Woodrow Wilson's Progressive Ideals

In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal, Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while

Progress is not something that comes very quickly. It is a gradual process that takes time, in the interest of our country and the Progressive Era, more than a decade. The presidents of this time, Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, were like chefs developing a recipe for the betterment of the United States. Every act that was passed, each decision that was made, was a trial or taste-test of the constantly changing recipe for the country. If something angered citizens or drew criticism, the president went back to his office, his kitchen, and was ready to make more changes. Where he left off in the progressive recipe, the next chef took over. He would analyze what had been done, identified his plan of action, and then set to work by either making

The end of World War I left much of America confused on the country’s role in world affairs. Many people believed that the United States should primarily worry about its own issues and problems, and let the world handle their own problems. But President Woodrow Wilson was not one of those people. He believed that the United States should be directly involved in the issues affecting all of the countries of the world. He also wanted the United States to be the country to make a push for a League of Nations. “The people of the United States could act upon no other principle; and to the vindication of this principle they are ready to devote their lives, their honor, and everything that they possess. The normal climax of this the culminating and final war for human liberty has come, and they are ready to put their own strength, their own highest purpose, their own integrity and devotion to the test.” Wilson believed that if the United States needed to be a part of a League of Nations in charge of keeping peace around the world, this would keep America

After America had finally established itself as an industrialized and urbanized nation to be reckoned with, the country had turned to follow a new set of ideologies described as progressive thinking; hence, the following of the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform that spread across the United States, and was in a response to problems that arose from immigration, industrialization, urbanization, and governmental corruption. Following the Presidential Election in 1912, this set of progressive ideologies was most sought after in a presidential candidate. This is one of the main reasons why Woodrow Wilson had won. Although many other candidates had also followed these progressive

World War I was probably history’s worst catastrophe, and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was substantially responsible for the unintended consequences of the war. In 1916, President Wilson narrowly won re-election after campaigning on the slogan, "He kept us out of war; unbeknownst to the country, Wilson’s slogan would not remain true. Although the U.S. played a significant military role only during the last six months of the war, Wilson’s great mistake of joining the war cost the United States more causalities and money than ever necessary.

Woodrow Wilson, served two terms, in the following years, 1913-1921. Before he was president, there were women who were trying to get the write to vote. As in example, in 1848, there was a big convention in Seneca Falls, men and women signed the Decoration of Sentiments to try to end discrimination against women. During Wilson first term (1913-1917), he was lukewarm about the idea of women’s suffrage. The years leading up to the ratification of the 19th amendment, there was the first War World. Suffragist knew it was going to be challenging to try to fight for the right to vote. So,

World War I began in 1914 but America remained neutral until its entrance into the war in 1917. The U-boats sinking of the British liner Lusitania in 1915, the sinking of five American ships in 1917, and the “Zimmerman telegram” sent from Germany to Mexico led up to America’s declaration of war. America’s involvement in World War I not only impacted the war front but also the home front.

World War I also provided women with the means to finally achieve suffrage. Groups such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, enthusiastically joined the war effort, thereby intertwining patriotism and women’s rights. After the House of Representatives passed the women’s suffrage amendment in January 1918, President Wilson told the nation, “We have made partners of the women in this war. Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privilege and right?” (James and Wells, 67-68). True political equality did not result from the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment—very few female candidates were elected in the 1920s—but, in the words of Allen, “the winning of the suffrage had its effect. It consolidated woman’s position as man’s equal” (96).

According to family records, President Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1865 in Staunton, Virginia. He was born to Doctor Joseph Ruggles Wilson, a prominent Presbyterian professor, and Janet Woodrow. Wilson spent most of his childhood in Augusta, Georgia, however he always took pride in being from Virginia. From a young age, Wilson had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong; he also based his decisions on the righteousness of his options, making him to later be one of the most prominent Progressives and reformers. Wilson’s distinguished education background proved to help him with his reforms and Presidency. In 1873 Wilson entered Davidson College in North Carolina, starting his education career. After taking a year off from school, Wilson enrolled in Princeton University in 1875. He graduated in 1879 with academic and extracurricular honors. Within the same year, Wilson enrolled in the law school at the University of Virginia. However, he withdrew from school due to poor health and continued his law studies at home.

During the Progressive Era from 1890-1920, America saw three new presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. This period of time is known as the Progressive Era due to the political and social changes made to move away from a laissez-faire government to a more active government by the administrations of these presidents. Prior to this period, Americans had to suffer through poor working conditions, low wages, social and class inequality and become victims to large corporations that took advantage of the people. In particular, the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson established the key principles and ideas of economic reform and social reform, which would end up returning the power from the manipulative corporations back to the government, establishing a model for a more active role for the federal government, and improve the lives of Americans. However, even though Roosevelt and Wilson had similar intentions of reforming America, they both had different means of achieving it.

This new generation of activists fought with this new agenda for almost 20 years until a few states in the West began to extend the vote to women. The Eastern and Southern states still refused to give in, but this didn’t stop the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1916, Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the NAWSA, worked vigorously to get women’s organizations from all over the country together and fight side by side. “One group of activists, led by Alice Paul and her National Woman’s Party, lobbied for full quality for women under the law” (Divine). She used mass marches and hunger strikes as strategies, but she was eventually forced to resign because of her insistence on the use of militant direct-action tactics (Grolier). Finally, during World War 1, women were given more opportunities to work, and were able to show that they were just as deserving as men when it came to the right to vote. On August 18th, 1920, the 19th amendment was ratified, allowing women to vote. This drawn-out and arduous battle opened a new window of opportunity for women all over the country. Significant changes in both social life and job availability began to create what is now referred to as the “new women.”

The idea of women gaining the right to vote was one such of a tale. Men, and women never thought they would see the day where women were considered equal suffragists. Until August 18, 1920 when the nineteenth amendment was ratified into the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony died before they could see the day where women would become equal. Carrie Chapman Catt worked hand in hand with Susan B. Anthony, and served as the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Alice Paul served as a role model for women. She worked for women’s suffrage while in jail, and proved to her opponents, that the day where women could vote would come. Though these women did not always work together, working towards the same cause allowed them to accomplish their true dream: women’s suffrage.

During the 1920s, the United States was forced into war by the Germans. Germany, attacking and violating with the use of submarines, gave President Woodrow Wilson, who was president during World War I, no other option but to go into war. “We enter this war only where we are clearly forced into it because there are no other means of defending our rights.” (Wilson, 1917). He was a neutral person. Even though he wanted

In the year of 1912, Democrat electoral candidate Woodrow Wilson was running in the Presidential Election against T.R. Roosevelt, W. Taft and E. Debs. After winning by a sland slide, and being nominated as the 28th President of the United State. President Wilson quickly went to work to save this nation from them, thus he created 2 antitrust laws and establishing the first federal bank.

World War 1 was known as the most lethal crusade in ethological history, demanding tens of millions of fatalities on all fronts. During WW1 President Woodrow Wilson justifies his support for American involvement by giving his “World Democracy” (1917) speech in response to German submarines resuming unrestricted submarine warfare. German “U” boats were destroying merchant ships and ocean liners for instance, the RMS Listeria and Arabic off the coast of Europe, in 1915. President Wilson urged congress to declare war, because we should defend democracy and all nations that desire to be free of German blockade and invasion. He outlined his points further in President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points in January (1918). He ensured the United States was moving toward a stable peace and partnership of all governments against Imperialist. He stated the purpose is not to block or injure German power or trade, but to open covenants of diplomacy and peace publicly and unequivocally. Opening trade routes and bringing supplies across the Atlantic became vital to support Allied forces during World War 1 but it was not the only beneficiary of U.S. support. The United States was the largest neural power at the starting point of the war because of our distance from Europe, and American industries and economic capabilities were vastly supplying both sides. When the Germans continues their unrestricted submarine warfare blocking Europe, they also sunk into our investment and trade rights. German Propaganda during this time was unrelatable and peculiar to Americans, who found it easier to sympathize with Great Britain’s and France’s war efforts. The Zimmerman Telegram, in 1917 intercepted by British Intelligence in real time uncovered a secret alliance between Mexico and Germany. The secretary of State Author Zimmerman declared publicly of the note’s authenticity in March. In April he helped generate support for declaring war on Germany. This code was portrayed as one of the utmost compelling the findings in intelligence efforts over the course of the war. This was