What role did Woodrow Wilson play in World War I?Woodrow Wilson, our 23rd president, got involved in a war he didn't want participate. Wilson wanted to remain neutral and live in peace as during his first term. During World War I, Wilson's role in the war became well known across countries. Wilson wanted peace more than anything else. In seeking peace, Wilson petitioned Congress for the United States to enter World War I. Which may not sound like a peace strategy, but Wilson felt it was the only way to stop Germany and achieve peace. Wilson wrote his speech for world peace, Fourteen Points, for which he was probably most famous. He assisted and played an essential role in the Treaty of Versailles. He was the founder of the League of Nations, which he spoke about in his Fourteen Points speech. On April 4, 1917, President Wilson petitioned Congress for the United States to enter the war. The United States declared war on April 6, 1917. Unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans was the primary reason the United States entered the war. Wilson enjoyed enormous support from Americans. The Germans had to be stopped. The attacks took place without warning, killing many innocent people (Winter and Baggett, 1996). The Germans sank many ships, including ours. The most famous ship sunk was the Lusitiania. On board this ship, 128 Americans were killed (http://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html). The Lusitania was torpedoed without warning. The Lusitania sank within 18 minutes, killing a total of 1,198 people (http://www.poltechnic.org/faculty/gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html). On January 8, 1918, Wilson delivered his Fourteen Points speech to Congress. This was a plan for freedom and peace after the war (http://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html). Without going into detail about the entire Fourteen Points, a quote from us-history.com lists the following: The first five of the Fourteen Points dealt with issues of major international concern:1. Open diplomacy.2. Freedom of the seas.3. Removal of economic barriers.4. Reduction of armaments.5. Adjustment of colonial claims. The following eight points referred to specific territorial issues:6. Territories conquered in Russia.7. Preservation of the Belgian sovereign...... middle of paper ...... In 1919, Wilson suffered a stroke and unfortunately never recovered. The same year, Wilson received the Nobel Peace Prize. Wilson was able to continue carrying out his daily tasks during his presidency until his term ended (http://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html). Wilson played an important role in World War I which took some time to complete. tolerated on his health. Just being president is enough pressure. What stands out most after much research is the fact that he wanted peace. It cannot be understated that he spent his life trying to bring peace to the world. He was a remarkable president and contributed greatly to our nation through his work. References Baggett, Blaine & Winter, Jay (1996, September). The Great War, p.220,288. Feldmeth, Greg D. "US History Resources" http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html (March 31, 1998). “World War I The Fourteen Points January I, 1918” http:///www.us-history.com/pages/h1324.html “The terms of the Treaty of Versailles” http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ treaty_of_versailles.htm “Biography of Woodrow Wilson” http https://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html