President Wilson had the stamina to use military force in the Western Hemisphere when deemed necessary (e.g., Cuba, Panama and Nicaragua, to name a few). However, like Jefferson before him, he had no real desire to become involved in foreign (European) entanglements. His War Speech makes his reluctance to go to war very clear, but convinces the listener that America had no other option at that point. An expansionist, autocratic Germany and an increasingly interdependent global economy made it impossible for a world power not to become involved in this conflict. Key to this address is Wilson's insistence that America does not enter this war for gain, but rather to "make the world safe for democracy." The righteousness of the cause and the desire to support the rights of others as Americans enjoyed them on their own soil, lifted a declaration of war to the level of a modern Crusade, a quest for the holy grail of freedom. For a man as devout as President Wilson, nothing less would suffice.
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