Tuesday, December 13, 2011

What were William H. Taft's major accomplishments?

Taft, whose presidency was generally regarded as less successful than that of his predecessor, Teddy Roosevelt, had success in continuing the trust busting that Roosevelt had started. As the article on Taft's domestic affairs by Peri E. Arnold (see the link below) notes, Taft broke up more trusts than Roosevelt did. He also took on the Standard Oil Company and the American Tobacco Company, which were major conglomerates, and the government won its anti-trust cases against them. He wanted to break up US Steel as well. Under his administration, the Mann-Elkins Act was passed which, as the article below notes, gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) the ability to establish rates for railroads and to regulate telephone rates and other services.
Taft's foreign policy, however, was largely regarded as a failure, as his attempt at "dollar diplomacy," or securing economic advantages abroad for Americans, caused negative reactions in Latin America.
https://millercenter.org/president/taft/domestic-affairs

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