Woodrow Wilson: Prophet of Peace. Teaching with Historic Places.

This lesson describes President Woodrow Wilson's struggle with and his ultimate failure at achieving lasting world peace through the League of Nations. The lesson focuses on November 23, 1923, the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Armistice that concluded World War I, when a frail and ill Wilson was ready to deliver a commemorative address by radio from the library of his brick home on S Street in Washington, DC. The lesson could be used in teaching units on foreign policy, peace education, presidential history, or the history of World War I. The lesson objectives are to: articulate the ideals of world peace and world order that Wilson espoused; describe the conflict between Wilson's ideals and the Senate's policy of isolationism; and explain why the ideals of a visionary like Wilson are significant in forming the policies of the government. The lesson is divided into the following teaching activities sections: Setting the Stage: Historical Context; Locating the Site: Maps (Washington, DC, 1914; Presidential Tour, 1919); Determining the Facts: Readings (Wilson's Passion for the League of Nations; The Collision of Ideals and Policy; Wilson's Final Campaign); Visual Evidence: Images (Origin of the League of Nations; The Covenant; The Wilson House; Wilson's Library and Drawing Room; "Three Little Elephants"); Putting It All Together: Activities (Public Speaking; Current Events and Wilson's Peace; Partisan Political Cartoons); and Supplementary Resources. (BT)