I have been researching Wilson briefly today in some of my research of The Great War, and his actions before and during directly shaped the society of The United States of America today. I thought I’d share some quotes I came across with those who would like to read this along with my thoughts on them. I encourage everyone who reads this to research Wilson and his actions themselves, there is undoubtedly more to research. And I may have missed some things in the facts portions of the post, I make mistakes too. None the less enjoy, even if you do not agree with my opinions, I still think there is much value in the quotes themselves.
Overall I think Wilson did accomplish some good during his presidency, The Sherman Anti-Trust Act, but he sold American freedom out to elitists, feminism, and militarization. So that being said, I’ll start with the first quote. It is regarding the issue of The United States of American entering The Great War.
“It would mean we should loose our heads and stop weighing right and wrong…once lead people into this war and they’ll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life… if there is any alternative, for God’s sake let’s take it!” Woodrow Wilson (Pre-war)
He was absolutely right, and the “spirit of ruthless brutality” entered into national life through militarization. In entering the war Wilson introduced militarization to American on a scale never previously seen before. Initially Wilson had stated during his presidency the nation would not have a standing army. That changed in 1916 with his signing of The National Defense Act that ended local militias, combining them by state and placing them under federal control. The creation of the National Guard, designed for local defense, only further militarized the country under the federal government. Done for a good reason (Poncho Villa), yet it led to the ability for the government to have more militarized control over the people. Of course this dwarfs in comparison of the size of the military during the war. Try as he did to stay out of foreign entanglements, The United States did enter the war on the side of the Entente, despite that the second majority of immigrant groups that made up America behind Irish and English to be Germans, who along with the Irish and Jewish peoples generally supported the Central Powers for varying reasons. Also an interesting note is that Wilson had an English mother and Churchill an American mother, probably not relevant, but interesting.
The end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century was a time of great men, great inventions and wonders of technologies. As the war came around and eventually ended the following times were dim seeming, millions of people lay dead in a far off land and many died in some of the most horrible ways. Americans were dying far away for a cause that was not their own, fueled by propaganda they willing went off to die. Those that came back were scarred permanently, visibly and invisible. The age of great wonders, thinkers and achievements had ended giving way to the age of the industrialized military machine. Many of the youth that would have shaped the nation differently perhaps lay dead in the mud.
The following two quotes speak for themselves, it seems to me Wilson realized freedom had died at his hands giving power hungry greedy elitists the means to rule to country. He had sold out freedom and the American people to the 1%. And in their hands the government has been ever since.
“I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by it’s system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominate men.” Woodrow Wilson (unknown date, likely post war)
“The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy.” Woodrow Wilson (unknown date, likely post war)
His actions during the war even temporarily suspended Constitutional Freedoms, censorship of personal opinions criticizing the government was established with the Sedition Act, which was later repealed in 1921. So much for “For the people by the people”. Yes the country was at war, but to what cost is it necessary? And what chance do the people have of the rights returning when the government revokes them? During these modern times when rights are taken away they are never given back, I think it is a miracle that the act was repealed in 1921.
Wilson had sold out to feminism with the passing of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. While this is more of a move to true equality, it led to the rise of the toxic feminism of the 1960’s and the very same feminism that has ruined many things.
Just some interesting quotes from Woodrow Wilson a key president that heavily influenced what The United States of America is today, by his actions at the end of an era and the dawn of a new one. They have quite some merit.
Y_ 3 years ago.
