1911 State of the Union Address

The 1911 State of the Union Address was written on December 7, 1911, by William Taft, the 27th president of the United States. It was the third address by Taft.

1911 State of the Union Address

Date	December 7, 1911 (1911-12-07)
Venue	House Chamber, United States Capitol
Location	Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′23″N 77°00′32″W
Type	State of the Union Address
Participants	William Taft
Previous	1910 State of the Union Address
Next	1912 State of the Union Address

Themes

In the speech Taft discussed various foreign policy events of the time. Notably his address contained mention of the International Opium Commission, and global progress to curb opium. Also notable in the address was that exports from America reached $2 Billion for the first time in history. Additionally, the President noted the Supreme Court decisions in the matter of the Standard Oil Trust and emphasized that the federal government would continue to enforce its anti-trust laws. About the construction of the Panama Canal, and an exposition called the Panama-Pacific International Exposition to celebrate the Canal, the President said:

In conformity with a joint resolution of Congress, an Executive proclamation was issued last February, inviting the nations of the world to participate in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition to be held at San Francisco to celebrate the construction of the Panama, Canal. A sympathetic response was immediately forthcoming, and several nations have already selected the sites for their buildings. In furtherance of my invitation, a special commission visited European countries during the past summer, and received assurance of hearty cooperation in the task of bringing together a universal industrial, military, and naval display on an unprecedented scale. It is evident that the exposition will be an accurate mirror of the world's activities as they appear 400 years after the date of the discovery of the Pacific Ocean.