Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson encyclopedia encyclopaedia article
Elected in 1912, Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. He led the country through World War I. Afterward he helped create the League of Nations, an…
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Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia. His parents were Joseph Ruggles Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, and Janet Woodrow. The Wilsons moved to Augusta, Georgia, after their son’s birth.

After graduating from Princeton University in 1879, Wilson studied law. After two years as a lawyer he entered Johns Hopkins University. In 1886 he earned an advanced degree in government and history. In 1890 Wilson returned to Princeton as a professor. In 1902 he became president of Princeton.

In 1885 Wilson married Ellen Louise Axson. They had three daughters. Ellen died in 1914. Wilson married Edith Bolling Galt in 1915.

Wilson successfully pushed Congress to pass a number of laws. One law introduced an income tax. Another law created the Federal Reserve System, a powerful economic agency. Other laws regulated business and stopped child labor.

In foreign affairs, revolution in Mexico caused problems for Wilson. In 1916 the Mexican rebel Pancho Villa crossed the border and killed about 17 people in New Mexico. Wilson sent U.S. forces into Mexico, but they failed to catch Villa.

World War I

In 1914 World War I began in Europe. Wilson kept the United States neutral, meaning it did not take sides. After winning reelection in 1916, Wilson tried to end the war through peace talks. In early 1917, however, German submarines began attacking neutral ships. In April Wilson asked Congress to declare war.

In May 1917 Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which gave the government the right to order U.S. citizens to join the military. The 2 million U.S. soldiers sent to France helped defeat the Germans. The war ended on November 11, 1918.

Making Peace

Wilson attended the peace conference in Paris, France, after the war. He hoped to include his Fourteen Points, or 14 ideas for peace, in the agreement. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, left out many of Wilson’s ideas. However, it included the League of Nations, an organization to maintain world peace.

When Wilson presented the treaty to Congress, Republicans rejected it. They especially opposed the League of Nations. The league held its first meeting in 1920 without the United States.