Woodrow Wilson

[Everyday Anarchy]

Ok, here's the deal.
Coming up real soon in my Social Studies class is Woodrow Wilson.
Wilson was president during the Red Scare. I'd like some information about the Red Scare and Palmer Raids that my history book and teacher probably won't acknowledge.

Also, I read briefly in a book that Woodrow Wilson fought a "secret war" with Russia. He had US troops fighting actively with the Whites in the Russian civil war. Does anybody know anything about this? My textbook mentions nothing of this.

I've also heard that Wilson was very imperialistic throughout Latin America. Constantly intervening in Latin American countries to make "the world safe for democracy."
In the book I mention earlier, it also mentioned that Wilson's acts throughout L.A. led to many of the [US supported] dictatorships like Batista.


I'm just looking for the leftist side to these issues as my textbook and teacher certainly aren't going to cover them. We covered a bit of US imperialism throughout Latin America (Roosevelt, Taft, etc) and my teacher completely supported it and justified all the stuff.

When these issues (Red Scare, Palmer Raids, USSR intervention, Latin American imperialism) come up, I'd like to be able to set the teacher straight and enlighten my classmates to what really happened.



P.S.
If anybody's interested, the book was named Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything your history book got wrong..

[cbm989]

I did a report on this. Your in luck. i can send you a whole powerpoint on it if you want. But basicly some radicals were mailing bombs throught U.S. mail system to big government people and buisness people, causing quite a ruckus. then an assasin killed himself, yes himself trying to kill Palmer. So basicly Palmer goes crazy and arrests hundereds...maybe thousands of people without warrants. Most notably emma goldman, a big leftist. He then enforces a 'ship or shoot' policy in which you get on the boat and leave or your shot. So this boat called the "red ark" takes all these people to some european contury i forget. There were investigations afterwards that ruined Palmer's career because he injustly attacked these people. So basicly lots of rights were breached with no proof of anything. Relate this to Joseph McCarthy and the second red scare in the early 50's.

[Everyday Anarchy]

If you can, I'd like to see that Powerpoint. I had known some of the basic things like the mail bombs and palmer raids, but I haven't ever heard of any kind of Red Ark and a "Ship or Shoot policy."

Thanks for sharing that with me :D

[Janus]

I'd like some information about the Red Scare and Palmer Raids
Wilson supported the Espionage and Sedition Acts of course. However, the Palmer raids were primarily the responsiblity of A.M. Palmer, the Attorney General, who who wasn't criticized for it until later.


He had US troops fighting actively with the Whites in the Russian civil war. Does anybody know anything about this
Yes, the Allies provided active support for the Whites during the Russian Civil War. However, that support did nothing to change the outcome of the war except to lengthen it.


I've also heard that Wilson was very imperialistic throughout Latin America. Constantly intervening in Latin American countries to make "the world safe for democracy."
Yes, he intervened mainly in Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, and Panama. He maintained troops in Nicaragua throughout his administration and used them to select the president of Nicaragua and then to force Nicaragua to pass the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty.


In the book I mention earlier, it also mentioned that Wilson's acts throughout L.A. led to many of the [US supported] dictatorships like Batista.
I find your book to be very lacking. Batista didn't come into power until 1933. Therefore, he didn't place Batista in power though he has power to intervene in Cuba due to the Platt amendment.


We covered a bit of US imperialism throughout Latin America (Roosevelt, Taft, etc) and my teacher completely supported it and justified all the stuff.
:( :lol: Damn, your class must suck.

[bezdomni]

During the palmer raids, 6,000 Americans were convicted of being red and deported to the Soviet Union.

Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned for speaking out against World War I at this time period, yet still gained around a million votes for president while in prison.

Wilson was also a racist. There is substantial evidence to back this up.

I also recommend familiarizing yourself with the Teller Amendment to the Cuban Constitution. It basically said that no law can be passed in Cuba without US approval. We essentially had a dictatorship over Cuba (which was a protectorate at the time).

[Janus]

It basically said that no law can be passed in Cuba without US approval.
The Teller Amendment was made to satisfy the people who believed that we had simply entered the war in order to gain land (which was correct). It stated that the US would give the Cubans their freedom when the Spanish occupiers were defeated. This was succedded by the Platt Amendment which insured US intervention in Cuban affairs when the US deemed it necessary.

At the end of the Palmer raids, roughly 10,000 individuals had been rounded up. Many of the well-known radicals were deported to the USSR like Emma Goldman.

[Djehuti]

OT:

Wilson said one good thing though, this quote is from 1913.

"The situtation is this: a comparatively small number of men controls the raw materials in this land; a comparatively small number of men control the water power...the same number of men controls to a great extent the railroads; through agreemens between themselves they controll the prices; and the same group of people controls the larger credits in the nation... The masters of goverment in the United States are the capitalists and fabricators of the United States in union."

Translatated to english from swedish, I found the quote in the swedish translation of Leo Hubermans excellent book "Mans worldly goods". The original quote should be found in the english translation of the book.

[TomRK1089]

Wilson believewd he was excersizing the Roosevelt Corrollary, which was based on the precedent set by the Munroe Doctrine. Essentially, James Munroe said that the US had he right to keep Latin America from being 'interfered with' by Europe, and TR extended that to 'we now run the place.' As for Cuba, the Philippines, etc, we may have freed them from Spain, but it was still an unethical land grab.

The Palmer raids were also supported by one J. Edgar Hoover...ring any bells? Good ol' J Edga...not.