Secretary Of War Newton Baker Analysis

In “War is a Racket” General Butler laments the use of propaganda in World War 1, and he notes

The end of World War I left much of America confused on the country’s role in world affairs. Many people believed that the United States should primarily worry about its own issues and problems, and let the world handle their own problems. But President Woodrow Wilson was not one of those people. He believed that the United States should be directly involved in the issues affecting all of the countries of the world. He also wanted the United States to be the country to make a push for a League of Nations. “The people of the United States could act upon no other principle; and to the vindication of this principle they are ready to devote their lives, their honor, and everything that they possess. The normal climax of this the culminating and final war for human liberty has come, and they are ready to put their own strength, their own highest purpose, their own integrity and devotion to the test.” Wilson believed that if the United States needed to be a part of a League of Nations in charge of keeping peace around the world, this would keep America

After losing a generation of men and experiencing the hardships of war, many peace related objectives were put into place to prevent another war so destructive and disastrous. The road to peace started with the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. United States President, Woodrow Wilson, presented a drafted series of peace proposals called the Fourteen Points. The last point addressed the possibility of having a group dedicated to peace and interactions among nations no matter the size (Macmillan). This organization would stop wars like World War I from happening so that it does not become part of the culture of the Western World yet again. While the idea of the league was originally rejected, the Treaty of Versailles, the most significant treaty to come out of WWI, established the League of Nations. Eventually, the League of Nations disbanded in five years after the start of World War II and the United Nations was formed. Newton Diehl Baker, Woodrow Wilson’s Secretary of War argues that the lack of such a league to keep peace in 1914 is what threw the world into the chaos of World War (Macmillan). Even Baker did not know the ramifications the war would have due to the lack of peace structure until after the war

They agreed with most of the treaty that was presented to them, after the negotiations with Britain and France; however, they had an issue with the League of Nations. They did not want the United States to have to answer to the League or be tied to other countries. They believed that by joining the League, the United States would no longer be in control of its own foreign policy, jeopardizing its independence (Document A). They further believed that the American people, who up to this point had historically been isolationists (not wanting to be involved in foreign affairs), were not ready to support American participation in the League of Nations. Furthermore, they believed that collective security was unlikely to work - it would help with large scale issues like World War, but it would be counterproductive when it came to minute disputes, and they did not want the United States to be tied down by foreign entanglements and alliances (Document E). Wilson, however, was uncompromising, he realized that if the League was created without the United States in the it, Britain and France would take control and punish Germany economically for the war, which they did, and it led to another world

This fostered a strong desire to return to isolationism, as demonstrated by President Harding’s “return to normalcy.” One of the first steps was to reject involvement in the League of Nations, a post-World War I body meant to ensure collective peace and security. Many Americans did not want to become involved in European affairs and risk being pulled into another global war, which they feared would be inevitable if the United States joined the League of Nations. In a speech, Presidential Candidate Warren G. Harding stated, “My position at present is that the League strikes a deadly blow at our constitutional integrity and surrenders to a dangerous extent of our independence as a nation,” (Doc A). Nevertheless, the United States did participate in multiple international events at the beginning of the 1920s, including the

Senator Gilbert Hitchcock’s address was titled, “The trouble with Senators who oppose the League of Nations”. Hitchcock was a democrat, like President Wilson, and felt that the United States should join the League of Nations. He states, “The trouble with Senators who

The United states should not have joined the league of nations in 1919. The United States shouldn’t have joined the league of nations because we would be supplying the troops and food a lot and not getting anything out of it, and we were in no danger of an attack.

that led up to a war outbreak. Similarly, the War of 1812 piqued the interests of many scholars, eventually giving rise to controversial analysis and interpretations. To narrow down, the two essays Who Were the War Hawks? and The War Hawks of 1812: An Historical Myth written respectively by Reginald Horsman and Roger H. Brown, present contrasting views and reflects the interest still shown toward the causes of the 1812 war, resulting in contradicting, and controversial opinions and conclusions.

Wilson's peace plan, known as the Fourteen Points, introduced the idea of the League of Nations. The League of Nations would bind together all of the countries involved in order to resolve conflicts peacefully and protect independence. Wilson very much wanted the United States to be a part of the League, which would prevent a return to isolationism (Document G). Article Ten of the Treaty of Versailles outlines some of the obligations attached to being a member of the League. This article states that if any nation who is a part of the League is under attack or in danger, all other countries are mandated to come to their aid (Document E). The League of Nations, and this article in particular, caused a great deal of controversy in the U.S. Henry Cabot Lodge, a Reservationist senator, gave a speech to show his objection to the League. Lodge believed the United States should focus its efforts on self-betterment, rather than being forced to "play the part of umpire" in European affairs of no direct interest (Document D). Lodge's discontent with the circumstances that would be created by the League were also shared by the majority of senators, leading to the rejection of the Treaty of Versailles. This decision allowed the U.S. to return to its former isolated

While it seems as if Japan was planning it for many years, the attack on Pearl Harbor still managed to take many Americans by surprise. No one expected that they would be fighting for their life on December 7th, 1941. Within a few hours, our nation was dragged into World War II, fighting against Japan in the Pacific and in Europe against their ally, Nazi Germany. However, the question that remains unanswered is “Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?”. At the time, the United States was recovering from WW1 so, it continued to remain neutral, avoiding world conflicts.

In Henry Cabot Lodge’s speech, (Document B) presented on August 12, 1919, he emphasizes the idea that the League of Nation will be a bad thing for the United States. In his speech, he states “The United States is the world's best hope, but if you fetter her in the interest and quarrel of other nations, if you tangle her in the intrigues of Europe, you will destroy her power for good and endanger her very existence. Leave her to march freely through the centuries to come as in the years that

As seen in Document A, William Borah stated that the League is essentially creating more problems to solve problems. He said that shouldn't we want a League run by Americans who have the same values and ideals rather than delegates from foreign countries? In Document B, it is stated that, “The Treaty of Versailles…it does much to intensify and nothing to heal the old and ugly dissensions.” It was common knowledge and a wide held belief that the United States should remain neutral in foreign matters. The American citizens knew about Washington's Farewell Address and how it stated that we would stay out of the business of foreign

The origins of the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain stem from flawed diplomacy. President James Madison inherited a divided party and unruly Congress from his predecessor, Thomas Jefferson. Lacking firm leadership, Madison was unable to create a commanding presence in office that would lead to effective relations with European nations. Madison eagerly accepted Napoleon’s declaration that he had imposed non-intercourse on England, souring any relations between the U.S. and Britain. In Britain, diplomacy was similarly ineffective. Already tied up in the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal and Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, British government officials neglected the United States and dismissed any idea that the U.S. would

In August 1914, Europe descended into war, without the support of U.S. Wilson refuses to get involve in the European conflict, until German forced Wilson to declare war on the central powers because of German’s declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare. When the war ended in November 11, 1918, Wilson negotiated a covenant for the League of Nation that he believed would sustain a world order. However at home, the congress rejected the League of Nations. Now, Wilson is admired by some scholars while hated by others. Some has praised him for his vision, while others criticized him for his impractical ideal.

Throughout history, protests have been proven to be the more effective methods of getting a message across, whether it’s to express disdain for the misdeeds of police officers, or to protest the U.S.’s involvement in war. This was seen especially during the Vietnam War, one of the more recent wars this country has been involved in. Many people around the country expressed their opinions about the idea of war, in several forms, including riots, protests, and draft dodging. Along with this form of expression and practicing of free speech, several music artists, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marvin Gaye, and Edwin Starr, joined in the anti-war movement by conveying their own two cents about the matter through the lyrics of catchy, impassioned songs. In the song “War” by Edwin Starr, Starr attempts to portray his negative view on war, through the use of pathos to create a more intimate bond with his listeners, a very aggressive, yet passionate tone, and the song’s close resemblance of a protest, in auditory form.