FREE ESSAY ON WILSON

WILSON

In 1856, Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born to Joseph Wilson and Janet Woodrow. Because he was
the son of a Presbyterian minister, the moral ideology of Woodrow Wilson had its
foundation early in his life. It is this moral approach to politics that shaped American
foreign policy for a great part of the twentieth century. 
Wilson was elected president in 1910, as a result of Theodore Roosevelt's Bull Moose
split from the Republican Party. The idealistic governor from New Jersey believed that
the time had come for him to instate moral politics on the American people. Wilson had
little experience in the arena of international politics, this is quite ironic of
Wilson's presidency because, Wilson himself would be chiefly remembered as a world
diplomat, and, his domestic policy would not be long cherished.
To understand Woodrow Wilson's take on politics, one must first review his childhood and
background. Born in the age of slavery, Wilson grew up as a racist. His parents both came
from families of strong Presbyterian influence. Growing up his father would quiz him on
the Bible as well as the orations of men such as Daniel Webster and Charles Lamb. It was
also a result of his Scottish-Irish ancestry that Wilson began to inspect the British
form of government, a government from which he would later try to incorporate ideas into
American democracy. It was here, in his childhood, which the brickwork was laid for
America's leader in World War I. (Walworth 14)
After attending Princeton University, Wilson became the president of the University. He
instituted many reforms including the defeat of the quadrangle system and a development
of a graduate school. His belief was that Princeton was to transform boys performing
meaningless tasks into thinking men. This goal was to be achieved by using the British
model of the preceptorial program . After hearing about this new method of instruction,
many vigorous young teachers flocked to Wilson praising his method. Wilson had now become
the university's Pastor. (Walworth 89)
When a new contract concerning the new graduate school was adopted, the pastor was asked
to leave the university life, he was now ready to enter the political arena. Many
politicians in the state of New Jersey were eager to have Wilson, a democrat, become
involved in politics. Muckrakers had introduced New Jersey as a state conducive to
corporations and the political machines they controlled, and the need for an honest
politician was greater than ever.
At the time when Wilson began his political career, the New Jersey machine was lacking a
democratic candidate that could take the place of strong progressive reformers. In the
1906 election for New Jersey's senator, Wilson had all but conceded defeat, since the
democrats had no viable chance of winning the election, or so he thought. After
conversing with a Princeton classmate, Edwin Stevens, he realized that the bosses were
trying to place Wilson as a candidate to cover up the real problems of the machines.
(Walworth 145)
George Brinton McClellan Harvey was the editor of Harper's Weekly Magazine during the
latter part of Wilson's tenure at Princeton. Harvey is largely responsible for the
governorship of New Jersey. It was Harvey that made a deal with James Smith Jr. Harvey
guaranteed that Wilson would accept the nomination if Smith used his pull in the
Democratic Party to make Wilson the president of the United States (Walworth 151). Wilson
reluctantly accepted the proposal from Harvey and Smith and began the march toward the
presidency.
As soon as Wilson was elected governor of New Jersey, he was seen as the man who would
lead the Democratic Party towards a more righteous end. As governor, Wilson turned and
fought the machines that had, unbeknownst to Wilson, in effect put him in office. When
Smith learned of Wilson's alleged betrayal, he announced his candidacy for re-election to
the United States Senate, Wilson publicly denounced this campaign and had once and for
all, ended the reign of the New Jersey Machine.
The time for the 1912 election was near and a reluctant Woodrow Wilson accepted the
challenge and the Democratic nomination. This was largely due to the crises that were
blooming in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, Wilson campaigned and toured the country
giving the speeches, which he had become famous for. Wilson then secured the democratic
nomination when he earned the support of the influential William Jennings Bryan . Bryan
had respected Wilson and had followed him since the time of his presidential reforms at
Princeton, admired and congratulated him on his quest for governor and now supported him
on his campaign for the presidency, (Walworth 203)
The election of 1912 was one of great significance. The Bull Moose split of Theodore
Roosevelt splintered the republican bloc, and Eugene V. Debbs would run under the
Socialist ticket. The timing was right for a democrat to usurp the presidency and enter
into a new era. Despite the lack of a strong republican candidate, Taft posed little
threat; democrats still pressed toward the voters with vigor. After many speeches and
tours around the nation, Wilson's campaign treasury had run dry. Senator Champ Clark of
Missouri now posed as Wilson's greatest threat for the Democratic choice, and the support
of William Jennings Bryan waned. (Walworth 228)
The Machine politics of Kansas City and New York's Tamanny Hall, put the partisan Clark
ahead of Wilson at the Democratic National Convention. Clark reached 556 votes; a mark
that for the past 68 years meant the candidate received the nomination (Walworth 230). In
n odd turn of events, after New York delegates pledged to Clark, Wilson wrote a message
to be delivered to Bryan stating that he would not accept a nomination donated to him by
the state of New York. Bryan then swayed the Nebraska delegates, as well as much of the
West, toward Wilson with the provision that he would withdraw his support if New York
pledged to Wilson. After intensely swaying votes, Wilson received the democratic
nomination for the office of the president of the United States. (Walworth 234)
In the first election since Lincoln, and only the second since Jefferson, the United
States had a serious third party candidate. As a result of the split in the opposite
party, Wilson triumphed and led the Democratic Party to its first presidency of the
century. Now that the turmoil of the domestic election was over, Wilson could aim his
efforts at the reforms he hoped to impose, as well as the growing tensions in Europe.
Wilson was a progressive and his domestic policy reflected that fact. A champion of the
people and their democracy, Wilson fought against Big Business and the political
influence they had. Wilson wanted to end the era of special treatment of Big Business.
One example of this was Wilson's sought repeal of tariffs, which he believed created
trusts through government. One such tariff was the Payne-Aldrich Tariff. (Diamond 46)
Wilson also sought to reform the banking system. He wanted to end the reign of New York
bankers like J.P. Morgan. His Federal reserve bill allowed the national banking system to
be governed by an altruistic public board, and not by the bankers themselves. J.P Morgan
announced, only after the passing of the bill, that he would give up some of his banking
dictatorships. (Diamond 104). Perhaps Wilson's greatest triumph as a champion for the
common man was his reworking and passing of the Clayton anti-trust act, a bill that
Samuel Gompers called the Magna Carta of labor. This, in effect prohibited the justice
department from prosecuting labor unions under the anti-trust laws. (Diamond 118)
As Wilson's fight against the abuses of business continued, he began his pastoral role
over the American people. This leadership towards righteousness culminated in the passing
of the18th amendment to the constitution. Prohibition of the production and sale of
alcohol was Wilson's greatest achievement in the area of moral legislation. This along,
with his economic reforms, was part of Wilson's plan to create a better society, a more
moral and free society. Along with this new morality came a war in Europe, this would be
Wilson's finest hour. (Diamond 127)
Wilson was an optimist of morality from the south. Always on the forefront of his agenda
was domestic policy. It just so happened that due to circumstances beyond his control
Wilson would have to shift from domestic pastor to the world's priest. Europe was engaged
in a bloody war that soon would involve the United States for a number of economic and
ethical reasons. It was because of this war that Woodrow Wilson faced a far more
complicated foreign situation than any president had before him. As the war came to an
end, the chancellor of Germany had asked Wilson to negotiate a treaty amongst the major
powers. Wilson agreed and, The Treaty of Versailles was on the horizon. The treaty was
more than just the ideological rhetoric of Wilson, but to the European heads it was a
revenge document for ravaging their homes. Wilson was treated as an outsider and often
was not taken seriously. It was at this conference that Wilson presented his fourteen
points, and the infamous League of Nations was set up. (Link 109)
Among Wilson's foreign policy, the key message was the issue of self-determination.
Wilson once said, We must protect the rights of those that cannot protect themselves.
This became the basis of American foreign policy for the next twenty years. Wilson
believed that it was the duty of the United States to intervene in areas where the people
were fighting for their freedom from an unjust government. By U.S. intervention the
peoples of this foreign land would gain their freedom and set up a new democratic
government. Wilson, however, contradicted himself with this policy. In Mexico, the U.S.
intervened to protect it's own interests and prevent a Mexican revolution. The
justification for this was that, Some peoples, Wilson believed, were not fit to govern
themselves properly and they must be shown how to do so. (Link 24)
The League of Nations was also a product of Wilson at Versailles. His dream of a union of
nations devoted to help each other in times of crisis and protect world order became
somewhat of a reality. This league would become a failure in great part because the
United States failed to join. The league was set up to protect the democratic countries
from invasion, but was not able to form its own army. The reason that the United States
failed to join the league was not that it viewed Wilson's self-determination as an ideal
unworthy of pursuit, but rather because of American pride. The United States did not
believe that it should be responsible to an outside force. American sovereignty was
supreme and no one, including Wilson, could say otherwise. (Link 115)
Woodrow Wilson had an interesting climb to the top of the political ladder. The professor
from Princeton became the proctor of America. Through his valiant speeches about moral
legislature and his shrewd attempts at negotiating on the international level, Woodrow
Wilson created an American form of democracy not only run by dollars and cents, but also
held accountable by morals. It is for this reason that Wilson is revered as one of the
greatest presidents in this country's history. Though much of Wilson's ideology has
washed away, much abides. Be it in Vietnam or the Persian Gulf, the idea of
self-determination has influenced United States intervention (along with other factors).
Looking back on the Wilson administration, one must ask, Why was the president of the
United States so involved in the freedom of others? The answer is quite simple: The
United States is a country founded by men revolting against a great power, fighting for
freedom, and the chance to govern themselves. They fought not only for their economic
interests, but for the right bestowed on them as men, the right to be free.