No Country for Old Men? Wilson, Reagan, Biden, and Trump. A Historian’s Take

Historian H.W. Brands on Substack: "Any president or potential president is a package deal, comprising strengths and weaknesses. Age can weaken memory but it can enhance wisdom. On balance, wisdom matters more. Presidents don’t have to think on their feet; they don’t need facts at their fingertips. They make their decisions sitting down—or at least …

Great Senate Debates: League of Nations, 1919

After World War I concluded, President Woodrow Wilson was idealistically determined to make it "the war to end all wars." He campaigned tirelessly for an international peace-keeping organization called the League of Nations. Its goal was to maintain world peace, but the question was whether it interfered with the autonomy of nations. Many US senators …

The century-old mystery of the RMS Lusitania (1915) During WWI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFutCXyuqaM CBS Sunday Morning: "Beneath the waves off the Irish coast, the remains of a luxury liner rest on the ocean floor. The Lusitania was sunk by a German torpedo during World War I, killing nearly 1,200 people. But details surrounding the ship's demise remain murky. Martha Teichner re-examines the deadly catastrophe." What if the …

‘We’re All Wilsonians, Whether We Like It Or Not’

Through the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, there was a majority strain of isolationism in American politics. The U.S. was a vast, self-sufficient, almost island nation surrounded by a "weak" and friendly neighbor to the north, Canada, and a "weak" and friendly neighbor to the South, Mexico. The US stayed neutral in WWI -- a power …

At Least 6 Times, a President’s Health Altered History

Presidents and their entourage not leveling with the public about the true nature of the leader's health have a long history. The Washington Post tells riveting stories: 1944: FDR was dying of congestive heart failure as he ran for a fourth term. "He immediately put up a happy front..." He was 62 -- in his …

The ‘Roaring Twenties’: Still A Model for Republican Government

Republicans tend to idealize the role of government in the 1920s -- "laissez faire" or "hands off," with self-reliant people innovating and creating wealth in free markets. Democrats tend to idealize the role of government in the 1930s -- creating a social safety net when the free market fails, offering a helping hand, compassion and …

Reflections on Removing Woodrow Wilson, Stonewall Jackson, Richmond Monuments

Upon news that Princeton University is removing Woodrow Wilson's name from its public policy school and campus buildings, two friends who are Princeton alumni say they are horrified. One wonders "if we will have to change the name of our country because Amerigo Vespucci was European or abolish Martin Luther King Day because Dr. King …

Presidential Candidate Eugene Debs Was Imprisoned for Criticizing U.S. Involvement in WWI

Eugene V. Debs, a labor activist, socialist and presidential candidate, was imprisoned for criticizing U.S. involvement in World War I. Specifically, he was accused of violating the Espionage Act of 1917. Subir Grewal wrote a piece for the Daily Kos recalling Debs' words against the war that got him arrested.TrailerFull DocumentaryOther Short Videos on Debshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMEwR4WtvCgLegal …

President Wilson Contracted Flu During Pandemic in 1918, Became Delusional

During the H1N1 flu pandemic of 1917-19, President Woodrow Wilson at age 62 caught the contagion and became so sick as to be delusional. As Michael Rosenwald reports in The Washington Post, "Wilson’s personal secretary was among the first in his administration to be sickened by a pandemic that would ultimately infect 500 million people. …

1870-1920: Massive Immigration, Growth of Cities, Bosses, US Gilded Age, Corruption, Populists, Progressive Era

In these four Crash Course lectures, about 15 minutes each in length, John Green teaches you about the massive immigration to the United States during the 19th and early 20th century; the Gilded Age and its politics; the Progressive Era; and Progressive Presidents -- Teddy Roosevelt; William Howard Taft; and Woodrow Wilson. That's one hour …