The Founding Fathers

[Dill]

(07-23-2020, 02:05 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Wilson catches a lot of shit, and rightfully so, but he is responsible for an end to the spoils system (not single-handedly, and not necessarily as president as it occurred before he was in office) and he laid a lot of the groundwork for what FDR would eventually build upon. Without the way he built the bureaucracy and really implemented that idea, the system would not have been in place for FDR when it came time.

This is why I like to focus just on their actions and words. There are good things and bad things with every one of our historical figures. But yeah, Wilson's racism when compared with that of TR at the time is a very interesting comparison to raise. That's also the difference between southern racism and northern racism, though. Wilson was, after all, born and raised in Virginia.

LOL Wilson also segregated the Federal Government.

Looking at his place in "the arc of history," he was certainly a mover and shaker who set the stage (though he could not open the curtain) on Liberal internationalism.  From my perspective, hard to complain about that.

I think when teachers teach about guys like this, they need to present both sides of them, and the lingering effects of each.

I think it dangerous to say we cannot teach the bad side with the good, and accustom students to expect or assume that past leaders were all good; as if evil is always outside the great men, and opposing it is never opposing them.