Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points Speech
The United States Presidency has been a rather long-lived yet very controversial system since it’s beginning. American Presidents are held to extremely high standards with their presidency in constant examination from the moment they take office to hundreds of years after their death. Among these historic men is President Thomas Woodrow Wilson (best known simply as Woodrow Wilson), the 28th president of the United States. President Wilson is generally considered to have been a great and successful president, often listed in the top ten most effective presidents (Unger, 2007)). He served for two consecutive terms and led the nation as it entered The Great War. While in office President Wilson managed to successfully bring about great changes
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both on the domestic front and in foreign affairs (the latter particularly in regards to the First World War). Amongst all of the great achievements that he accomplished during his presidency, there are two that stand out as possibly being his greatest successes. The first was his “New Freedom” domestic reform package that he personally presented to congress in his first month of office and began implementing within his first year. The second was the “Fourteen points” speech that he gave during the height of American involvement in World War 1. The New Freedom package (as it’s commonly referred to today) focused primarily on three areas of issue in domestic affairs: tariff reform, business reform, and banking reform. These issues (along with quite a few others) were largely dealt with through the implementation of various programs that formatted different political acts and created commissions, boards, and other such governing organizations (Schlesinger, 2003). Of the three main issues that were addressed under the New Freedom package the tariff reform (being the first that was dealt with) was handled largely through the Underwood-Simmons Act (also known as the Revenue act of 1913 and the Tariff Act). This re-imposed the federal income tax following the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment and lowered basic tariff rates from 40% to 25%. Had The Great War not broken out and affected the entire global economy as it did these changes would likely have strengthened the American economy significantly (Schlesinger, 2003).
The issue of business reform was managed through the Federal Trade Commission Act that (among other things) established the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). When the FTC was initially established it consisted of a bipartisan body of five members appointed by the president of the United States for seven-year terms. This commission was authorized to issue “cease and desist” orders to large corporations in order to curb unfair trade practices that were not uncommon at the time (Schlesinger, 2003). Some of the unfair methods of competition that were targeted included deceptive advertisements and pricing. This legislation also came along with the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 which largely spelt out the specific unfair practices that businesses were not allowed to engage in (Schlesinger, 2003).
The issue of the banking reform was approached first through The Federal Reserve Act and later through the Federal Farm Loan Act. The Federal Reserve Act created and established the Federal Reserve System, which became the central banking system of the United States (Schlesinger, 2003). This legislation also granted it the legal authority to issue Federal Reserve Notes (now known as the U.S. Dollar) and Federal Reserve Bank Notes as legal tender. The Federal Farm Loan Act (which came about three years later in 1916) was aimed at increasing credit to rural family farmers. The act furthered Wilson's reputation against trusts and big businesses: by providing small farmers with competitive loans, they were now more able to compete more with the big businesses (Schlesinger, 2003).
Wilson’s New Freedom package also included a series of other reforms that, while smaller, still affected great change across the nation. He worked with Congress to give federal employees worker's compensation, outlawed child labor with the Keating-Owen Act (though this act was ruled unconstitutional a few years later in 1918) and passed the Adamson Act, which secured a maximum eight-hour workday for railroad employees (Eaton, 1919). Although the Underwood-Simmons Act itself can’t be accurately judged due to the outbreak of World War 1, which upset the entire international economic system, the reforms brought about by the New Freedom package changed the way the majority of domestic affairs in the United States functioned and were dealt with by the government. The New Freedom package was undoubtedly one of Woodrow Wilson’s greatest successes as president. Wilson’s other great success as president was the famous “Fourteen Points” speech that he gave during the American involvement in the First World War.
The speech declared that World War I (specifically the United State’s involvement in it) was being fought for a moral cause (Eaton, 1919). Wilson hoped that by openly announcing this justification for American involvement in the war it would help keep America unlinked from the European nationalistic disputes and ambitions, both during and after the war. Wilson’s Fourteen Points speech was also meant as a preemptive call for peace in Europe after the war ended and was the only explicit statement of war aims by any of the nations that were involved in the active fighting of the war (Unger, 2007). Since it was the only public statement of war aims that was given (as well as being quite fair to every nation involved in the war), it became the basis for the terms of the German surrender at the end of the war. The speech was also widely distributed as an instrument of allied propaganda; copies were dropped behind German lines to encourage the Central Powers to surrender in the expectation of a just settlement (Bowle, 1958). A note reportedly sent to President Wilson by Prince Maximilian of Baden, the German imperial chancellor, in 1918 apparently requested an immediate armistice and peace negotiations on the basis of the Fourteen Points (Eaton,
2007). Before the terms of surrender could be negotiated President Wilson unfortunately became ill at the beginning of the Paris Peace Conference, allowing the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau to advance demands substantially different from Wilson's Fourteen Points (Bowle, 1958). Clemenceau viewed Germany as having unfairly attained an economic victory over France, due in part to the heavy damage German forces dealt to France's industries (even during the German retreat). Coaxed by his negative feelings towards Germany and empowered by President Wilson’s being of unsuitable health to push his Fourteen Points during the conference, Clemenceau was able to thrust his own demands into the final version of the Treaty of Versailles. Because the text of the Fourteen Points had been widely distributed in Germany prior to the end of the war, and was well known by the Germans, the differences between the Fourteen points and the final version of the Treaty fueled great anger in Germany (Schlesinger, 2007). The German outrage over reparations (such as the ones present in the War Guilt Clause of the Treaty) is viewed as a likely contributing factor to the rise of National Socialism. Even when looking at the Fourteen Points speech as an independent structure separate from the First World War it is an amazing and inspiring discourse as to the importance of peace and the United States desire to achieve peace. It addresses issues that were not only spawned by the events of the war but also calls for the final resolution of issues, such as the ownership of the Alsace-Lorraine region, that had been, as President Wilson put it, “[unsettling] the peace of the world for nearly fifty years” (Eaton, 1919). Although the Fourteen Points ended up not being the true terms of peace for the wars end it was undoubtedly an amazing speech that was one of President Woodrow Wilson’s shining successes. The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson ends on an unfortunate note, for after suffering from a stroke and he was left with a greatly diminished level of power and influence. His legacy however lives on. He infused such a sense of moralism into his international politics that it even coined a new term: Wilsonian. He was even awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize (Bowle, 1958). He is constantly ranked as one of the top ten United States presidents to have ever served in office and all of that was brought about in no small measure by two of his greatest successes: the New Freedom package and the Fourteen Points.
both on the domestic front and in foreign affairs (the latter particularly in regards to the First World War). Amongst all of the great achievements that he accomplished during his presidency, there are two that stand out as possibly being his greatest successes. The first was his “New Freedom” domestic reform package that he personally presented to congress in his first month of office and began implementing within his first year. The second was the “Fourteen points” speech that he gave during the height of American involvement in World War 1. The New Freedom package (as it’s commonly referred to today) focused primarily on three areas of issue in domestic affairs: tariff reform, business reform, and banking reform. These issues (along with quite a few others) were largely dealt with through the implementation of various programs that formatted different political acts and created commissions, boards, and other such governing organizations (Schlesinger, 2003). Of the three main issues that were addressed under the New Freedom package the tariff reform (being the first that was dealt with) was handled largely through the Underwood-Simmons Act (also known as the Revenue act of 1913 and the Tariff Act). This re-imposed the federal income tax following the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment and lowered basic tariff rates from 40% to 25%. Had The Great War not broken out and affected the entire global economy as it did these changes would likely have strengthened the American economy significantly (Schlesinger, 2003).
The issue of business reform was managed through the Federal Trade Commission Act that (among other things) established the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). When the FTC was initially established it consisted of a bipartisan body of five members appointed by the president of the United States for seven-year terms. This commission was authorized to issue “cease and desist” orders to large corporations in order to curb unfair trade practices that were not uncommon at the time (Schlesinger, 2003). Some of the unfair methods of competition that were targeted included deceptive advertisements and pricing. This legislation also came along with the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 which largely spelt out the specific unfair practices that businesses were not allowed to engage in (Schlesinger, 2003).
The issue of the banking reform was approached first through The Federal Reserve Act and later through the Federal Farm Loan Act. The Federal Reserve Act created and established the Federal Reserve System, which became the central banking system of the United States (Schlesinger, 2003). This legislation also granted it the legal authority to issue Federal Reserve Notes (now known as the U.S. Dollar) and Federal Reserve Bank Notes as legal tender. The Federal Farm Loan Act (which came about three years later in 1916) was aimed at increasing credit to rural family farmers. The act furthered Wilson's reputation against trusts and big businesses: by providing small farmers with competitive loans, they were now more able to compete more with the big businesses (Schlesinger, 2003).
Wilson’s New Freedom package also included a series of other reforms that, while smaller, still affected great change across the nation. He worked with Congress to give federal employees worker's compensation, outlawed child labor with the Keating-Owen Act (though this act was ruled unconstitutional a few years later in 1918) and passed the Adamson Act, which secured a maximum eight-hour workday for railroad employees (Eaton, 1919). Although the Underwood-Simmons Act itself can’t be accurately judged due to the outbreak of World War 1, which upset the entire international economic system, the reforms brought about by the New Freedom package changed the way the majority of domestic affairs in the United States functioned and were dealt with by the government. The New Freedom package was undoubtedly one of Woodrow Wilson’s greatest successes as president. Wilson’s other great success as president was the famous “Fourteen Points” speech that he gave during the American involvement in the First World War.
The speech declared that World War I (specifically the United State’s involvement in it) was being fought for a moral cause (Eaton, 1919). Wilson hoped that by openly announcing this justification for American involvement in the war it would help keep America unlinked from the European nationalistic disputes and ambitions, both during and after the war. Wilson’s Fourteen Points speech was also meant as a preemptive call for peace in Europe after the war ended and was the only explicit statement of war aims by any of the nations that were involved in the active fighting of the war (Unger, 2007). Since it was the only public statement of war aims that was given (as well as being quite fair to every nation involved in the war), it became the basis for the terms of the German surrender at the end of the war. The speech was also widely distributed as an instrument of allied propaganda; copies were dropped behind German lines to encourage the Central Powers to surrender in the expectation of a just settlement (Bowle, 1958). A note reportedly sent to President Wilson by Prince Maximilian of Baden, the German imperial chancellor, in 1918 apparently requested an immediate armistice and peace negotiations on the basis of the Fourteen Points (Eaton,
2007). Before the terms of surrender could be negotiated President Wilson unfortunately became ill at the beginning of the Paris Peace Conference, allowing the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau to advance demands substantially different from Wilson's Fourteen Points (Bowle, 1958). Clemenceau viewed Germany as having unfairly attained an economic victory over France, due in part to the heavy damage German forces dealt to France's industries (even during the German retreat). Coaxed by his negative feelings towards Germany and empowered by President Wilson’s being of unsuitable health to push his Fourteen Points during the conference, Clemenceau was able to thrust his own demands into the final version of the Treaty of Versailles. Because the text of the Fourteen Points had been widely distributed in Germany prior to the end of the war, and was well known by the Germans, the differences between the Fourteen points and the final version of the Treaty fueled great anger in Germany (Schlesinger, 2007). The German outrage over reparations (such as the ones present in the War Guilt Clause of the Treaty) is viewed as a likely contributing factor to the rise of National Socialism. Even when looking at the Fourteen Points speech as an independent structure separate from the First World War it is an amazing and inspiring discourse as to the importance of peace and the United States desire to achieve peace. It addresses issues that were not only spawned by the events of the war but also calls for the final resolution of issues, such as the ownership of the Alsace-Lorraine region, that had been, as President Wilson put it, “[unsettling] the peace of the world for nearly fifty years” (Eaton, 1919). Although the Fourteen Points ended up not being the true terms of peace for the wars end it was undoubtedly an amazing speech that was one of President Woodrow Wilson’s shining successes. The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson ends on an unfortunate note, for after suffering from a stroke and he was left with a greatly diminished level of power and influence. His legacy however lives on. He infused such a sense of moralism into his international politics that it even coined a new term: Wilsonian. He was even awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize (Bowle, 1958). He is constantly ranked as one of the top ten United States presidents to have ever served in office and all of that was brought about in no small measure by two of his greatest successes: the New Freedom package and the Fourteen Points.