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The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations: Five Camps: From Voices of Consent to Voices of Dissent
Introduction
American foreign policy continues to resonate with the issues surrounding the debate over U.S. entry into the League of Nations-collective security versus national sovereignty, idealism versus pragmatism, the responsibilities of powerful nations, the use of force to accomplish idealistic goals, the idea of America. Understanding the debate over the League and the consequences of its ultimate failure provides insight into international affairs in the years since the end of the Great War and beyond.
In this lesson, students read the words and listen to the voices of some central participants in the debate over the League of Nations.
Note: This lesson may be taught either as a stand-alone lesson or as
part of the curriculum unit, The
Debate in the United States Over the League of Nations. This curriculum
unit may serve as a sequel to the complementary EDSITEment lesson U.S.
Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology.
Guiding Questions:
What was Woodrow Wilson's role in and vision for peace and the League of Nations after World War I? What were the central issues in the debate in America over the League of Nations?
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
- Describe Wilson's concepts for peace and the League of Nations and efforts to foster American support for it.
- Discuss the opposition to the League in the Senate.
Student Activity:
Working in either a whole-class setting or small groups, students should listen to and/or read the texts listed above, then fill in the chart "The Debate Over the League of Nations" on page 1 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, in the curriculum unit overview, for download instructions).
There were five basic viewpoints about the League of Nations:
- President Wilson, a strong internationalist, was unequivocally in favor of the League. His position is represented by the address he gave to an audience in the City Auditorium of Pueblo, Col., on September 25, 1919 (see Wilson's Passion for the League of Nations on the EDSITEment resource Links to the Past). He was supported by 27 Democrats in the Senate. Other strong internationalists included Newton Baker (see Newton Baker on the League of Nations on First World War.com, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Great War Primary Documents Archive), Democratic presidential candidate James M. Cox (see James M. Cox: Prevention of War, text and archival audio on the EDSITEment resource American Memory), and former Secretary of Treasury William G. McAdoo, who saw a different side to the story (see William G. McAdoo: Revise Taxes, text and archival audio also available on American Memory).
- Former President William Howard Taft was a limited internationalist. Though wary of putting the U.S. in a position where it could be forced into a war, he supported the League.
- Senator Gilbert M. Hitchcock had mild reservations about the League (see The Trouble with Senators Who Oppose the League of Nations, text and archival audio available on American Memory). Twenty Republicans and an equal number of Democrats agreed.
- Senator Henry Cabot Lodge had strong reservations about the League, but was willing to support it with changes to the covenant (see Henry Cabot Lodge's Case Against the League of Nations, text and archival audio available on American Memory). He had the support of seven Republican senators, including future President Warren G. Harding (see Senator Warren G. Harding: An Association of Nations, text and archival audio also available on American Memory).
- Senator William E. Borah could never agree to the League. He was one of 14 irreconcilable Republican senators and one Democrat. His position is represented by a speech to the Senate delivered on November 10, 1919 (see Borah on the League of Nations, on the bottom half of the page, available on Links to the Past).
In the end, the Senate adopted 14 changes. If desired, review with the class the Reservations drawn up by Republican Senators, available via a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Great War Primary Documents Archive. For more detail about the Senate debate, consult The Senate and the League of Nations on Documents of World War I, another link from Great War Primary Documents Archive (NOTE: The document begins with Lodge's 14 reservations, but quite a bit of additional material follows.)
Wilson's Final Campaign
On November 10, 1923, one day before his last public statement, former President Wilson delivered a speech, the text of which is available at Wilson's Final Campaign on the EDSITEment resource Links to the Past.
Guiding Discussion Questions:
- In what ways were Wilson's predictions proven correct by events occurring after 1923?
- Given the harsh provisions of the Treaty of Versailles (to which Wilson agreed in order to ensure that the League of Nations would be part of the agreement), is there any reason to believe the League of Nations could have prevented World War II had the U.S. joined?
Assessment
Prepare a class set of cards labeled: Strong Internationalist, Mild Internationalist, Mild Reservationist, Strong Reservationist, and Irreconcilable. Pass the cards out placing one each in an envelope to keep political positions secret. Read a statement or a position about the League of Nations and ask those representing a stance in agreement with that position to stand. After discussion about why students stood, pass the envelopes around to change the assigned stances of individuals. Repeat as desired. For a list of suggested position statements, see the “Hypothetical Position Statements on the League of Nations” on pages 2-3 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, in the curriculum unit overview, for download instructions).
An alternative assessment would be to have students choose the political positions with which they agree the most and then write responses in defense of their chosen positions.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
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