President Wilson's Addresses

Public speeches and messages to Congress place Woodrow Wilson's ideas about government beside the pressures of national office. Edited by George McLean Harper, this collection ranges from inaugural addresses and banking policy to relations with Mexico, American neutrality and entry into the First World War. Harper's introduction considers Wilson's earlier career as a teacher and writer, linking his political principles with his methods of argument and public speaking.

In an address to newly naturalized citizens, Wilson urges loyalty to America alongside concern for humanity. He speaks of newcomers' hopes as a force that can renew the country's ideals, while warning against divisions between national groups. The volume offers readers interested in American political history a way to study how a president explained domestic policy, citizenship and international responsibility to different audiences. Its mixture of formal state papers and less prepared speeches also makes it useful for examining political rhetoric.