Difference between revisions of "Woodrow Wilson"

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Wilson also had this to say about the Bible: <blockquote>"The Bible... is the one supreme source of revelation of meaning of life, of the nature of God and the spiritual nature and need of men.  It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation.<ref>The Rebirth of America (1986), Arthur S. DeMoss, Pg. 37</ref></blockquote>
 
Wilson also had this to say about the Bible: <blockquote>"The Bible... is the one supreme source of revelation of meaning of life, of the nature of God and the spiritual nature and need of men.  It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation.<ref>The Rebirth of America (1986), Arthur S. DeMoss, Pg. 37</ref></blockquote>
 
==Democracy==   
 
==Democracy==   
−
Wilson advocated a new international order founded on self-determination, democracy, unfettered international commerce, and a worldwide organization of states - the League of Nations. Wilson framed American participation in the war as the first step in ending all wars.
+
Wilson advocated a new international order founded on self-determination, democracy, unfettered international commerce, and a worldwide organization of states - the League of Nations. Wilson framed American participation in the war as the first step in ending all wars.  Although 'Wilsonian nationalism' has been blamed for the nationalistic emphasis on race and territory in Europe during the 1920's and 1930's, Wilson's policies had actually used ethnic and territorial issues to encourage self-determination and the development of democracy in postwar nations.  
  
 
Woodrow Wilson's most lasting political philosophy was his view that [[democracy]] should be installed around the world.  As a major player in setting the terms to end World War I, he helped to break up the [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian-Hungarian Empire]] to advance his goal of installing democracy for each ethnic subpopulation.  Similar independence was granted with the breakup of the [[Ottoman Empire]].  Many of these new nations were receiving self determination for the first time in centuries.  Wilson's view of installing democracy worldwide has since been copied by the [[neoconservatives]].  Wilson was awarded the 1919 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for his efforts to start the [[League of Nations]].
 
Woodrow Wilson's most lasting political philosophy was his view that [[democracy]] should be installed around the world.  As a major player in setting the terms to end World War I, he helped to break up the [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian-Hungarian Empire]] to advance his goal of installing democracy for each ethnic subpopulation.  Similar independence was granted with the breakup of the [[Ottoman Empire]].  Many of these new nations were receiving self determination for the first time in centuries.  Wilson's view of installing democracy worldwide has since been copied by the [[neoconservatives]].  Wilson was awarded the 1919 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for his efforts to start the [[League of Nations]].

Revision as of 03:07, November 25, 2009

Woodrow Wilson
200px
28th President of the United States
Term of office
March 4, 1913 - March 4, 1921[1]
Political party Democratic
Vice President Thomas R. Marshall
Preceded by William Howard Taft
Succeeded by Warren G. Harding
Born December 28, 1856
Staunton, Virginia
Died February 3, 1924
Washington, D.C.
Spouse Ellen Axson Wilson
Edith Galt Wilson
Religion Presbyterian

Woodrow Wilson (born Thomas Woodrow Wilson, 1856 - 1924), a Democrat, was elected as the 28th President of the United States of America, and reelected in 1916, serving from 1913 to 1921. An intellectual leader of the Progressive Movement, Wilson demonstrated his mastery over Congress by creating the Federal Reserve System, lowering the tariff, and revising the antitrust laws. Trying repeatedly and failing to broker peace during World War I, Wilson in 1917 led the United States into the war. He set up a draft and trained millions of soldiers, sending the American Expeditionary Forces to France under the command of General John J. Pershing. Wilson played a dominant role in ending the war with his Fourteen Points and played the central role at the Versailles Conference that set the peace terms in 1919. He failed to obtain Senate approval for the Versailles treaty because it required American entry into the League of Nations.

Wilson's idealistic foreign policy, called "Wilsonianism" sought to end militarism as a force in world affairs, vigorously promote national self determination, create international bodies to head off serious disputes, and use American resources to promote democracy. Wilsonianism (and "idealism" generally) is opposed to "realism" in foreign policy, which stresses a concern for American self-interest, especially in economic and military terms. Wilsonianism has been a major feature of the foreign policy of George W. Bush (2001-2009).

Family

Woodrow Wilson was the son of Joseph Ruggles Wilson (1822-1903), born in Ohio, was a Presbyterian minister of Scotch Irish descent. Woodrow's mother Jesse was born in Carlisle, England, to a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister; her family moved to Canada in 1835 and Ohio in 1837. Woodrow's parents moved South in 1851, owned house slaves, and identified with the South. Joseph Wilson, a theologian, defended slavery and soon emerged as a leader of the Southern Presbyterian Church and an avid supporter of the Confederacy.[2]

Joseph Wilson's father was James Wilson, who immigrated to the United States from northern Ireland in 1807 and was first an editor of the Jeffersonian Republican newspaper the Aurora in Philadelphia, and later published Whig newspapers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Since his father had been ostracized by the northern relatives, Woodrow had no contact with his grandfather or uncles, who were active in antislavery Republican politics in Ohio and Pennsylvania.[3]

Woodrow grew up in the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction his father was a chaplain for the Confederate army. Woodrow saw the humiliation, economic ruin and shame that the loser of a war experiences and the hatred that grows from this, as well as the rampant corruption during Reconstruction in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina.

In 1885 Wilson married Ellen Louise Axson (May 15, 1860 – August 6, 1914), the daughter of a Presbyterian minister in Savannah, Georgia. She was an accomplished painter and a successful hostess; they had three daughters.[4]

Education

Woodrow studied at Davidson College in North Carolina in 1873-1874 and at Princeton University from 1875 to 1879. he proved a exceptional student, primarily interested in debate and politics. He was an editor of the Princetonian and wrote his senior thesis on "Cabinet Government in the United States;" it was later published. The essay stressed the superior qualities of the British cabinet system and said it ought to be tried in the United States.[5] After graduation in 1879 he studied law at the University of Virginia; he was admitted to the bar and practiced in Atlanta, in 1882. Wilson's interest in scholarship led him in 1883 to enter the new Johns Hopkins University graduate school where he studied government and history, taking a PhD in 1885.[6]. In 1885 he published his influential treatise Congressional Government, based on his PhD dissertation. It set a new standard in analyzing the actual workings of the federal government with striking clarity and thoroughness. Although Wilson had never visited Congress, his emphasis on the centrality of committees in Congress was a major contribution to the study of political science.

College Professor

In 1885 Wilson was appointed instructor in in history at Bryn Mawr College, an elite Quaker school near Philadelphia, as a salary of $1500 a year (which was enough to hire a servant). In 1888 he moved to Wesleyan University in Connecticut. His reputation as an outstanding leader in political science brought him a professorship of jurisprudence and political economy at Princeton University in 1890. For the next twelve years he taught at Princeton, popular alike with students and faculty. By 1902, when he was elected president of the university, he was the author of numerous influential books and essays, including a five-volume history of the United States and a life of George Washington. By 1910 when internal politics at princeton forced him to move into state politics, he was nationally known as a leader of the Progressive Movement.

Election of 1912

William Frank McCombs, a New York lawyer and a a friend from college days, instigated and managed Wilson's campaign for president in 1912. Much of Wilson's support came from the South, especially from young progressive professionals. Wilson managed to maneuver through the complexities of local politics. For example, in Tennessee the Democratic Party was divided on the issue of prohibition. Wilson was progressive and sober, but not a dry, and appealed to both sides. They united behind him to win the presidential election in the state, but divided over state politics and lost the gubernatorial election.[7]

At the convention deadlock went on for over 40 ballots as a two-thirds vote was needed. A leading opponent was House Speaker Champ Clark, a prominent progressive strongest in the border states. Other contenders were Judson Harmon of Ohio, and Oscar Underwood of Alabama. They lacked Wilson's charisma and dynamism. Clark was supported by publisher William Randolph Hearst, a leader of the left-wing of the party. The critical role was played by William Jennings Bryan, the nominee in 1896, 1900 and 1908, who blocked the nomination of any candidate who had the support of 'the financiers of Wall Street.' He finally announced for Wilson, who won on the 46th.[8]


Wilson enjoyed the support of many black leaders including W.E.B. DuBois (a liberal at the time). Wilson's speeches and letters expressed the sentiments of a defender of the underprivileged. However the rejoicing over Wilson's victory was short-lived among blacks as segregationist white Southerners took control of Congress and many executive departments.[9]

In the campaign Wilson promoted the "New Freedom," emphasizing limited federal government and opposition to monopoly powers--positions that he reversed on coming to office.

President William Howard Taft defeated ex-President Theodore Roosevelt in a bitter contest for the Republican nomination, but Roosevelt walked out of the Republican convention and ran as a third party candidate. Wilson's success in the electoral college was assured, despite his 41.8% of the popular vote.[10].

Wilson was the first southerner elected president since Zachary Taylor in 1848, and much of his political base came from young progressives in that region, especially intellectuals, editors and lawyers.[11]

Wilson and religion

"Wilson, a liberal's liberal, was a Presbyterian elder who read the Bible daily; he felt 'sorry for the men who do not read the Bible every day.' The Bible, he argued, was 'the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life.' Wilson was prone to make explicitly Christian claims about his nation, even excluding the word Judeo from his characterization of the nation's religious heritage. 'America was born a Christian nation,' claimed the great liberal in 1913. 'America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.' "[12]

Wilson also had this to say about the Bible:

"The Bible... is the one supreme source of revelation of meaning of life, of the nature of God and the spiritual nature and need of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation.[13]

Democracy

Wilson advocated a new international order founded on self-determination, democracy, unfettered international commerce, and a worldwide organization of states - the League of Nations. Wilson framed American participation in the war as the first step in ending all wars. Although 'Wilsonian nationalism' has been blamed for the nationalistic emphasis on race and territory in Europe during the 1920's and 1930's, Wilson's policies had actually used ethnic and territorial issues to encourage self-determination and the development of democracy in postwar nations.

Woodrow Wilson's most lasting political philosophy was his view that democracy should be installed around the world. As a major player in setting the terms to end World War I, he helped to break up the Austrian-Hungarian Empire to advance his goal of installing democracy for each ethnic subpopulation. Similar independence was granted with the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. Many of these new nations were receiving self determination for the first time in centuries. Wilson's view of installing democracy worldwide has since been copied by the neoconservatives. Wilson was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to start the League of Nations.

Wilson's image appeared on the now-withdrawn $100,000 bill.

References

  1. ↑ http://home.comcast.net/~sharonday7/Presidents/AP060301.htm
  2. ↑ In the 1880s Joseph Wilson argued at length that evolution was NOT in conflict with the Bible; he was thereupon forced out as head of the Presbyterian seminary in South Carolina. See Fred Kingsley Elder, Woodrow: Apostle of Freedom (1996) online review
  3. ↑ Francis P. Weisenburger, "The Middle Western Antecedents of Woodrow Wilson," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Dec., 1936), pp. 375-390 Published by: Organization of American Historians in JSTOR
  4. ↑ See White House biography of Ellen Louise Axson Wilson
  5. ↑ Edward S. Corwin, "Woodrow Wilson and the Presidency," Virginia Law Review, Vol. 42, No. 6 (Oct., 1956), pp. 761-783 in JSTOR. It was published in a journal edited by Henry Cabot Lodge, who became Wilson's bitter enemy in 1919.
  6. ↑ Wilson is the only president to earn a PhD.
  7. ↑ Arthur S. S. Link, "Democratic Politics and the Presidential Campaign of 1912 in Tennessee," East Tennessee Historical Society's Publications 1979 51: 114-137
  8. ↑ Arthur S. Link, "The Baltimore Convention of 1912," American Historical Review 1945 50(4): 691-713 in JSTOR
  9. ↑ Nancy J. Weiss, "The Negro and the New Freedom: Fighting Wilsonian Segregation," Political Science Quarterly 1969 84(1): 61-79, in JSTOR
  10. ↑ Lewis L. Gould, Four Hats in the Ring: The 1912 Election and the Birth of Modern American Politics, (2008); Link (1947)
  11. ↑ Arthur S. Link, "Woodrow Wilson: The American as Southerner," Journal of Southern History, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Feb., 1970), pp. 3-17 in JSTOR Andrew Johnson was not elected; he moved from vice president to president after Lincoln's death in 1865.
  12. ↑ God and George W. Bush (New York: Regan Books, 2004), p. 175
  13. ↑ The Rebirth of America (1986), Arthur S. DeMoss, Pg. 37

Bibliography

Biography

  • Brands, H. W. Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921'’ (2003)
  • Hofstadter, Richard. "Woodrow Wilson: The Conservative as Liberal" in The American Political Tradition (1948), ch. 10. influential essay; at ACLS E-books
  • Link, Arthur S. "Woodrow Wilson" in Henry F. Graff ed., The Presidents: A Reference History (2002) pp 365-388
  • Link, Arthur Stanley. Wilson: The Road to the White House (1947), first volume of standard biography (to 1917); Wilson: The New Freedom (1956); Wilson: The Struggle for Neutrality: 1914-1915 (1960); Wilson: Confusions and Crises: 1915-1916 (1964); Wilson: Campaigns for Progressivism and Peace: 1916-1917 (1965), the last volume of standard biography
  • Walworth, Arthur. Woodrow Wilson 2 Vol. (1958); Pulitzer prize winning biography vol 1 online

Domestic affairs and ideas

  • Abrams, Richard M. "Woodrow Wilson and the Southern Congressmen, 1913-1916," Journal of Southern History, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Nov., 1956), pp. 417-437 in JSTOR
  • Clements, Kendrick A. The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson (1992), covers domestic and foreign policies
  • Corwin, Edward S. "Woodrow Wilson and the Presidency," Virginia Law Review, Vol. 42, No. 6 (Oct., 1956), pp. 761-783 in JSTOR
  • Cuff, Robert D. "Woodrow Wilson and Business-Government Relations during World War I," Review of Politics, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Jul., 1969), pp. 385-407 [ttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1406552 in JSTOR]
  • Curti, Merle. "Woodrow Wilson's Concept of Human Nature," Midwest Journal of Political Science, Vol. 1, No. 1 (May, 1957), pp. 1-19 in JSTOR
  • Daniel, Marjorie L. "Woodrow Wilson--Historian," The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Dec., 1934), pp. 361-374 in JSTOR
  • Dimock, Marshall E. "Woodrow Wilson as Legislative Leader," The Journal of Politics, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Feb., 1957), pp. 3-19 in JSTOR
  • Link, Arthur S. Woodrow Wilson and the Progressive Era, 1910-1917 (1954), remains the standard history of his first term.
  • Link, Arthur S. "Woodrow Wilson: The American as Southerner," Journal of Southern History, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Feb., 1970), pp. 3-17 in JSTOR
  • Link, Arthur S. "Woodrow Wilson and the Democratic Party," Review of Politics, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1956), pp. 146-156 in JSTOR cover 1913-14
  • Livermore, Seward W. Woodrow Wilson and the War Congress, 1916-1918 (1966)
  • Lunardini, Christine A.. and Thomas J. Knock. "Woodrow Wilson and Woman Suffrage: A New Look," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 95, No. 4 (Winter, 1980-1981), pp. 655-671 in JSTOR
  • Macmahon, Arthur W. "Woodrow Wilson as Legislative Leader and Administrator," American Political Science Review, Vol. 50, No. 3 (Sep., 1956), pp. 641-675 in JSTOR
  • Malin, James C. The United States after the World War (1930)
  • Pestritto, Ronald J. ed. Woodrow Wilson and the roots of modern liberalism (2005) ISBN: 0742515176' argues Wilson subverted the ideas of the Founders by his progressivism
  • Saunders, Robert M. In Search of Woodrow Wilson: Beliefs and Behavior (1998)
  • Turner, Henry A. "Woodrow Wilson and Public Opinion," Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Winter, 1957-1958), pp. 505-520 in JSTOR
  • Wolgemuth, Kathleen L. "Woodrow Wilson and Federal Segregation," The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr., 1959), pp. 158-173 in JSTOR
  • Weinstein, Edwin A., James William Anderson and Arthur S. Link. "Woodrow Wilson's Political Personality: A Reappraisal," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 93, No. 4 (Winter, 1978-1979), pp. 585-598 at JSTOR
  • Wolfe, Christopher. "Woodrow Wilson: Interpreting the Constitution," Review of Politics, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan., 1979), pp. 121-142 in JSTOR
  • Woodward, Carl R. "Woodrow Wilson's Agricultural Philosophy," Agricultural History, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct., 1940), pp. 129-142 in JSTOR

Foreign policy

  • Ambrosius, Lloyd E., “Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush: Historical Comparisons of Ends and Means in Their Foreign Policies,” Diplomatic History, 30 (June 2006), 509–43.
  • Bailey; Thomas A. Wilson and the Peacemakers: Combining Woodrow Wilson and the Lost Peace and Woodrow Wilson and the Great Betrayal (1947)
  • Clements, Kendrick, A. Woodrow Wilson: World Statesman (1999)
  • Clements, Kendrick A. The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson (1992), covers foreign policy
  • Clements, Kendrick A. "Woodrow Wilson and World War I," Presidential Studies Quarterly 34:1 (2004). pp 62+.
  • Davis, Donald E. and Eugene P. Trani; The First Cold War: The Legacy of Woodrow Wilson in U.S.-Soviet Relations (2002)
  • Gaughan, Anthony. "Woodrow Wilson and the Rise of Militant Interventionism in the South ," Journal of Southern History, Vol. 65, No. 4 (Nov., 1999), pp. 771-808 in JSTOR
  • Greene, Theodore P. ed. Wilson at Versailles (1957)
  • Henderson, Peter V. N. "Woodrow Wilson, Victoriano Huerta, and the Recognition Issue in Mexico," The Americas, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Oct., 1984), pp. 151-176 in JSTOR
  • Knock, Thomas J. To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order (1995)
  • Kimitada, Miwa. "Japanese Opinions on Woodrow Wilson in War and Peace," Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 22, No. 3/4 (1967), pp. 368-389 in JSTOR
  • Levin, Jr., N. Gordon Woodrow Wilson and World Politics: America's Response to War and Revolution (1968)
  • Link, Arthur Stanley. Woodrow Wilson and the Progressive Era, 1910-1917 (1972) sumarizes diplomatic history
  • Link, Arthur S.; Wilson the Diplomatist: A Look at His Major Foreign Policies (1957)
  • Link, Arthur S.; Woodrow Wilson and a Revolutionary World, 1913-1921 (1982)
  • May, Ernest R. The World War and American Isolation, 1914-1917 (1959)
  • Sandos, James A. "Pancho Villa and American Security: Woodrow Wilson's Mexican Diplomacy Reconsidered," Journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Nov., 1981), pp. 293-311 in JSTOR
  • Trani, Eugene P. “Woodrow Wilson and the Decision to Intervene in Russia: A Reconsideration.” Journal of Modern History (1976). 48:440—61. in JSTOR
  • Walworth, Arthur. Wilson and His Peacemakers: American Diplomacy at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 online edition

Historiography

Primary sources

External links


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