A Guide to Primary Resources for U.S. History : "He Kept Us Out of War" - Woodrow Wilson PBS: The American Experience "He Kept Us Out of War" - Declaration of Neutrality PBS: The American Experience "He Kept Us Out of War" - Second Inaugural Address Yale University Law School, Avalon Project The American desire for neutrality when war broke out in Europe underlies these three resources. The first resource presents a biographical sketch of President Woodrow Wilson who was in his first term of office when the European war began. The second resource is the text of Wilson's speech to the U.S. Congress in which he articulated the policy of neutrality which he would pursue till the end of his term, and during his campaign for re-election. The third resource gives his second inaugural address, in which discerning students can trace the hints that Wilson may be contemplating something less than complete neutrality regarding the European belligerents. The teacher could post the following excerpt from the website on an overhead (or read it out loud to students): "The Wilson family bible records Thomas Woodrow Wilson's birth in Staunton, Virginia, "on the 28th December, 1856 at 12 3/4 o'clock at night." Growing up amid the tumult of the Civil War and Reconstruction, Tommy (as he was called) was immersed in the terror and despair of the South in those years. On May 14, 1865, an 8-year-old Wilson watched as captured Confederate president Jefferson Davis was led through town in chains. Though for many, life in the South would never be the same, Wilson, his two older sisters, and a younger brother experienced a comfortable childhood, enjoying the affection of a warm, attentive mother and the instruction of a gregarious yet demanding Presbyterian minister father. Wilson was a poor student early in life, still unable to read at age ten. Though teachers thought him slow, Wilson's parents provided him with plenty of support. Historians now believe young Wilson was afflicted by a form of dyslexia. To help his son overcome these difficulties, Wilson's father spent hours coaching him in the art of debate. From these early years forward, the Presbyterian faith his father preached would be Wilson's guiding belief. Enrolling first at Davidson College in North Carolina and then at the College of New Jersey in Princeton, Woodrow (his mother's maiden name, and his newly adopted given name) excelled at oratory and debate, which led him to the study of law at the University of Virginia as a means to public office. Wilson's practice of law quickly stalled; mundane case work could not compete with his sweeping ambitions in politics and government." If the teacher edited out Wilson's name, he/she could ask students to make an educated guess about which person the piece is describing. I think the excerpt would be particularly eye opening to student struggling with learning disabilities. Virginian students might also find it interesting that Wilson was from Staunton and attended UVA. This is a rich site with much information about Wilson's rise to the presidency and his achievements in office. In order to tie the site to this particular SOL, the teacher might ask students to explore the site to create an annotated and illustrated timeline of Wilson's life. The focus of the timeline could be to look at Wilson's life experiences and to explain how his accomplishments made him a Progressive president with a particular focus on international relations. The teacher might break the students into groups to focus on key periods in Wilson's life. (For example, 1. Wilson's education and teaching career 2.Wilson's first two years of the presidency 3. Wilson's presidency during WWI 4. Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles). Students could use the information about Wilson and Henry Cabot Lodge's ideas concerning the League of Nations to create perspective pieces. It could include quotes, main points, background information, illustrations, etc. from the two men. While the 2nd Inaugural Address was not a declaration of war, the language did change from Wilson's Declaration of Neutrality. The students can carefully read the two documents to compare and contrast. They can record their ideas in a Venn diagram or a Differences/Similarities Organizer: This process can be a springboard to a discussion on the events that occurred between August on 1914 and March of 1917, which led to Wilson changing ideas.

(b) evaluating United States involvement in World War I, including Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, and the national debate over treaty ratification and the League of Nations;

"He Kept Us Out of War" - Peace Without Victory
PBS: The American Experience

"He Kept Us Out of War" - Declaration of Neutrality
PBS: The American Experience

"He Kept Us Out of War" - Second Inaugural Address
Avalon Project at Yale Law School

Description: The American desire for neutrality and peace when war broke out in Europe underlies these three resources. The first document is the text of Wilson's speech to the U.S. Congress in which he articulated the policy of neutrality which he would pursue till the end of his term, and during his campaign for re-election. The second source is Wilson's address to the Senate in which he reports on his efforts to negotiate terms of peace between those nations at war with each other. The third resource gives his second inaugural address, in which discerning students can trace the hints that Wilson may be contemplating something less than complete neutrality regarding the European belligerents.

Teaching Tips:

"Do Now" Suggestion

Choose an excerpt, from each of the three documents, that deals with the United States' policy toward the conflict in Europe. Without revealing the author or the dates of these excerpts, ask the students to read them carefully and attempt to place them in chronological order. Discuss the change and progression in US foreign policy that these excerpts reveal.

Suggestion for Using this Resource as Part of a Lesson

While the 2nd Inaugural Address was not a declaration of war, the language of this address is different from that of Wilson's Declaration of Neutrality and his Peace Without Victory speech. The students can carefully read the three documents to compare and contrast. They can record their ideas in a Differences/Similarities Organizer. This process can be a springboard to a discussion on the events that occurred between August on 1914 and March of 1917, which led to Wilson changing ideas.