study law in Cincinnati.



When William Taft was 34, he became a Federal circuit judge. During this time, Taft was also a Professor of Law at Cincinnati Law School. President McKinley sent Taft to become the chief civil administrator of the Philippines in 1900. The United States had just acquired the Philippines in the Spanish-American War. William Taft was very involved in the Philippines, improving the education system and fixing roads. Then, President Roosevelt made him Secretary of War.


 * Election**

media type="youtube" key="g0Wv2ByabL0" height="349" width="425" "The Farmer and The Republican Party" A speech by William Taft said in Kansas City

In 1907, President Roosevelt decided he wanted Taft to become the next president after him and the Republican Convention nominated him. Taft stayed loyal to Roosevelt, but admitted he disliked campaigning for President. Taft won the election by 159 electoral votes against Democrat William Bryan in 1908.


 * //Accomplishments During Presidency//**

William Taft believed that the presidency had became too powerful. He wanted to not exert his presidential powers as much as his predecessors did.

//Tariffs//

William Taft was very clear and vocal on lowering tariffs. Tariffs are taxes on imports and exports. He put Congress in a special session to get them to pass the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act//,// which lowered the average tariff from 46 to 41 percent.

//Anti-Trust Policies//

Like Roosevelt, he was a big enforcer of anti-trust policies. These were policies that stopped monopolies. The Standard Oil Company and the American Tobacco Company were the two biggest monopolies he broke apart during his term of office.

//Dollar Diplomacy//

William Taft, like Roosevelt, used Dollar Diplomacy. Dollar Diplomacy was giving foreign Latin American and East Asian countries financial aid in order to keep them powerful enough to not have to become controlled by Europe.

//The 16th Amendment//

William Taft proposed the 16th Amendment. This allows Congress to impose an income tax that is not proportional to the census or the States.




 * Post Presidency**

Because of Roosevelt creating the Bull-Moose Party and splitting the Republican vote, Taft did not win the reelection and lost in a devastating fashion. After this he taught Law at Yale. In 1921, he became Chief Justice of the United States. He was very proud of this role, and once said "I do not remember that I ever was President" because he liked it so much. As Chief Justice, he studied how English courts work so fast. With the information he gathered, he proposed the Judiciary Act of 1925, which reduced the amount of cases the Supreme Court had to hear. Taft died in 1930 due to ill health.


 * Conclusion**

William Taft was a President that deserves our respect and admiration. He was always concerned about doing what was best for the country. He lowered tariffs, stopped monopolies, and proposed the 16th amendment. Even after his presidency he was improving the Supreme Court. William Taft is a fine example of a President who improved the country.


 * Footage of William Taft**

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