No covenant of cooperative peace that does not include the peoples of the
New World can suffice to keep the future safe against war; and yet there is only
one sort of peace that the peoples of America could join in guaranteeing. The ele-
ments of that peace must be elements that engage the confidence and satisfy the
principles of the American governments, elements consistent with their political
faith and with the practical convictions which the peoples of America have once
for all embraced and undertaken to defend.Committee on Public Information, How the War Came to America (Washington, DC: Commit-
tee of Public Information, 1917), 17–18.p raCTICINg historical Thinking
Identify: What does Wilson say is “inconceivable” regarding the war?
Analyze: How does Wilson’s reference to a “covenant of cooperative peace”
shape possible American involvement in the war?
Evaluate: To what extent does Wilson’s speech mark an end to American isola-
tionism? How might this end relate back to Frederick Jackson Turner’s thesis on
the closing of the American frontier (Doc. 18.1)?Document 18.5 WoodroW WiLSon, on the League of nations
1919President Wilson imagined the end of the First World War as an opportunity to make the
world safe for democracy and free of warfare. An international legislature, known as the
League of Nations, was an important part of his vision, but it was rejected by Republicans,
who controlled the US Senate. The following speech was delivered on September 25,
1919, and was one of Wilson’s final addresses in support of the League of Nations.... Reflect, my fellow citizens, that the membership of this great league is going
to include all the great fighting nations of the world, as well as the weak ones. It
is not for the present going to include Germany, but for the time being Germany
is not a great fighting country. All the nations that have power that can be mo-
bilized are going to be members of this league, including the United States. And
what do they unite for? They enter into a solemn promise to one another that they
will never use their power against one another for aggression; that they never will
impair the territorial integrity of a neighbor; that they never will interfere with
the political independence of a neighbor; that they will abide by the principle that
great populations are entitled to determine their own destiny and that they will
not interfere with that destiny; and that no matter what differences arise amongst
them they will never resort to war without first having done one or other of two
TopIC II | War in the name of Democracy? 41319_STA_2012_ch18_405-426.indd 413 17/04/15 10:11 AM