Woodrow Wilson Presentation

Slide 1:

• 28th president (1913-1921)

• Born on December 28th, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia

o Born five years before the outbreak of the American Civil War

o Known as “Young Tommy” as a child (Thomas Woodrow Wilson, later dropped the Thomas)

• Father: Joseph Ruggles Wilson, Mother: Jessie Janet Woodrow Wilson

o His family was very religious. His father was a Presbyterian minister and then later became a seminary professor. His mother was of Scottish descent.

o Because of his father’s duties, Wilson’s family moved frequently. When he was just two, the family moved to Georgia, and then later to Columbia, South Carolina. Fortunately, none of the family members had to fight during the war. But, the Wilson home and church was often times used as a camping ground for the Confederate soldiers.

o The war made a deep impression on Wilson from childhood

o As he grew up, people said that Wilson got all his personality traits from his father. He had a domineering personality and expected loyalty from all his family and friends. And although he later went to Princeton, he wasn’t able to read till he was 12 because of dyslexia. Wilson always imagined himself to be a great captain who lived on sea to battle the pirates.

• Highly educated

o Wilson originally enrolled in Davidson College in 1873, but withdrew the next year because of digestive disorders (which effected him throughout his life). He later enrolled in the College of New Jersey, which today we know as Princeton. He was very successful in college. He won many public speaking contests, founded the Liberal Debating Club, and became the managing editor of the Princetonian, which was the campus newspaper. After his graduation from Princeton in 1879, Wilson joined the law school at the University of Virginia. He dropped out due to health, but passed the bar in 1882. However, Wilson wanted to solely study politics. He pursued graduate work at Johns Hopkins University and earned his PhD in political science. He was the only president to have earned a PhD.

• Married Ellen Louise Axson in 1885

o Had three daughters. Ellen had bouts of depression and Wilson had a brief affair with Mary Allen Peck. Ellen died in August 1914 of bad health. Wilson was devastated.

• Married Edith Bolling Galt in 1915

• Wilson died on February 3rd, 1924 in Washington, District of Columbia

Slide 2:

• Wrote book: Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics (1885)

o First doctoral thesis (turned into a book)

o Compared American and parliamentary government and suggested reforms

o Wrote many books about American politics (4 books, some with many volumes)