President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points During World War I

497 Words2 Pages

Woodrow Wilson created the Fourteen Points to be used as peace negotiations in order to end World War I. Woodrow Wilson upheld the idea of the Fourteen Points as he changed the nation's economic and foreign policies post-war. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations and his progressive stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonism. Woodrow Wilson relentlessly pushed his Fourteen Points as the blueprint for ending World War I. He tirelessly advocated for open agreements, economic fairness, and allowing oppressed regions to choose their own fate, known as self-determination. This vision found partial success with the Treaty of Versailles, particularly through the creation of the League of Nations, which embodied his dream …show more content…

This innovative approach marks a significant step forward. The League also successfully resolved smaller conflicts and addressed global issues like human trafficking and refugee crises through its humanitarian efforts. These successes laid the groundwork for future organizations like the United Nations. While President Wilson's Fourteen Points championed ideals like free speech and self-determination, his wartime policies in the US often contradicted them. The Espionage Act, restricting criticism of the war effort, directly clashed with his ideals of diplomacy. During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson used the Sedition Act to criminalize core First Amendment speech that was considered unpatriotic. Congress then passed the Espionage Act that made it so that it was a crime to spread information that could interfere with the United States war effort. Wilson also thought that limiting speech would make it easier to draft people for World War I. Additionally, compromises made during the Treaty of Versailles, such as harsh reparations on Germany, fell short of his vision for a just and lasting