The Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilson

The Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points were a set of diplomatic principles developed by the administration of President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. These were intended as a statement of American war aims as well as to provide a path to peace. Highly progressive, the Fourteen Points were generally well received when announced in January 1918 but some doubt existed as to whether they could be implemented in a practical sense. That November, Germany approached the Allies for a peace based on Wilsons ideas and an armistice was granted. In the Paris Peace Conference that followed, many of the points were set aside as the need for reparations, imperial competition, and a desire for revenge on Germany took precedence. Background In April 1917, the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allies. Previously angered by the sinking of Lusitania, President Woodrow Wilson led the nation to war after learning of the Zimmermann Telegram and Germanys resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. Though possessing a massive pool of manpower and resources, the United States required time to mobilize its forces for war. As a result, Britain and France continued to bear the brunt of the fighting in 1917 as their forces took part in the failed Nivelle Offensive as well as the bloody battles at Arras and Passchendaele. With American forces preparing for combat, Wilson formed a study group in September 1917 to develop the nations formal war aims. The Inquiry Known as the Inquiry, this group was headed by Colonel Edward M. House, a close advisor to Wilson, and guided by philosopher Sidney Mezes. Possessing a wide variety of expertise, the group also sought to research topics that could be key issues at a postwar peace conference. Guided by the tenets of progressivism which had steered American domestic policy during the previous decade, the group worked to apply these principles to the international stage. The result was a core list of points which stressed self-determination of peoples, free trade, and open diplomacy. Reviewing the Inquirys work, Wilson believed that it could serve as the basis for a peace agreement. President Woodrow Wilson addresses Congress on January 8, 1918. Public Domain Wilson's Speech Going before a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918, Wilson outlined American intentions and presented the Inquirys work as the Fourteen Points. Largely drafted by Mezes, Walter Lippmann, Isaiah Bowman, and David Hunter Miller, the points stressed the elimination of secret treaties, the freedom of the seas, limitations on armaments, and the resolution of imperial claims with the goal of self-determination for colonial subjects. Additional points called for the German withdrawal from occupied parts of France, Belgium, and Russia as well as encouragement for the latter, then under Bolshevik rule, to remain in the war. Wilson believed that international acceptance of the points would lead to a just and lasting peace. The Fourteen Points as set forth by Wilson were: The Fourteen Points I. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view. II. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants. III. The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance. IV. Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety. V. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined. VI. The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and, more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their good will, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests, and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy. VII. Belgium, the whole world will agree, must be evacuated and restored, without any attempt to limit the sovereignty which she enjoys in common with all other free nations. No other single act will serve as this will serve to restore confidence among the nations in the laws which they have themselves set and determined for the government of their relations with one another. Without this healing act the whole structure and validity of international law is forever impaired. VIII. All French territory should be freed and the invaded portions restored, and the wrong done to France by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the world for nearly fifty years, should be righted, in order that peace may once more be made secure in the interest of all. IX. A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality. X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development. XI. Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuated; occupied territories restored; Serbia accorded free and secure access to the sea; and the relations of the several Balkan states to one another determined by friendly counsel along historically established lines of allegiance and nationality; and international guarantees of the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of the several Balkan states should be entered into. XII. The Turkish portions of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, but the other nationalities which are now under Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and an absolutely unmolested opportunity of an autonomous development, and the Dardanelles should be permanently opened as a free passage to the ships and commerce of all nations under international guarantees. XIII. An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant. XIV. A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike. Reaction Though Wilsons Fourteen Points were well received by the public at home and abroad, foreign leaders were skeptical as to whether they could be effectively applied to the real world. Leery of Wilsons idealism, leaders such as David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Vittorio Orlando were hesitant to accept the points as formal war aims. In an effort to gain support from the Allied leaders, Wilson tasked House with lobbying their behalf. Prime Minister David Lloyd George. Library of Congress On October 16, Wilson met with British intelligence chief, Sir William Wiseman, in an effort to secure Londons approval. While Lloyd Georges government was largely supportive, it refused to honor the point regarding freedom of the seas and also desired to see a point added regarding war reparations. Continuing to work through diplomatic channels, the Wilson Administration secured support for the Fourteen Points from France and Italy on November 1. This internal diplomatic campaign among the Allies paralleled a discourse that Wilson was having with German officials which began on October 5. With the military situation deteriorating, the Germans finally approached the Allies regarding an armistice based on the terms of the Fourteen Points. This was concluded on November 11 at Compià ¨gne and brought an end to the fighting. Paris Peace Conference As the Paris Peace Conference began in January 1919, Wilson quickly found that actual support for the Fourteen Points was lacking on the part of his allies. This was largely due to the need for reparations, imperial competition, and a desire to inflict a harsh peace on Germany. As the talks progressed, Wilson was increasingly unable to garner acceptance of his Fourteen Points. Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. Library of Congress In an effort to appease the American leader, Lloyd George and Clemenceau consented to the formation of the League of Nations. With several of the participants goals conflicting, the talks moved slowly and ultimately produced a treaty which failed to please any of the nations involved. The final terms of the treaty, which included little of Wilsons Fourteen Points on which German had agreed to the armistice, were harsh and ultimately played a key role in setting the stage for World War II.

Harpers Ferry Raid - The Harpers Ferry Raid John Brown

Harpers Ferry Raid - The Harpers Ferry Raid John Brown Conflict Dates: John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry lasted from October 16-18, 1859, and contributed to the sectional tensions that led to the Civil War (1861-1865). Forces Commanders United States Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee88 US Marines, various local Maryland Virginia militia Browns Raiders John Brown21 men Harpers Ferry Raid Background: A noted radical abolitionist, John Brown came to national prominence during the Bleeding Kansas crisis of the mid-1850s. An effective partisan leader, he conducted a variety of operations against pro-slavery forces before returning east in late 1856 to raise additional funds. Backed by prominent abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Theodore Parker and George Luther Stearns, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Gerrit Smith, Brown was able to purchase weapons for his activities. This Secret Six supported Browns abolitionist views, but were not always aware of his intentions. Rather than continue small-scale activities in Kansas, Brown began planning for a large operation in Virginia designed to start a massive slave insurrection. Brown intended to capture the US Arsenal at Harpers Ferry and distribute the facilitys weapons to rebellious slaves. Believing that as many as 500 would join him on the first night, Brown planned to move south freeing slaves and destroying slavery as an institution. Though prepared to commence his raid in 1858, he was betrayed by one of his men and members of the Secret Six, fearing their identities would be revealed, forced Brown to postpone. The Raid Moves Forward: This hiatus resulted in Brown losing many of the men he had recruited for the mission as some got cold feet and others simply moved on to other activities. Finally moving forward in 1859, Brown arrived in Harpers Ferry on June 3 under the alias of Isaac Smith. Renting the Kennedy Farm approximately four miles north of the town, Brown set about training his raiding party. Arriving over the next several weeks, his recruits totaled only 21 men (16 white, 5 black). Though disappointed in the small size of his party, Brown commenced training for the operation. In August, Brown traveled north to Chambersburg, PA where he met with Frederick Douglass. Discussing the plan, Douglass advised against capturing the arsenal as any attack against the federal government was sure to have dire consequences. Ignoring Douglass advice, Brown returned to the Kennedy Farm and continued work. Armed with weapons received from supporters in the North, the raiders set out for Harpers Ferry on the night of October 16. While three men, including Browns son Owen, were left at the farm, another team, led by John Cook was dispatched to capture Colonel Lewis Washington. The great grandnephew of George Washington, Col. Washington was at his nearby Beall-Air estate. Cooks party succeeded in capturing the colonel as well as took a sword presented to George Washington by Frederick the Great and two pistols given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette. Returning via the Allstadt House, where he took additional captives, Cook and his men rejoined Brown at Harpers Ferry. Key to Browns success were capturing the weapons and escaping before word of the attack reached Washington and receiving the support of the local slave population. Moving into the town with his main force, Brown sought to fulfill the first of these goals. Cutting the telegraph wires, his men also detained a Baltimore Ohio train. In the process, African-American baggage handler Hayward Shepherd was shot and killed. Following this ironic twist, Brown inexplicably allowed the train to proceed. Reaching Baltimore the next day, those on board informed the authorities about the attack. Moving on, Browns men succeeded in capturing the armory and arsenal, but no rebelling slaves were forthcoming. Rather, they were discovered by armory workers on the morning of October 17. The Mission Fails: As the local militia gathered, the townspeople opened fire on Browns men. Exchanging fire, three locals, including Mayor Fontaine Beckham, were killed. During the day, a company of militia seized the bridge over the Potomac cutting off Browns escape route. With the situation deteriorating, Brown and his men selected nine hostages and abandoned the armory in favor of a smaller engine house nearby. Fortifying the structure, it became known as John Browns Fort. Trapped, Brown sent out his son Watson and Aaron D. Stevens under a flag of truce to negotiate. Emerging, Watson was shot and killed while Stevens was hit and captured. In a fit of panic, raider William H. Leeman attempted to escape by swimming across the Potomac. He was shot and killed in the water and the increasingly drunken townspeople used his body for target practice for the rest of the day. Around 3:30 PM, President James Buchanan dispatched a detachment of US Marines under leadership of US Army Lieutenent Colonel Robert E. Lee to deal with the situation. Arriving, Lee closed the saloons and took overall command. The next morning, Lee offered the role of attacking Browns fort to the local militias. Both demurred and Lee assigned the mission to Lieutenant Israel Greene and the Marines. Around 6:30 AM, Lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart, serving as Lees volunteer aide-de-camp, was sent forward to negotiate Browns surrender. Approaching the door of the engine house, Stuart informed Brown that his men would be spared if they surrendered. This offer was refused and Stuart signaled Greene with a wave of his hat to start the assault Moving forward, the Marines went at the engine house doors with sledge hammers and finally broke through with the use of a make-shift battering ram. Attacking through the breach, Greene was the first to enter the engine house and subdued Brown with a blow to the neck from his saber. The other Marines made quick work of the remainder of Browns party and the fighting ended within three minutes. Aftermath: In the attack on the engine house, one Marine, Luke Quinn, was killed. Of Browns raiding party, ten were killed during the raid while five, including Brown, were captured. Of the remaining seven, five escaped, including Owen Brown, while two were captured in Pennsylvania and returned to Harpers Ferry. On October 27, John Brown was brought to court in Charles Town and charged with treason, murder, and conspiring with slaves to rebel. After a week-long trial, he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death on December 2. Turning down offers of escape, Brown stated he wished to die a martyr. On December 2, 1859, with Major Thomas J. Jackson and cadets from the Virginia Military Institute serving as a security detail, Brown was hung at 11:15 AM. Browns attack served to further heighten the sectional tensions that had plagued the country for decades and which would culminate in the Civil War less than two years later. Selected Sources West Virginia Division of Culture History: John Brown the Harpers Ferry RaidPBS: Raid on Harpers FerryNational Park Service: Harpers Ferry National Historic Park