The History of the 16th Amendment

by Devin Ellsworth

---

How Did This Amendment Come About?

The ideas for the amendment came from President William Taft.  Before he suggested the amendment, congress had passed many laws for an income tax.  There was one passed during the war of 1812, one during the Civil War, and several others in between and after that.  But the Supreme Court ruled all of them to be unconstitutional.  In the 1890’s, many States began to support the tax.  So president Taft suggested an amendment be passed that would allow a direct income tax.  The amendment was written in response to many court cases involving income tax laws.

 Next