Meranda's AP American Blog

Woodrow Wilson proposed his Fourteen Points on January 8, 1918. These points created a a basis for peace and were later incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles. However, these points, to a greater extent were idealistic. This is reflected in the failure of the Treaty of Versailles. Wilson's points were too lenient for some of the Allies. France, as an example, wanted to implicate harsh penalties and war reparations on Germany. Hence, the War Guilt Clause was created. Therefore, it is clear that the Fourteen Points were far too idealistic. Wilson could not implement the freedom of navigation, removal of economic barriers, and creating of new boundaries, amongst other points. He could not enforce the creation of the League of Nations, which the United States refused to enter. As seen in the lenient of the points and the reaction of the United States and other nations, Wilson's points were, to a greater extent, idealistic. The Fourteen Points set the foundation for the Tr

In World War I, Schenck distributed circulars, which are letters addressed to a large group of people, with the purpose of getting the attention of those being drafted. He argued against the draft but only suggested peaceful action or resistance against the Conscription Act, an act that made wartime draft in the United States. However, Justice Holmes ruled that Schenck's actions violated the Espionage Act since his letters seemed to talk down the military and discourage people from attending. Holmes argued that Schenck's letters presented a "clear and present danger", so Congress had the right to stop and prevent those actions. This is similar to the Peter Zenger trail, since in the trial Zenger was tried for speaking out against the government, like Schenck.