Woodrow Wilson & the Modern Presidency

What would the presidency look like in 2025 if Woodrow Wilson had never been #28?



Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only Democrat to serve as president during the Progressive Era. He changed American economic policy and foreign policy, and he greatly expanded the power of the presidency.

In the 1912 election, Wilson defeated incumbent Republican William Howard Taft and third-party nominee Theodore Roosevelt, becoming the first Southerner to win the presidency since the 1848 election. During his first year as president, Wilson authorized the widespread imposition of segregation inside the federal bureaucracy and his opposition to women's suffrage drew protests.

For one year and five months, Edith Wilson, oversaw her husband's presidential affairs while he recovered from his illness. Woodrow Wilson had suffered a severe stroke in 1919 that left him incapacitated until the end of his presidency. Unofficially, she was called by many as the "First Lady President."

Many Americans today believe that the Presidency is the most important office in our constitutional system. In this class we will discuss how Woodrow Wilson – both as an academic and a politician – transformed the office of President from a relatively limited role to being the most powerful office in the land.

Christopher Burkett is Associate Professor of Political Science and director of the Ashbrook Scholar program at Ashland University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on American political thought, including the American Founding and the Progressive Era. He is the author of numerous articles in his area of expertise. Burkett is also the 2011 recipient of the Edward and Louaine Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award at Ashland University.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ashland University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Dallas.