Progressive Era Presidents Taft and Wilson

1. How did William Howard Taft get selected to run for president?
William Howard Taft was handpicked by Teddy Roosevelt to run for presidency.

2. How did Teddy Roosevelt come to oppose Taft for the presidency in 1912?
Unlike Roosevelt, Taft believed in progressivism and took action cautiously. First Taft did not expand on Roosevelt's reforms but intstead consolidated them. Second progressives believed Taft went against them when he signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff which only moderated the high rates in the Aldrich Bill. They instead wanted him to sign the Payne Bill, which lowered rates on imported manufactured goods. Later the public became furious when this resulted in a higher cost of living. Then Taft angered conservatives by appointing Ballinger, who was against coservative control of western lands, as his secretary. They were further enraged when he fired Pinchot for voicing against Ballinger when he fired an official for going against him. Finally this resulted in controversies within the Republican Party.

3. What events helped Woodrow Wilson win the election in 1912?
First there was a split in the Republican Party. Second Wilson supported the New Freedom. He also supported small businesses and free-market competition; thus being he opposed business monopolies and categorized them as evil.

4. What legislation did Wilson use to attack trusts and monopolies?
The two key antitrust measures that were taking was the Clayton Antitrust Act and Federal Trade Commission Act. The Clayton Antitrust Act tried to strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act by prohibiting corporations from aquiring the stock of another doing so would create a monopoly. The Federal Trade Commission had the power to investigate possible violations of regulatory statutes, to require periodic reports from corporations, and to put an end to unfair business practices.

5. What was the Nineteenth Amendment?
The Nineteenth Amendment was an amendment that allowed women to vote.

6. How did America's entry into World War I affect the reform movement?
When America entered World War I progress of reform had come to a standstill. This lasted throughout Wilson's second term causing an end to the Progressive Era.