The Democratic Party as we know it today begins here—with the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. Until the 1912 presidential election, the Democrats had been the party of Jefferson and Jackson, of small government, states’ rights, the party against centralized banks and organized labor and, when it came to business monopolies and trusts, decidedly laissez faire. Beginning with the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, that changed. The Progressive Era started by William McKinley and took flight with Theodore Roosevelt, was embraced and expanded by our 28th president. “The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson” by Hendrick A. Clements, is a tale of two presidential terms--the highly successful first term involving Wilson’s progressive domestic agenda, and his less-than-stellar second term involving Wilson’s foreign policy. While he admires Woodrow Wilson, Professor Clements isn’t bashful about examining his shortcomings. Clements' writing is crisp and brisk, ever advancing the narrative.
Woodrow Wilson was a man of exceptional intellect, and the first and only president with a doctorate degree (in political science). While a bit stiff and humorless, Wilson had charisma and could be extremely persuasive. He moved up quickly through the ranks of college professors. From 1902 to 1910 he served as president of Princeton University, establishing a reputation as a reform-minded thinker. Recruited by the Democratic Party of New Jersey, he won election as state governor 1910. In 1912, a political novice just two years removed from academia, Wilson was nominated for president by the Democrats. In a three-way race with Roosevelt and incumbent William Taft, Wilson ascended to the presidency in only the second election of his life.
Wilson received a heavy assist from "The People's Lawyer," crusading reformer (and future Supreme Court Justice) Louis Brandeis. If Wilson had any doubt about his progressive vision for American, Brandeis encourage his message and helped to push his reform agenda through Congress. Among the progressive bills passed: the Federal Reserve Act, which greatly enhanced the government’s ability to control the nation’s money supply; the creation of the Federal Trade Commission, designed to guarantee fairness in the way the nation’s goods and services were bought and sold; and a law outlawing child labor. Another bill mandated an eight-hour day for railway workers and another (Underwood Simmons) reduced the tariffs on imports and established the first graduated federal income tax. On top of that, Wilson pushed through legislation to outlaw deceptive business practices and to provide low-cost long-term mortgages to farmers. Wilson also was an outspoken advocate of women’s suffrage, a position that helped ratify the 20th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Also, he instituted the first regular White House press conferences, and he inaugurated the tradition of presidents addressing Congress in person, rather than issuing a prepared written statement.
Wilson’ second term was dominated by the conduct of World War I and his efforts to bring lasting world peace. America’s entrance into the war helped turn the tide against Germany, which surrendered in November 1918. Wilson was alone among European allies in opposition to the punitive reparations that the Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany. A part of the treaty included Wilson’s plan for the formation of a League of Nations to adjudicate future international conflicts. In the end, the French and British allies refused to yield on the issue of reparations and the U.S. Senate failed to ratify the treaty, dooming Wilson’s League of Nations.
Wilson has come under fire in recent years for his racism, including his unconscionable re-segregation of several federal agencies, an act that destroyed the careers of a number of African American civil servants. This is shameful. Another dark spot on Wilson’s presidency was his handling of communist advocates within the U.S. borders. His attorney general, A. Mitchell Palmer, took strong measures to crush so-called subversive activities. The Palmer Raids, along with other administration actions (such as imprisoning the socialist leader Eugene Debs) have been much reviled by civil libertarians.
No president is perfect, as Wilson’s presidency certainly attests. He accomplished a great deal, and made some egregious errors. Wilson was never wildly popular as president, and his reputation among admiring historians has cooled somewhat in recent years. Professor Clements gives Wilson his due, and fairly I believe. Currently, Wilson is rated eighth on the list of presidential greatness.
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