William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the united States. Holding this title alone is a major accomplishment and one of the most powerful positions that you can have. However, Taft was one of the presidents that did not overstep his place and was not looking to wield his power. He was a president that was looking to push the country further. There was a lot of progress that was made with Taft at the helm. It is important to take a closer look at the contributions of Taft and to see what his major accomplishments really were. Here are a few of the major accomplishments of William Howard Taft.
Tax
You might not be a fan of taxes, but they changed many things for this country and it was under Taft that the ability for the government to tax the population was granted. This means that Taft was a huge factor in tax reform and the taxes as we know them today got their start under Taft. This was government reform that Taft was able to pass during the beginning of his presidency. Even though he passed tax reform, it did not hamper his popularity with the people.
Liquor Act
Another Act that he was a proponent of involved the ability for liquor to be brought into dry states. He signed an Act into law that would make it illegal for liquor to be shipped into dry states, which means that he was one of the biggest reasons why dry states lasted for as long as they did.
Railroads
When Taft took over as president, it was a very trying time and the Interstate Commerce Commission was struggling. However, Taft was able to take over the negotiations that they were having with the railroads at the time. This allowed him to get better prices from the railroads. This was a major benefit for the commerce and was viewed as a major success during his presidency. His ability to take control of these negotiations is something that showed his real power.
Postal Service
Not only did he play a role in railroad rates, but Taft was also instrumental in propelling the US postal service through. There was a time when the postal service was failing, but Taft did everything in his power to save it. He was a big proponent of civil reform and made sure that the Postal service succeeded as a result.