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The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson Paperback – March 23, 1992
| Kendrick A. Clements (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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From 1913-1921, Wilson grappled with momentous issues: domestic reform, war, and peace. His administration did much to shape twentieth century America—from establishing the U.S. as the preeminent world power to reforming banking practices, from lowering trade barriers to establishing the federal income tax.
The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson is the best one-volume study available on this very productive presidency. Historian Kendrick Clements analyzes the reasons for Wilson's successes and failures in both domestic and foreign arenas, and investigates representative administrative departments to find out how the Wilson administration actually worked. Drawing upon the latest secondary literature and recently discovered medical records, Clements also reexamines the impact of Wilson's illness on his diplomatic and domestic leadership in the last year and a half of his presidency.
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherUniversity Press of Kansas
- Publication dateMarch 23, 1992
- Dimensions6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
- ISBN-10070060524X
- ISBN-13978-0700605248
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Clements has written a remarkably well balanced and perceptive history of an administration that has had both staunch defenders and harsh critics."--Journal of Southern History
"Clements's understanding of Wilson and his presidency, along with the lengthy critical bibliography, make this book a superb introduction to the Wilson Administration."--Reviews in American History
"This is simply a superb book, one based on a mastery of the secondary works and wide reading in the primary sources. The chapters on the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor are significant contributions to our knowledge of the Wilson presidency, and the author's admiration of Woodrow Wilson does not get in the way of his critical appraisal of the man and his career in the presidency."--Arthur S. Link, Editor and Director, The Papers of Woodrow Wilson
"This is the best one-volume history of the full Wilson presidency."--John Whiteclay Chambers II, author of The Tyranny of Change: America in the Progressive Era, 1890-1920
"I know of no better examination of what a presidential administration actually did-desired, planned, accomplished, failed to do, and unintentionally caused or influenced. This is the best single book on the Wilson administration and one of a handful of best books on any presidency."--John Milton Cooper, Jr., author of Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920 and The Warrior and the Priest: Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt
"Clements probes beneath Wilson's popular, post-Versailles image to show us the greatest legislative leader of the twentieth century."--Richard Norton Smith, Director, Herbert Hoover Library
From the Back Cover
"This is the best one-volume history of the full Wilson presidency."--John Whiteclay Chambers II, author of The Tyranny of Change: America in the Progressive Era, 1890-1920
"I know of no better examination of what a presidential administration actually did-desired, planned, accomplished, failed to do, and unintentionally caused or influenced. This is the best single book on the Wilson administration and one of a handful of best books on any presidency."--John Milton Cooper, Jr., author of Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920 and The Warrior and the Priest: Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt
"Clements probes beneath Wilson's popular, post-Versailles image to show us the greatest legislative leader of the twentieth century."--Richard Norton Smith, Director, Herbert Hoover Library
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Product details
- Publisher : University Press of Kansas; 1st edition (March 23, 1992)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 070060524X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0700605248
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #614,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #230 in Political Reference
- #4,338 in Political Leader Biographies
- #9,850 in United States Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
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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.
If you like to read histories that present the most important stories of history in a reasonable length book, Clements' book will be satisfying and illuminating to you as well. If you like a massive amount of details, you might, like I do, wish to follow this book with a larger and more in depth presentation. I give "The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson" 5 stars.
