‘The equality of nations upon which peace must be founded, if it is to last, must be an equality of rights; the guarantees exchanged must neither recognize nor imply a difference between big nations and small, between those that are powerful and those that are weak.’
This book presents in convenient form the memorable messages to the Congress read by President Woodrow Wilson in January, February, and April, 1917. They should be read together, for only in this way is it possible to appreciate both the forbearance and the logic of events reflected in these consecutive chapters of history. While the great war message of April 2, 1917 is obviously the most momentous, its full significance is not made clear unless it is read as the climax of the preceding messages and also in connection with the President’s proclamation of a state of war on April 6, 1917 and his message to the American people of April 15, 1917.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. As president, he led the United States into World War I and established an activist foreign policy known as Wilsonianism.