Wilson called for an end to secret diplomacy, a reduction of armaments, and freedom of the seas. Wilson's paternal grandparents had immigrated to the United States from Strabane, County … He ultimately took 30 states for 277 electoral votes, while his popular vote margin of 3.1 percent remained the smallest attained by a victorious sitting president until 2004. While not always successful, and ultimately unable to prevent a second world war, the League served as the basis for the United Nations, an international organization still present today. Yet they eventually came to believe that, in contrast to the Concert of Europe, America possessed a superior moral position as the only great nation devoted to the principles of freedom, democracy, and self-determination, and that those ideals could be achieved in a just war. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); World War I both decimated and transformed the modern world, with the United States taking on a major role and seeing numerous changes in its national character and policies. This came to a bloody climax when these alliances clashed and sparked World War I, drawing into conflict not only the great nations of Europe and their colonies, but also the United States. The major issues that arose included the questions of neutrality followed by a call to arms, mobilization, wartime economic changes, civil liberties and racial friction, and immigration. Congress followed with the Sedition Act of 1918, which expressly prohibited speaking, writing, or publishing anything against the government and the war effort of the United States or its allies. Many died in battle, while others succumbed to disease and malnutrition. It was envisioned in December 1916 and brought to President Wilson shortly after America broke off relations with Germany in February 1917, leading to Wilsonâs April request for a declaration of war. The Germans had hoped to negotiate a cease-fire based on principles set forth in a speech given by US president Woodrow Wilson in January 1918. The public was so anti-labor union that in 1922, the Harding administration was able to procure a court injunction to destroy a railroad strike of about 400,000 workers. While U.S. international relations had been mostly limited to engagements with its neighbors to the south and the solidifying of relations with Europe, World War I cast the United States as a major player in a tragic drama that established future geographic boundaries and political powers around the globe, while also helping set the tone for Americaâs own domestic policies and concerns. Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born to a family of Scots-Irish and Scottish descent, in Staunton, Virginia. Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan came into office with little experience in foreign relations but with a determination to base their policy on moral principles rather than the selfish materialism that they believed had animated their predecessors' programs. The man who defeated him in the 1912 presidential campaign, Woodrow Wilson, shared similar views on race, and prominent figures such as Alexander Graham … In the 1920s, American nativists âthose who favored people born in America over naturalized citizens or immigrants who held foreign citizenshipâfocused their attention on Catholics, Jews, and southeastern Europeans. Chicago race riots, 1919: In this photo, a white gang searches for African Americans during the Chicago race riots of 1919. Public sentiment in America favored the British and French forces, but most American voters wanted to remain neutral and avoid direct involvement in the conflict, which was the position taken by Wilson. Woodrow Wilson inspecting troops in London en route to Paris. His Fourteen Points outlined his vision for a safer world. Woodrow Wilson: Impact and Legacy. Women war gardeners, 1918: This photo shows two war gardeners, Washington, D.C., or vicinity, 1918. Understand how World War I changed Americaâs role in the global arena and the effects the war had on domestic issues and policies. World War I resulted in millions of casualties and widespread destruction. The Selective Service Act  of 1917 authorized the government to raise an army for entry into World War I through a draft that drew them into conscripted military service. A dozen or so Republican “Irreconcilables” refused to support it outright, while other Republican senators, led by Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts, insisted on amendments that would preserve U.S. sovereignty and congressional authority to declare war. The organized labor force also suffered a great deal during the 1920s. Americans found themselves in a nation that was vastly changed by World War I. 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, MO 64108 USAGet Directions816.888.8100. Following World War I, America was considered a friend to the regionârather than a colonizer like the European nations that carved it up through Sykes-Picotâresulting in deals with American oil companies to develop the regionâs resources. Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Wilson returned to the United States and presented it to the Senate. The most important proponent of this concept was President Wilson, who in 1917 won the support of a large number of these moralists by framing World War I as, “a war to make the world safe for democracy,” and the time to fight for Progressive ideals. In his war address to Congress on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson spoke of the need for the United States to enter the war in part to “make the world safe for democracy.” Almost a year later, this sentiment remained strong, articulated in a speech to Congress on January 8, 1918, where he introduced his Fourteen Points. The greatest model of these ideals was Wilsonâs Fourteen Points speech, which eventually became the basis for an end to World War I and the establishment of a League of Nations. In the midst of Americaâs war, it also held a polarizing presidential election. The federal government set up a multitude of temporary agencies employing 500,000 to 1 million new workers. 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