Woodrow Wilson Wasn’t So Bad

American President Woodrow Wilson is a divisive figure. Historically, he has been regarded highly, though in recent times has been shot down, and relegated to the bottom of the barrel, and seemingly from across the political spectrum. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Liberals, and Conservatives increasingly appear to carry an negative opinion of Wilson for any number of individual or combination of reasons.

While Wilson has suffered these blows to his reputation, almost paradoxically has another President of the same era risen to tremendous popularity in spite of many of the same if not more extreme actions, and ideological leanings. That President was the much beloved Theodore Roosevelt, and we’ll be referring to him and the Progressive movement of the day repeatedly throughout this video.

Most often pinned on Wilson are accusations of tyranny, racism, imperialism, hypocrisy, incompetency, warmongering, etc. Great hate seems to stem from a belief that he was particularly responsible for actions which in reality were the product of years of Progressive policy; from a belief that he somehow altered or compromised the Progressive movement; from a belief that he stood widely apart from other Progressives of the day, and alone must shoulder the scorn for all that might have gone wrong during these decades, moreover, that so much wrong occurred during these days, when in fact, we find great justification and acceptance from the public of the time in regard to actions taken by the Wilson administration.