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Questions about Woodrow Wilson

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What was Woodrow Wilson's educational background before becoming president?

Wilson earned a Ph.D. in history and government from Johns Hopkins University in 1886, making him the only U.S. president to hold a doctorate. He also attended Davidson College, the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), and the University of Virginia School of Law before pursuing graduate studies.

What major domestic legislation did Woodrow Wilson sign into law?

Wilson signed the Revenue Act of 1913, which established the modern federal income tax and reduced tariffs; the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which created the Federal Reserve System; the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914; the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914; LaFollette's Seamen's Act of 1915; and the Keating-Owen Act of 1916, the first federal child labor law.

What were Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points?

Wilson delivered his Fourteen Points speech to Congress on the 8th of January 1918, outlining American war aims that included the evacuation of occupied territories, self-determination for peoples of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, establishment of an independent Poland, and the creation of a League of Nations to guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of all nations. Germany sought an armistice based on these points in 1918.

Why did Wilson's League of Nations fail to be ratified by the U.S. Senate?

The Senate failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, which contained the League Covenant, because Wilson refused all compromise. When Senator Henry Cabot Lodge was assembling a two-thirds majority to ratify the treaty with ten reservations, Wilson ordered his supporters to vote against ratification on the 19th of March 1920. Fourteen "irreconcilable" senators also opposed the League entirely.

What happened to Woodrow Wilson's health at the end of his presidency?

Wilson suffered a serious stroke on the 2nd of October 1919, that left him paralyzed on his left side and with only partial vision in his right eye. His wife Edith Wilson, physician Cary Grayson, and neurologist Francis Xavier Dercum controlled access to him and determined what documents he read. Neurosurgeon Bert E. Park concluded the illness caused disorders of emotion, impaired impulse control, and defective judgment. Wilson died on the 3rd of February 1924, at age 67.

What was Wilson's role in racial segregation of the federal government?

During his first year as president in 1913, Wilson authorized the widespread imposition of racial segregation inside the federal bureaucracy. He also worked to keep African Americans out of Princeton University while serving as its president, even as other Ivy League schools were beginning to accept small numbers of Black students. Historians into the 21st century have criticized Wilson for these positions while continuing to rank him as an above-average president overall.