1. 27th American President: William Howard Taft

2. Rise to Presidency Roosevelt not to run for reelection
Supports Taft as his Progressive successor
With Roosevelt’s support Taft won the Republican nomination

3. Election of 1908
· In the 1908 campaign, Taft was chosen by Theodore Roosevelt as his successor to continue “[his] policies]”
Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan of the Democratic Party, polling 321 electoral votes to 162 for Bryan (Socialist Eugene V. Debs surprisingly earned 420,793 votes)

4. The Ordeal of William Howard Taft
Conservative Republicans resurge
Taft loses support of the Progressives

5. Party Insurgency Taft = Progressive
However his policies differed from mainstream Progressive politics
Real “trustbuster”

6. Tariff: Historical Patterns

7. William Taft’s Successes
He was known as one of the foremost advocates of world peace and arbitration.
President Taft signed a law to make New Mexico and Arizona states since they were territories. He also signed a law to let the state choose their own senates.
In 1909, the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act passed. This changed the tariff rates from 46 to 41%.
One of Taft’s key policies was known as Dollar Diplomacy. This was the idea that America would use the military and diplomacy to help promote U.S. business interests overseas. For example, in 1912 Taft sent marines to Nicaragua to help stop a rebellion against the government because it was friendly to American business interests.
Following Roosevelt into office, Taft continued to enforce antitrust laws. He was key in bringing down the Standard Oil Company in Also during Taft’s term in office, the sixteenth amendment was passed that allowed the U.S. to collect income taxes. 
Building of most of the Panama Canal
He also had peacefully settled a number of international disputes, launched the most ambitious attempt yet made to obtain world peace, and steadily maintained a policy of neutrality toward Mexico.

8. Tariff Splinters Republicans
Progressives: high tariff favors trusts
Conservatives: high tariff protects business
1909 Payne-Aldrich Act provokes Progressives

9. William Taft’s Failures
His inability to obtain Canadian reciprocity and general arbitration treaties
His poor handling of the Ballinger-Pinchot affair
He was unable to follow the Roosevelt policies, ultimately leading to the split of the Republican Party
Alienated some members of his administration
His treatment of the insurgents, which split his party and allowed Democrats and progressive Republicans to win Congress in 1910 and the presidency and Congress in 1912.
He failed to earn profits for American business or obtain economic and political stability or peace
His parsimoniousness, he did little to strengthen the military power of the nation.
He refused to do anything for blacks or to grant independence to the Filipinos

10. One Word: Inconsistent
Had a campaign promise to lower the tariffs but was ultimately defied with the Payne-Aldrich Bill that was passed (also partly influenced by his passivity and inactiveness), which increased tariffs instead
So-called supposedly conservationist Taft supported Richard Ballinger in his opening of public lands in Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska to corporate development, and dismissed fellow conservationist Chief Gifford Pinchot of the Agriculture Department’s Division of Forestry who was definitely not in favor of the act
Trusted by Theodore Roosevelt to continue his policies but later challenged it and became his rival
Considered himself a “progressive” but ultimately sided with the Old Guard anyway