Woodrow+Wilson-The+Conservative+as+Liberal

VB- Woodrow Wilson was a shy individual who grew up with conservative principles, but through various events in his life developed a more liberal outlook. Wilson never seemed to be satisfied with the knowledge he had gain and often stated the triviality of it all. However, upon taking educational positions, he would use the same knowledge to gain popularity. The liberal teachings he had acquired from John Hopkins University would be exemplified while he ran for president and when he took office. After coming to a realization as President of Princeton, Wilson understood that the businesses that dominated society needed to be moderated, just not as stringently as Roosevelt had. This support exposes his conservative beliefs, however while in office he worked to persuade the Democratic congress to pass the Clayton Anti-Trust Act and the Federal Trade and Commission Act. These two pieces of legislature severely limited large monopolies and even threatened to end many. Wilson presented himself as a half-hearted conservatist, but enacted liberal goals. Similarly, Richard Hofstadter asserts that specific events in Wilson’s life altered his political ideology. By tracing the development of Wilson’s political beliefs it becomes evident that although raised conservative, Wilson wanted reform to occur. Wilson denounced Roosevelt’s policies as being too radical, however similar legislature was passed by each. The connotation of the legislatures enacted differed for both: Roosevelt far-reaching, Wilson forceful. Although Wilson called out for the preservation of large monopolies from his personal belief, he acted on his political party’s principles.

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