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Wilson´s Presidency
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Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act
Was the first Act signed by newly elected President Woodrow Wilson. It reimposed the federal income tax following the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment. It also lowered basic import and export tax rates from 40% to 25%. The Act was sponsored heavily by Alabama Representative Oscar Underwood. -
Federal Reserve Act
Signed into law by Wilson, was an Act of Congress that created and set up the Federal Reserve System, which is the central banking system of the U.S. It also granted the legal authority to issue Federal Reserve Notes (known as U.S. Dollar) and Federal Reserve Bank Notes as legal tender. -
WIlson Declares U.S. Neutrality in World War I
Wilson announced that America should stand ready to be impartial and peaceful. He stated, "Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality, which is the spirit of impartiality and fairness and friendliness to all concerned The United States must be neutral in fact...We must be impartial in thought, as well as action." -
Federal Trade Commission Act
The intended commission was authorized to issue "cease and desist" orders to large corporations to aid in unfair trade practices. The Act also gave much more flexibility to the U.S. Congress for judicial matters. -
War Message to Congress
Introduced to great applause, Wilson annouced that his previous position of "armed neutrality" was no longer arguable now that the Imperial German Government had announced that it would use its submarines to sink any ship that approached the ports of any major European coastal city. Wilson proposed the U.S. enter the war to "vindicate principles of peace and justice in the life of the world as against selfish and autocratic power". -
Espionage Act of 1917
Was a law that would prohibit any attempt to interfere with military operations, to support enemies of the U.S. during wartime, to promote insubordination in the military, or to interfere with military recruitment. -
Fourteen Points Speech
In Wilson's famous speech to Congress, he stressed the American War efforts goals. It compared the progressive domestic policies of Wilson and his Administration with the idealistic equivalents in the international arena. The Fourteen points ranged from generic principles, to an independent Poland as bases for the treaty that would end the war in Europe. -
Sedition Act of 1918
This Act extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a wider array of offenses. It forbade the use of "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the U.S. government, its flag, or its armed forces or that caused others to view the American government or its institutions with contempt. -
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Wilson at the time was referred to as having internationalistic ideas, now known as "Wilsonian" ideas. Wilsonianism calls for the United States to enter the world arena to fight for democracy, and has been a contentious position in American foreign policy. Because of Wilson's sponsorship of the League of Nations, he was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize. -
19th Amendment to the United States Constitution
Under the Wilson Administration, the 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution. It prohibits any U.S. citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. The amendment was the culmination of the women's suffrage movement, which gought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
