President Taft's Failures

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As I reflect over the past presidents of the United States, I realize that there have been many triumphs, as well as many trials. These successes and failures have influenced the nation to be the way it is in the present time today. President Taft and President Wilson had many accomplishments and failures that I have recently learned about that caused me to reflect on the history of the United States presidents. Through their accomplishments, as well as failures, there is much to be learned and remembered. The history of the President William Howard Taft began when Roosevelt “handpicked his secretary of war” to run for the role of president after Roosevelt. Taft ran as a republican against William Jennings Bryan, and he won an easy victory. …show more content…

It was challenging for him to fill the shadow that President Roosevelt left. With the pressure Taft faced, he definitely made some mistakes. The first was singing the “Payne-Aldrich Tariff.” This tariff was a compromise that only made high rates from the Aldrich Bill become moderate, which was better, but it was not what the people wanted. This angered many progressives that believed Taft was ignoring the liberal group of people in the nation. The president then made this challenge worse by calling the tariff “the best bill the Republican party ever passed.” The people of the United States were outraged by this tariff, but ever more infuriated by the President 's …show more content…

Continuing on with Wilson, there were two key antitrust measures that Congress added. Clayton Antitrust Act comes as the first. In 1914, this act was made to strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. The new Clayton Act did not allow corporation to gain stock to create a monopoly. If a company was to violate the law, its officers were able to be prosecuted. This act also specified the labor unions and farm organizations and gave them the right to exist, but the act would no longer accept antitrust situations. As for the second measure of antitrust, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was set up. This was the agency that was in charge of observing and investigating possible violations. Under Wilson’s control, the FTC found almost 400 orders to companies that were engaged in illegal

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