American Legends - The Life of Woodrow Wilson

Editors Charles River

Summary

"Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know I am an American." – Woodrow Wilson

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

As one of the most influential men of the 20th century, there is no shortage of adjectives to use when describing Woodrow Wilson’s two terms as president of the United States. Wilson was a pioneer of the Progressive movement both before and during his presidency, becoming a populist champion a generation before Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. He ran for reelection by touting his neutrality during World War I, only to lead his nation into the war and become the architect of a world body that would lead to greater inter-connection among nations. Today Wilson is best remembered for his Fourteen Points, one of the most forceful arguments for an idealistic foreign policy in American history, and his fight for the League of Nations, which set the model for today’s United Nations.

Wilson’s presidency was monumentally consequential, but it is not without its critics, nor is the man himself. Even as Wilson has come to be viewed as one of America’s greatest presidents, perception of Wilson and his administration as racist have also taken hold. Despite being one of the early 20th century’s most forceful proponents of a globalized foreign policy, Wilson’s personal views and comments were ardently anti-immigration, and Wilson’s administration entrenched and expanded segregation in the federal government.

Perhaps the greatest controversy over Wilson’s presidency is the way in which it finished. Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke in 1919 that left him severely incapacitated, and he stayed out of both the public eye and even private eye for the remainder of his term. With his wife Edith keeping him isolated from the Vice President, the Cabinet, and Congressmen, she served as a kind of chief of staff, determining what issues were sent to him and which issues were sent to Cabinet officials. Given questions over his competence after the stroke, it has long been speculated that Edith essentially served as president in her husband’s stead until he left office in 1921.

American Legends: The Life of Woodrow Wilson chronicles the life of the idealistic president, examines his groundbreaking presidency, and analyzes his legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Woodrow Wilson like you never have before, in no time at all.

Available since: 05/06/2025.

Print length: 56 pages.

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