Woodrow Wilson_ Presidential Profile Template

Group One- Jonah, Skye, Irene

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  1. President’s full name - Thomas Woodrow Wilson

II. State in which President was born and State from which he ran for President - Born - Virginia; Ran from New Jersey.

\ III Educational and Occupational background - Wilson had dyslexia and did not learn to read until he was 10 years old. He attended Davidson College and Princeton University. He studied Law at the University of Virginia before earning a PhD in History/government from Johns Hopkins University. He taught at Bryn Mawr college and became president of Princeton before entering politics as a governor of New Jersey.

IV. Dates of the term or terms of office - March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921

V. Issues prominent in each election – Wilson led the country through WW1 and the creation of the League of Nations. He also passed the 19th amendment as the women’s suffrage movement gained traction.

\ Group Two- Claire, Vince

VI. Opponent(s) by term -

  • 1913: Pres. William Howard Taft (Republican Party) and former president Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive "Bull Moose Party”)   * Don’t forget Eugene V. Debs. He also ran for the socialist party. (wasn’t that prominent tho)
  • 1917: Charles Evans Hughes

\ VII. Vice President(s)-Thomas Riley Marshall (1913, 1921)

\ VIII. Political party- Democratic

\ Group Three- Zoe, Raquel, Hugh

\ IX. Major domestic/political happenings during this presidential administration-

  • Led his country into world war 1.
  • During his second term, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. constitution giving women the right to vote was passed and ratified.
  • Also the 18th amendment of prohibition was passed (exporting/importing alcohol was illegal)
  • Appointment of his close friend to the Supreme Court as the first Jewish American to sit on the nation's highest court.
  • Opened the Panama Canal, started airmail service, endorsed the creation of an interstate highway system, appeared in one of the first filmed campaign advertisements, used a microphone for amplification of his voice, and witnessed the first of radio. ( the only important one is really about the panama canal, the others are just cool to know ) kyle patel
  • Federal Reserve system was established

\ Group Four-Ricardo, Bryan, Emily

  1. Major Economic Issue(s) of the Administration or Major Economic Decision(s) made by the Administration-
  • Woodrow Wilson claimed his place within the Progressive movement with his economic reform package, "the New Freedom." This agenda, which passed congress at the end of 1913, included tariff, banking, and labor reforms and introduced the income tax.
  • Created the Federal Reserve and the Federal Trade Commission.
  • Signed in the Underwood-Simmons Act in 1913 that reduced tariffs on manufactured goods and raw materials.
  • Created graduated federal income tax.

Group Five- Justin, Shailyn, Anabella

XI. Major Supreme Court Cases (include brief details of the case, the decision, and the principle established and/or significance of the decision)

  • Truax vs Raich (1915) - struck down a state law that had required employers to hire US citizens as 80% of workforce (this was due to that racial discrimination often related to alien status, so alien status became a suspect classification)
  • Hammer vs Dagenhart (1918) - allowed Congress to enforce child labor laws–stated that Commerce Clause does not grant the power to regulate commerce of interstate commerce of goods produced with child labor (can’t control child labor)
  • Schenck vs US(1919)- The court said that The Espionage Act did not violate the 1st amendment. It was a reasonable use of Congresses in wartime authority.
  • Arver vs US(1918)-. This upheld military conscription and the Selective Service Act. The Supreme Court upheld that conscription did not violate the Thirteenth Amendment's prohibition of involuntary servitude, or the First Amendment's protection of freedom of conscience.

Group Six-Spencer, Daniel, Maggie

XII. Major Foreign Policy Decisions made during this period by the U.S. (include treaties, negotiations, wars, etc.) These decisions should include items that occurred because of presidential or congressional work, and which pertained to foreign affairs.

  • Woodrow Wilson wanted to dismantle the imperial rule in Europe, especially the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to independence. He also wanted to propose a general disarmament after the war with the Germans and the Austrians, causing them to give up their armed forces first. The Treaty of Versailles was created ending the war in which all the countries signed, saying that they had agreed to end the war. Germany was the country that had to take all the war blame for the war. Germany had to reduce the size of their military to nothing and also give up 10 percent of the territories that they owned to the League of Nations

Group Seven- Kayla, Kyle, Patrick

XIII. Major Conflict of this administration (the conflict may be physical, ie. wars, skirmishes, demonstrations etc. or it may be ideological, ie. a conflict of ideas such as Hamilton v. Jefferson, abolitionists v. pro slavery people, the new left of the 1960s v. the “silent majority”). Choose only 1 conflict, the one which you believe had the most impact on this era and this presidency and explain your reasoning.

  • The biggest conflict of Wilson’s administration was World War I. Wilson wanted the United States to be neutral dur0ing World War I, but eventually called Congress to declare war on Germany. After the war, he helped negotiate a peace treaty that included a plan for the League of Nations - 14 points
  • Wilson came into office with a neutral viewpoint on foreign affairs, but America did join the war eventually - Wilson tried to have the US serve as a peacemaker, but he failed numerous times - It was his beginning goal of keeping the US out of the war
  • Woodrow Wilson received a nobel prize as a direct result of his peacemaking efforts
  • Germany made numerous efforts against the US so Wilson declared war on them claiming he wanted to make the world safe for democracy

\ Group Eight- Reid, Oliver, Carver

XIV. Major social events, social happenings, or social movements that occurred during the time of this administration. A slave revolt or a newspaper that began to foster the cause of abolition would fit under this category.
  • 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote
  • Passed laws that prohibited child labor
  • 8-hour workday for railroad workers
  • Appointed first Jewish judge to SC
  • Decision of intervening in ww1
  • Completed the panama canal
  • 17th amendment allowed for direct popular voting of senators
  • Bill created to mandate literacy tests for immigrants and it is very controversial and Wilson vetoed it and then is overridden by congress
  • Georgia grants the KKK a new charter in 1915
  • Espionage act censors what people can say in the US about the military and government
  • 18th amendment was prohibition and was ratified
  • Zimmerman telegram - 1917

\ Group Nine- Molly, Duke, Katie

XVI. Major inventions and/or technological changes that occurred within this era If you were to list the cotton gin as technological, you would not place it under domestic policy.
  • Timing mechanism for shooting machine gun bullets through airplane blades - 1914
  • Radio tuners - 1916
  • Stainless steel - 1916
  • Short-wave radio - 1919
  • Tommy gun - 1920 (John T. Thompson)
  • First transport passenger plane - 1920 (Hugo Junkers)
  • Band-aid - 1920 (Earle Dickson)
  • Polygraph machine - 1921 (John Augustus Larson)

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