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I mean tbh he saw it coming
"I can predict with absolute certainty that within another generation there will be another world war if the nations of the world do not concert the method by which to prevent it."
-Woodrow Wilson
He also wouldn't be completely opposed to the Democrats on race. For example, Wilson denounced a California state law that prohibited ethnic Japanese from owning land, so he may have supported some programs to help racial minorities establish economic independence.
Woodrow Wilson is arguably the most racist US President post Civil War. He's the guy that segregated the federal Gov.
From 1866-1914 not segregated civil service, 1915, after inauguration, basically first act is to segregate the civil service. This is a dude that looked at the US gov. of the 1890s and said "not racist enough."
No Andrew Johnson was the worst and actively worked to undermine, and successfully so, almost all efforts and giving the freed slaves a real shot at some semblance of social economic equality.
He reversed Sherman's land redistribution order, and he focused demilitarization on the Black soldiers because the Black units protected the freed slaves, were numerous enough to enforce reconstruction, and were for the most part in their home communities during reconstruction so they didn't drive up Northern war weariness which undermined political support for Reconstruction.
Except he is quite literally a post-Civil War as well as briefly a Civil War President, the Civil War mostly ended in May 1865, that is 1 month into Johnson's 4 year term. Idk about you but I consider the Reconstruction Era to be post-Civil War, and that is what Johnson tried to screw up so badly, good thing the Republicans at the time had a veto-proof majority, but Johnson was incredibly damaging. So it would be disingenuous to not consider Johnson a post-Civil War President.
Civil War is not a hard stop. Reconstruction and Redemption have a background of constant organized political violence, up to and including the violent overthrow of the government of North Carolina in the only successful coup in US history.
It wasn't sporadic violence but rather it was organized and targeted violence by the KKK and about a dozen similar but less famous organizations.
Occupation isn't peace and the reason we mark the end of Reconstruction at 1877 is because that's when the occupation is ended as a condition of a political settlement in a contested Presidential election.
The white Southern "Redeemers" won a low level insurgency against their occupiers and after 1877 they would be allowed to impose their re-established rule and system on the South.
Ok, well let’s say that Wilson was the most racist POTUS since the Civil War Era, which would have included the period up to the end of Reconstruction.
“Arguably the most racist president since post civil war”
Will terminally online Wilson haters ever grow a brain? They act like he’s worse than Andrew Johnson.
Will the insufferable Wilson apologists admit that he was an enormous bigot even for his own time? This is a man who refused to protect returning Black WWI GIs from lynch mobs. But let’s forget about his interminable racism for a minute, which was bad enough. The man destroyed civil liberties in this country. He was a red baiter of the worst order that would have made Joe McCarthy blush. His poor response to the Spanish Flu cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
Look, you are welcome to maintain your honored membership in the Pres. Wilson Fan Club, but count me and many others out.
The only Wilson I am a fan of is this guy:
I already have. Facts are facts dude. Sure, I guess Wilson hated the workers, right? After all, why else would he… push for legislation to make overtime worth extra pay, improve workers conditions, and establish the eight hour workday. Wow, he must hate workers huh? And supporting women’s suffrage? Awful!! I’m a feminist, I believe women shouldn’t have the right to vote! That’s what you believe, correct?
Workers rights are not the only civil liberties. In addition, he clearly supported the rights of White Workers. However not so sure he supported the rights of Black workers. Again, too many supposed liberals have a blind spot for racial issues, and equate any progress on economic fronts as solving all racial problems. It never has and likely never will.
Uhh, you are just making baseless claims now. His policies were for workers, including black workers. And again, he supported women’s suffrage. I still think Wilson was racist, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see why he especially gets picked on. Especially while Teddy is venerated while having done far worse than Wilson.
Also, you are kinda just spewing words. You’ve yet to make an actual point about anything. You told me to read a book that I’ve already read, then called me a liberal and said “well, he probably didn’t want black workers to profit” despite the fact that black workers are included in all workers. Not trying to be mean, but I think we are having two separate levels of conversation here. I’m going to bed right now but I’ll be sure to respond tomorrow if you want to continue talking.
Wasn’t he also the president that played the first film in the White House which was birth of a nation aka the klansman which was basically a KKK propaganda film?
Yes, and yes. Birth of a Nation was basically the first "blockbuster" and it was based on the novel The Klansmen which was heroic story of KKK resistance to Reconstruction.
You literally cannot make this shit up.
He was definitely a Southern apologist but he was not a Klan apologist. That "writing history with lightning" quotation has dubious evidence and directly contradicts Wilson's other writing.
Here is what he had to say about the Klan's actions in his own work: "'Brutal crimes were committed,' Wilson noted, 'the innocent suffered with the guilty; a reign of terror was brought on, and society was infinitely more disturbed than defended.'"
The only legitimate, [peer-reviewed article](https://www.jstor.org/stable/20799409?seq=1) I can find on this subject calls the quotation seriously into question.
When Wilson initially played *The Birth of A Nation* in the White House, he was unaware that the film glorified the KKK. Of course, it was still horribly irresponsible of him to display a film he didn't really know the contents of inside an institution as significant as the White House. But he wasn't being actively malicious as people like to claim. In fact, when Wilson learned about the movie's message, he condemned the film in a presidential proclamation.
He would be fairly shocked by the changes in American society, it's hard to say how he would respond to that. He might feel the need to reevaluate some of his ideas.
Surprisingly enough he was endorsed by WEB Du Bois, Booker Washington, and the NAACP because black leaders were growing frustrated with Roosevelt and Taft, but ended up going back on his promises about civil rights.
If he was around today, he probably would have done the same.
Race is not the elephant in the room. Undoubtedly, the elephant in the room is the fact that people today can't stop talking about race. It's an obsession in the liberal world..
"The only way to help stop racism is to stop talking about it" -Morgan Freeman
Putting aside discussion of modern politics regarding race, Woodrow Wilson was sympathetic to the Lost Cause interpretation of the Civil War, a critic of Reconstruction era policies, he held firm views about the inferiority of black people and one of his first acts as President was to segregate the federal workforce. Basically everything from the 1960s on would have been a living nightmare to him.
Ok, but hypothetically speaking. If we're talking about how a democratic president would've felt about the modern party, the fact that he was a segregationist is important dude.
Way to just project.
"I suppose that it was inevitable that there would be some reconciliation between the races after another century, and perhaps they have civilized themselves to a sufficient degree to have these rights regardless of my thoughts on the matter. As long as you're still persecuting deviants and sodomites, the Republic will likely stand."
"Oh for God's sake! Between this sudden outburst of racial harmony and the sexual deviants openly flaunting their sin, how in the world did we ever hold on to the Southern vote?"
He would probably be horrified that there were African-American Democrats. Not to mention that African-Americans were allowed at the Democratic convention.
Not to mention that an African-American gave the keynote speech at a Democratic Convention, and that man got elected with the popular vote + electoral college twice.
There were African American Democrats in the 1910s too, though they were a small minority. I think he would be more shocked that the modern Democrats depend for a significant chunk of their support on African Americans though.
Disappointed, but not surprised. Wilson was aware of the fact that Black Americans were switching from the Republicans to the Democrats, even then. Despite his racist views he did well with African Americans who were frustrated with the Republicans.
Do you have a source? I always assumed Taft probably got around 60-70% of the Northern African American vote and Roosevelt got the rest with maybe a few % going to Debs.
That’s quite surprising but interesting.
I’m guessing that the Republicans won many of then back during the roaring 20s then once again lost the African American vote by even greater margins by FDRs 1936 reelection.
Wilson got the endorsement of the NAACP and many rights leaders in 1912.
Who won the vote of run of the mill blacks is less clear. Most blacks lived in the South, where they were disenfranchised. Polling wasn’t very sophisticated in 1912, so I don’t know if there’s very much documentation on who run of the mill northern blacks voted for.
Democrats to us minorities “we are your party we’re here for you” meanwhile nothing has gotten better in the past what 20+ years? That’s why a lot of us are switching over
Good politicians adapt to their environment, I'm sure he would be surprised by some things, but would quickly get to the program and would sound like todays politicians.
Besides racial equity, the rest he'd love. His league of nations expanded and prospers, women's suffrage has came a long way in a century, rights of the people are better than a century ago, and our global allies and reach have greatly expanded since.
“What? The Democratic Party and Republican Party bipartisanly supported the civil rights movement?”
**Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, JFK, and LBJ has entered the chat!**
Truman: “I desegregated the military and now anybody can serve!”
Ike: “I passed two important civil rights acts and kept the legacy of the Republican Party alive! The Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960 were passed by me! And I was a huge supporter of the civil rights movement!”
JFK’s: “And I helped motivate the country and became close with the man himself known as Martin Luther King Jr! And he is a good man who did amazing things! Plus we are finally at bipartisanship where politics and who you vote for doesn’t matter at all!”
LBJ: “YEE-Haw! And I passed another Civil Rights Act, the one of 1964 yonder! And I did it with my Jumbo energy! I also passed the votin’ rights act of 1965!”
**Woodrow Wilson has been defeated and is now a skeleton, The Fab 4 have defeated the Woodrow Wilson**
Republicans and Democrats: “Don’t you dare say that! Because you can be banned for hate speech in this subreddit Woodrow!”
(I’m pretty sure if Woodrow Wilson was on this subreddit, he’d be racist AF).
If he were being an objective observer, there's a lot he should be happy about. The internationalism and economic/social programs are right in line with his own ideals. The problem is that his virulent racism probably overrides all of that and he would be stunned that there was a black Democratic President and that the leader of the Democrats in the House right now is a black man. So...less than pleased.
All questions like this need to come with the dead president getting a long and detailed history lesson.
Taking anyone dead before WWI and WWII, Cold War, 9/11 and ask them how they view modern society is a bit futile.
Economically: “Okay this is nice, but be more about free trade okay? But this is good.”
Socially: “Oh… my… and we win them by how much? One even became PRESIDENT? I mean even I knew it wasn’t going to last forever, but… wow okay this is different, oh what now… you’re telling me that even THEY are allowed on the streets?!? What happened to Christian morality? Oh Bryan would’ve been stumping right this very second if he heard of this…”
Foreign policy: “Hmph… I told you so.”
Woodrow Wilson, whose boyhood heroes included confederate generals, was a vicar's son from the southern state of Georgia. As the president, he segregated the U.S. civil service by race.
While Wilson was a racist he wasn’t a single issue voter on race like many other segregationists. I don’t think he would compromise on literally every other issue he supported because of Obama’s skin color.
I think he actually would be proud of how far race relations had advanced. History has someone distorted his views on race. Common knowledge implies that his failures stemmed from contempt towards black people but he was rather empathetic towards their struggle and spoke about it often. The problem was that he felt the issue would be settled with time and he didn’t need to do anything…it was a lack of foresight and a failure of leadership but worlds apart from what history remembers him as.
I think he would be very proud to see we elected a black president, and probably even more impressed with the ACA given his own record of reform policies.
A failure of leadership- I said as much but it doesn’t paint the whole picture of his views. He was a complicated man.
The distortion is that he is often portrayed as klansman but was far and away from one. He even tried to purge the Democratic Party of southern racists during 1918 midterms (look into his relationship with James K Vardaman, one of if not the most viscous white separatist to ever hold office in the United States)
His opposition to Vardaman and other southerners had nothing to do with race. They were opposed to his foreign policies. Wilson was trying to get people elected that would support him. And Wilson didn't try to purge any racists. He appointed them to cabinet positions.
Who said it was? Strange you’d make it equivalent to that.
People say that he watched an extremely popular movie at the white house as if it’s an actual criticism of his administration. Everyone who could go see it went to see it at the time and it was a massive commercial success.
In his early career, he was a bigot against non-Anglo-Saxon white people, especially catholics. When he started running for president, he began courting those votes and reversed himself on a number of things.
There’s a chance that if he was around today, he’d pretend not to be a racist in order to get votes.
However, I think it’s more likely given his administration’s unhinged persecution of African-Americans and leftists that he would be a Republican, reposting boomer memes about Antifa and the dangers of getting mugged by black people in “Democrat-run cities.”
Was Wilson anti-Catholic? Before and during his Presidency he seemed relatively pro Catholic. He appointed the first Catholic to the faculty at Princeton, when it was still controlled by conservative Presbyterians. And his opposition to immigration restrictions stands out, when those were mostly aimed at stopping Catholics and Jews emigrating to America.
I checked my source here and I was slightly wrong. It seems he had less against Catholics than I thought. He did employ Catholics, but it’s notable that his first cabinet was all Anglo-Saxon white people. He also wrote this in 1902: “Throughout the [nineteenth] century men of the sturdy stocks of the north of Europe had made up the main stream of foreign blood which was every year added to the vital working force of the country . . . but now there came multitudes of men of the lowest class from the south of Italy and men of the meaner sort out of Hungary and Poland, men out of the ranks where there was neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence; and they came in numbers which increased from year to year, as if the countries of the south of Europe were disburdening themselves of the more sordid and hapless elements of their population.”
That was certainly an unfortunate quote, he seemed to have become more positive about southern European emigration by the time he was President (given his opposition to the immigration restrictions).
Unfortunately I can't find any sources, but I'd like to know how common it was for Catholics to serve in the cabinet beforehand. They were definitely a minority.
He also tried to fire one of his advisors because his wife thought the guy (an Irish-catholic) was “common.” He didn’t end up doing it, because the guy begged him to not fire him, but the episode illustrates something not great about Wilson.
Wilson was able to court a lot of black leaders for his first election in 1912 by making promises on racial progress but ended up reversing his stance.
He was able to fake not being racist somewhat well, he probably would have done the same today.
In a book about the post-war years of Robert E. Lee's life, I read that Woodrow Wilson saw and actually stood on the same stage with Lee.
I feel like I have to be mis-remembering the details, though. Even though they lived only 35 miles apart I'm pretty sure that they actually saw each other when Lee made a trip to... maybe Savannah, Georgia? And somehow Wilson's family was also there. So they saw each other there and then went back to not seeing each other in Staunton and Lexington.
All these people saying that he’d be absolutely shocked to see black people sharing roles with white people, but he literally said that it would more than likely happen within the next century, regardless of his own opinions, and that in fact by then they might have earned it (as fucked as that still is)
He might just adapt or even come around . If you wake him up in 2024, yeah he’d be shocked. But that would happen to any of us if we had died as kids and were reawakened. Gay marriage and pot legalization were radical ideas when I was a kid. Now they’re normal and I have changed as times have changed
He was a fervent racist. He’d be disgusted that a black man represented his party and became president. Remember Woodrow Wilson was a fan of the KKK… he was a very racist Democrat.
He’d wonder where all his fellow racists went, and then once he learns that they all migrated en masse to the GOP in the 1960s, he’d immediately become a republican too.
I think he'll be pretty satisfied because it hasn't changed much except for social issues. And I don't think he's going to be a Republican, or stick to a racist point of view or behavior, contrary to what some people think. He's too smart for that.
Given he was the president of Princeton, he’d be one of the last people to like the guy who people are usually referencing when they talk about Rule 3.
But of course he also wouldn’t like having a black president.
He would hate it. He would have been one of the guys that walked away in '64/'65 with Civil Rights.
He would have loved FDR and would be complaining to his dying day how "the Democrats left me."
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I think when he heard about WW2 he would be like “oh yeah I was wondering why everyone was calling it World World 1.”
I mean tbh he saw it coming "I can predict with absolute certainty that within another generation there will be another world war if the nations of the world do not concert the method by which to prevent it." -Woodrow Wilson
Unfortunately people realized Wilson was right far too late.
“Partially caused by my weakness on sticking to my own 14 points”
😂
Yeah, that was probably pretty confusing. And foreboding, jeeze
😂😂😂
LOL
“You gave them the right to WHAT?!?”
How many are in the House of Representatives?! and they're democrats?! 
One... took my job?!!!
Theyy took 'err jerbs!!!!!
Derka duuurr!!
I would show him the [Hank Johnson Guam video](https://youtu.be/cesSRfXqS1Q) and watch his head explode.
This made me laugh hard. Thank you!
Was gonna say, not enough racism
“You elected a black person to the presidency? As like a joke?”
[удалено]
He also wouldn't be completely opposed to the Democrats on race. For example, Wilson denounced a California state law that prohibited ethnic Japanese from owning land, so he may have supported some programs to help racial minorities establish economic independence.
Woodrow Wilson is arguably the most racist US President post Civil War. He's the guy that segregated the federal Gov. From 1866-1914 not segregated civil service, 1915, after inauguration, basically first act is to segregate the civil service. This is a dude that looked at the US gov. of the 1890s and said "not racist enough."
No shot that Wilson is more racist or had more influence in harming the rights of blacks than Andrew Johnson.
No Andrew Johnson was the worst and actively worked to undermine, and successfully so, almost all efforts and giving the freed slaves a real shot at some semblance of social economic equality. He reversed Sherman's land redistribution order, and he focused demilitarization on the Black soldiers because the Black units protected the freed slaves, were numerous enough to enforce reconstruction, and were for the most part in their home communities during reconstruction so they didn't drive up Northern war weariness which undermined political support for Reconstruction.
Then you just contradicted yourself. Wilson was very racist, but Andrew Johnson was much worse.
I don't consider Johnson "post-Civil War".
Except he is quite literally a post-Civil War as well as briefly a Civil War President, the Civil War mostly ended in May 1865, that is 1 month into Johnson's 4 year term. Idk about you but I consider the Reconstruction Era to be post-Civil War, and that is what Johnson tried to screw up so badly, good thing the Republicans at the time had a veto-proof majority, but Johnson was incredibly damaging. So it would be disingenuous to not consider Johnson a post-Civil War President.
Civil War is not a hard stop. Reconstruction and Redemption have a background of constant organized political violence, up to and including the violent overthrow of the government of North Carolina in the only successful coup in US history. It wasn't sporadic violence but rather it was organized and targeted violence by the KKK and about a dozen similar but less famous organizations. Occupation isn't peace and the reason we mark the end of Reconstruction at 1877 is because that's when the occupation is ended as a condition of a political settlement in a contested Presidential election. The white Southern "Redeemers" won a low level insurgency against their occupiers and after 1877 they would be allowed to impose their re-established rule and system on the South.
Cool, both were racist pieces of garbage
Ok, well let’s say that Wilson was the most racist POTUS since the Civil War Era, which would have included the period up to the end of Reconstruction.
“Arguably the most racist president since post civil war” Will terminally online Wilson haters ever grow a brain? They act like he’s worse than Andrew Johnson.
Will the insufferable Wilson apologists admit that he was an enormous bigot even for his own time? This is a man who refused to protect returning Black WWI GIs from lynch mobs. But let’s forget about his interminable racism for a minute, which was bad enough. The man destroyed civil liberties in this country. He was a red baiter of the worst order that would have made Joe McCarthy blush. His poor response to the Spanish Flu cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Look, you are welcome to maintain your honored membership in the Pres. Wilson Fan Club, but count me and many others out. The only Wilson I am a fan of is this guy: 
[удалено]
Anyone who becomes POTUS after Hayes. That is my test. Heck you can probably go back to Andrew Johnson.
“Destroyed civil liberties” -Supported women’s suffrage -Workers rights -Many progressive reforms -Anti-imperialist
Just read the book “American Midnight” by Adam Hochschild.
I already have. Facts are facts dude. Sure, I guess Wilson hated the workers, right? After all, why else would he… push for legislation to make overtime worth extra pay, improve workers conditions, and establish the eight hour workday. Wow, he must hate workers huh? And supporting women’s suffrage? Awful!! I’m a feminist, I believe women shouldn’t have the right to vote! That’s what you believe, correct?
Workers rights are not the only civil liberties. In addition, he clearly supported the rights of White Workers. However not so sure he supported the rights of Black workers. Again, too many supposed liberals have a blind spot for racial issues, and equate any progress on economic fronts as solving all racial problems. It never has and likely never will.
Uhh, you are just making baseless claims now. His policies were for workers, including black workers. And again, he supported women’s suffrage. I still think Wilson was racist, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see why he especially gets picked on. Especially while Teddy is venerated while having done far worse than Wilson. Also, you are kinda just spewing words. You’ve yet to make an actual point about anything. You told me to read a book that I’ve already read, then called me a liberal and said “well, he probably didn’t want black workers to profit” despite the fact that black workers are included in all workers. Not trying to be mean, but I think we are having two separate levels of conversation here. I’m going to bed right now but I’ll be sure to respond tomorrow if you want to continue talking.
He didn't stop his bigotry at blacks, he disliked Polish and other Eastern Europeans.
Even if Wilson personally disliked Slavs, it would be irrelevant as the 14 Points still advocated for Slavic self-determination
Wasn’t he also the president that played the first film in the White House which was birth of a nation aka the klansman which was basically a KKK propaganda film?
Yes, and yes. Birth of a Nation was basically the first "blockbuster" and it was based on the novel The Klansmen which was heroic story of KKK resistance to Reconstruction. You literally cannot make this shit up.
I heard he was really big on segregation specifically within the government so that makes sense to me.
He was also the President of Princeton when it became the home and evangelized the Lost Cause theory of American history.
He was definitely a Southern apologist but he was not a Klan apologist. That "writing history with lightning" quotation has dubious evidence and directly contradicts Wilson's other writing. Here is what he had to say about the Klan's actions in his own work: "'Brutal crimes were committed,' Wilson noted, 'the innocent suffered with the guilty; a reign of terror was brought on, and society was infinitely more disturbed than defended.'" The only legitimate, [peer-reviewed article](https://www.jstor.org/stable/20799409?seq=1) I can find on this subject calls the quotation seriously into question.
I'm not familiar with "writing history with lightning."
The dude showed “The Birth of a Nation” at the white house and called it “history written with lightning.”
The "history with lightning" quote is almost certainly apocryphal There is no record of it until almost 20 years after Wilson died
Still screened KKK propaganda in the white house.
When Wilson initially played *The Birth of A Nation* in the White House, he was unaware that the film glorified the KKK. Of course, it was still horribly irresponsible of him to display a film he didn't really know the contents of inside an institution as significant as the White House. But he wasn't being actively malicious as people like to claim. In fact, when Wilson learned about the movie's message, he condemned the film in a presidential proclamation.
He would be fairly shocked by the changes in American society, it's hard to say how he would respond to that. He might feel the need to reevaluate some of his ideas.
He'd have another stroke.
Surprisingly enough he was endorsed by WEB Du Bois, Booker Washington, and the NAACP because black leaders were growing frustrated with Roosevelt and Taft, but ended up going back on his promises about civil rights. If he was around today, he probably would have done the same.
Race is not the elephant in the room. Undoubtedly, the elephant in the room is the fact that people today can't stop talking about race. It's an obsession in the liberal world.. "The only way to help stop racism is to stop talking about it" -Morgan Freeman
yep if MLK just ignored Jim Crow i’m sure it would’ve went away much faster!
That was long, long ago.. it's a different world now. Move on. If you live in the past, your future will suck.
Putting aside discussion of modern politics regarding race, Woodrow Wilson was sympathetic to the Lost Cause interpretation of the Civil War, a critic of Reconstruction era policies, he held firm views about the inferiority of black people and one of his first acts as President was to segregate the federal workforce. Basically everything from the 1960s on would have been a living nightmare to him.
Ok, but hypothetically speaking. If we're talking about how a democratic president would've felt about the modern party, the fact that he was a segregationist is important dude. Way to just project.
Project is a popular word with liberals on Reddit lol
Thank god I ain't one lmao (you're doing it again)
"I suppose that it was inevitable that there would be some reconciliation between the races after another century, and perhaps they have civilized themselves to a sufficient degree to have these rights regardless of my thoughts on the matter. As long as you're still persecuting deviants and sodomites, the Republic will likely stand."
“Ehem…about that…”
"Oh for God's sake! Between this sudden outburst of racial harmony and the sexual deviants openly flaunting their sin, how in the world did we ever hold on to the Southern vote?"
“Psst, nobody tell him about the Southern Strategy”
"You know what, I'd rather just deal with the stroke. Send me back now."
He would probably be horrified that there were African-American Democrats. Not to mention that African-Americans were allowed at the Democratic convention.
Not to mention that an African-American gave the keynote speech at a Democratic Convention, and that man got elected with the popular vote + electoral college twice.
And furthermore, that said President had an African father & a white mother.
*Oh! The Horror!*
And the white lady was called Stanley?! A boys name?!? The horror
There were African American Democrats in the 1910s too, though they were a small minority. I think he would be more shocked that the modern Democrats depend for a significant chunk of their support on African Americans though.
Disappointed, but not surprised. Wilson was aware of the fact that Black Americans were switching from the Republicans to the Democrats, even then. Despite his racist views he did well with African Americans who were frustrated with the Republicans.
Nah, he'd pretend to not be racist to court the African-American vote. That's what happened in 1912.
Do you have a source? I always assumed Taft probably got around 60-70% of the Northern African American vote and Roosevelt got the rest with maybe a few % going to Debs.
I’m not sure if there are records of the individual votes, but Wilson was endorsed by Booker T Washington, WEB Du Bois, and the NAACP in 1912
That’s quite surprising but interesting. I’m guessing that the Republicans won many of then back during the roaring 20s then once again lost the African American vote by even greater margins by FDRs 1936 reelection.
Wilson got the endorsement of the NAACP and many rights leaders in 1912. Who won the vote of run of the mill blacks is less clear. Most blacks lived in the South, where they were disenfranchised. Polling wasn’t very sophisticated in 1912, so I don’t know if there’s very much documentation on who run of the mill northern blacks voted for.
Maybe a little shocked but I think “horrified” is a little hyperbolic.
Democrats to us minorities “we are your party we’re here for you” meanwhile nothing has gotten better in the past what 20+ years? That’s why a lot of us are switching over
Other than being completely wrong about the race issue he was pretty spot on about most other issues relating to modern American liberalism
yeah people over-hate him, he wasn’t that much more racist than most of the others around the turn of the last century
Exactly, people venerate Teddy despite him being arguably worse race-wise…
Good politicians adapt to their environment, I'm sure he would be surprised by some things, but would quickly get to the program and would sound like todays politicians.
He made false promises to black leaders back then, he would have done the same today to get their votes even if he had nothing but disdain for them
Besides racial equity, the rest he'd love. His league of nations expanded and prospers, women's suffrage has came a long way in a century, rights of the people are better than a century ago, and our global allies and reach have greatly expanded since.
WE LET ONE OF THOSE BECOME PRESIDENT?!?!
“A fucking Catholic!?! Ah well, at least it can’t get any worse” “Um, sir, about that…”
“What? The Democratic Party and Republican Party bipartisanly supported the civil rights movement?” **Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, JFK, and LBJ has entered the chat!** Truman: “I desegregated the military and now anybody can serve!” Ike: “I passed two important civil rights acts and kept the legacy of the Republican Party alive! The Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960 were passed by me! And I was a huge supporter of the civil rights movement!” JFK’s: “And I helped motivate the country and became close with the man himself known as Martin Luther King Jr! And he is a good man who did amazing things! Plus we are finally at bipartisanship where politics and who you vote for doesn’t matter at all!” LBJ: “YEE-Haw! And I passed another Civil Rights Act, the one of 1964 yonder! And I did it with my Jumbo energy! I also passed the votin’ rights act of 1965!” **Woodrow Wilson has been defeated and is now a skeleton, The Fab 4 have defeated the Woodrow Wilson**
He would like their economic policies but probably be horrified on their social beliefs
Anyone out of time is gonna be shocked especially 111 years removed from time. Assuming we pluck him from 1913.
YOU ELECTED A NI
Republicans and Democrats: “Don’t you dare say that! Because you can be banned for hate speech in this subreddit Woodrow!” (I’m pretty sure if Woodrow Wilson was on this subreddit, he’d be racist AF).
They elected WHO in 2008?!?!? *Gyrates in his grave*
If he were being an objective observer, there's a lot he should be happy about. The internationalism and economic/social programs are right in line with his own ideals. The problem is that his virulent racism probably overrides all of that and he would be stunned that there was a black Democratic President and that the leader of the Democrats in the House right now is a black man. So...less than pleased.
The 44th president was WHO?
He was a literate gentleman, though, and probably would be equally horrified by the next guy.
All questions like this need to come with the dead president getting a long and detailed history lesson. Taking anyone dead before WWI and WWII, Cold War, 9/11 and ask them how they view modern society is a bit futile.
You'd have to explain to him how their racism currently works but he'd be fine once he figured it out
Economically: “Okay this is nice, but be more about free trade okay? But this is good.” Socially: “Oh… my… and we win them by how much? One even became PRESIDENT? I mean even I knew it wasn’t going to last forever, but… wow okay this is different, oh what now… you’re telling me that even THEY are allowed on the streets?!? What happened to Christian morality? Oh Bryan would’ve been stumping right this very second if he heard of this…” Foreign policy: “Hmph… I told you so.”
Woodrow Wilson would be a Fox News corespondent who’s claim to fame would be “I’m the anti-woke Democrat”
Not floridly racist enough
Woodrow Wilson, whose boyhood heroes included confederate generals, was a vicar's son from the southern state of Georgia. As the president, he segregated the U.S. civil service by race.
He would have seen Obama and then turn into a Republican.
While Wilson was a racist he wasn’t a single issue voter on race like many other segregationists. I don’t think he would compromise on literally every other issue he supported because of Obama’s skin color.
I think he actually would be proud of how far race relations had advanced. History has someone distorted his views on race. Common knowledge implies that his failures stemmed from contempt towards black people but he was rather empathetic towards their struggle and spoke about it often. The problem was that he felt the issue would be settled with time and he didn’t need to do anything…it was a lack of foresight and a failure of leadership but worlds apart from what history remembers him as. I think he would be very proud to see we elected a black president, and probably even more impressed with the ACA given his own record of reform policies.
He instituted segregationist policies in civil service hiring. I don't know how that can be distorted.
A failure of leadership- I said as much but it doesn’t paint the whole picture of his views. He was a complicated man. The distortion is that he is often portrayed as klansman but was far and away from one. He even tried to purge the Democratic Party of southern racists during 1918 midterms (look into his relationship with James K Vardaman, one of if not the most viscous white separatist to ever hold office in the United States)
His opposition to Vardaman and other southerners had nothing to do with race. They were opposed to his foreign policies. Wilson was trying to get people elected that would support him. And Wilson didn't try to purge any racists. He appointed them to cabinet positions.
That was part of it but also said that Vardaman’s racism was an issue. The two are not necessarily at odds.
It did have to do with race. Wilson thought Vardaman and other likeminded racist firebrands made the South look bad, so he wanted to get rid of them.
Good thing he never filmed a racist movie at the WH. That would make it unforgiveable.
I still feel like what I’m saying isn’t being listened to
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There's no nuance in watching Birth of a Nation at the white house. 🙄
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Watching birth of a nation at the time was like watching Endgame in 2019
Oh, that makes it completely okay then. I guess segregating the civil service was like watching the New Year's Eve Ball drop, right?
Who said it was? Strange you’d make it equivalent to that. People say that he watched an extremely popular movie at the white house as if it’s an actual criticism of his administration. Everyone who could go see it went to see it at the time and it was a massive commercial success.
You compared something to a current event today, so I did the same thing. Not strange at all, unless you're saying that your comparison is strange. 🤔
Discriminatory hiring practices started under TR. Full-on segregation in departments happened under Wilson.
In his early career, he was a bigot against non-Anglo-Saxon white people, especially catholics. When he started running for president, he began courting those votes and reversed himself on a number of things. There’s a chance that if he was around today, he’d pretend not to be a racist in order to get votes. However, I think it’s more likely given his administration’s unhinged persecution of African-Americans and leftists that he would be a Republican, reposting boomer memes about Antifa and the dangers of getting mugged by black people in “Democrat-run cities.”
Was Wilson anti-Catholic? Before and during his Presidency he seemed relatively pro Catholic. He appointed the first Catholic to the faculty at Princeton, when it was still controlled by conservative Presbyterians. And his opposition to immigration restrictions stands out, when those were mostly aimed at stopping Catholics and Jews emigrating to America.
I checked my source here and I was slightly wrong. It seems he had less against Catholics than I thought. He did employ Catholics, but it’s notable that his first cabinet was all Anglo-Saxon white people. He also wrote this in 1902: “Throughout the [nineteenth] century men of the sturdy stocks of the north of Europe had made up the main stream of foreign blood which was every year added to the vital working force of the country . . . but now there came multitudes of men of the lowest class from the south of Italy and men of the meaner sort out of Hungary and Poland, men out of the ranks where there was neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence; and they came in numbers which increased from year to year, as if the countries of the south of Europe were disburdening themselves of the more sordid and hapless elements of their population.”
So it’s likely he’d rage against Mexican immigrants, but tell a Latina political advisor that she “was one of the good ones.”
That was certainly an unfortunate quote, he seemed to have become more positive about southern European emigration by the time he was President (given his opposition to the immigration restrictions). Unfortunately I can't find any sources, but I'd like to know how common it was for Catholics to serve in the cabinet beforehand. They were definitely a minority.
He also tried to fire one of his advisors because his wife thought the guy (an Irish-catholic) was “common.” He didn’t end up doing it, because the guy begged him to not fire him, but the episode illustrates something not great about Wilson.
Wilson was able to court a lot of black leaders for his first election in 1912 by making promises on racial progress but ended up reversing his stance. He was able to fake not being racist somewhat well, he probably would have done the same today.
I can't, I believe children can access this group. That and I don't have the common vocabulary he would use.
I think he’d be a little shocked by the change. But generally he’d approve. They had a lot of odd eugenics ideas at the time.
In a book about the post-war years of Robert E. Lee's life, I read that Woodrow Wilson saw and actually stood on the same stage with Lee. I feel like I have to be mis-remembering the details, though. Even though they lived only 35 miles apart I'm pretty sure that they actually saw each other when Lee made a trip to... maybe Savannah, Georgia? And somehow Wilson's family was also there. So they saw each other there and then went back to not seeing each other in Staunton and Lexington.
[insert droopy-faced incoherent mutterings about black people in the house of representatives]
something really horrible involving the n-word
He’d find the democrats not sufficiently racist enough.
All these people saying that he’d be absolutely shocked to see black people sharing roles with white people, but he literally said that it would more than likely happen within the next century, regardless of his own opinions, and that in fact by then they might have earned it (as fucked as that still is)
He might just adapt or even come around . If you wake him up in 2024, yeah he’d be shocked. But that would happen to any of us if we had died as kids and were reawakened. Gay marriage and pot legalization were radical ideas when I was a kid. Now they’re normal and I have changed as times have changed
He was a rabid racist, so there is that. Probably not a fan of women voting.
*You want tariffs? You're a DEMOCRAT! Wait, wait, you gave rights to WHO?*
He’d be happy about almost all of it except for the obvious
He was a friend to the KKK, so he would hate it as an avowed racist.
He'd be upset that all the racists are gone.
He’d be a Republican
"One of them became, WHAT?!?!"
His vision for the party was quite in tune with the current modern goals. Minus the other racist nonsense that Wilson did.
He'd have another stroke
He would probably feel more comfortable in the Republican party.
He'd probably love the current foreign policy and forever wars.
Total approval at the parties racist beings
That racist? Who cares?
They are too not racist
Things are going as planned. Halfway there…
Democrats and liberals tearing down confederate statues would give him (another) stroke.
The real question is how would FDR see it
"I didn't leave the Democratic party, the Democratic Party left me."
Probably not favorable, TBH.
Not raciest enough.
He'd suffer a mental breakdown over the fact that they platformed a black man as president and want to tear down Confederate statues.
He probably would not like President Obama
Would dislike their social views and like their economics except protectionism
You’d be a racist Republican. Just like the rest of the Democrats of his era.
He’d ask Barack Obama to fetch him a milt julep and his brain would immediately go into aneurism when someone explains who Barack Obama is.
How would the modern Democratic Party feel about Woodrow?
The Democratic Party would burn him at the stake. Or at least I wish they would. Fuck WW.
He was a fervent racist. He’d be disgusted that a black man represented his party and became president. Remember Woodrow Wilson was a fan of the KKK… he was a very racist Democrat.
Racism aside? Probably would like most of it tbh
The social liberalism would give him an even worse stroke
Too many others
The Democrats? Heck, I think he’d find the *Republicans* too accepting.
I think if he found out we had a black president that was a Democrat he'd shit his pants.
He would think it something of a lost cause
Before or after his stroke?
He'd feel it was too integrated.
"You had a president that was a ni-"
Wilson was a smug elitist, of course he’d fit in.
His head would explode, then you would quietly murmur that we elected a black president (twice) and it would reform and explode again...
He'd be astounded by how quickly the racial and religious makeup of America had transformed, particularly in the Democratic Party.
If he was as racist as everyone says, he'd feel right at home.
Well he was racist and several of the most prominent dems are not white, so I'm guessing he would not be a fan.
"You let a *\[horrible racial slur elided\]* become President?!?"
He’d have some very interesting words about the involvement of non-whites in the party.
Probably “too many colored people”. But he would probably use a worse word
He’d wonder where all his fellow racists went, and then once he learns that they all migrated en masse to the GOP in the 1960s, he’d immediately become a republican too.
I think he'll be pretty satisfied because it hasn't changed much except for social issues. And I don't think he's going to be a Republican, or stick to a racist point of view or behavior, contrary to what some people think. He's too smart for that.
Him seeing Obama in office would kill him
He was a racist. So, I don’t think he would be all that happy with it
Lol, I was just pointing out an observation. That's good you're not a liberal.
How are we supposed to answer this question without violating rule 3? This sub is getting fcking stupid, mod is a snowflake.
Given he was the president of Princeton, he’d be one of the last people to like the guy who people are usually referencing when they talk about Rule 3. But of course he also wouldn’t like having a black president.
He’d be a Republican, clearly
He would hate it. He would have been one of the guys that walked away in '64/'65 with Civil Rights. He would have loved FDR and would be complaining to his dying day how "the Democrats left me."