In 1917, President Wilson led the Americans to involvement in World War I which first seemed to the nation, like a distant European issue. He urged the initially-hesitant American people to look at the war as a chance to spread their democratic ideals by playing the "rescue" role in the quarrel. However, behind Wilson's idealistic surge towards "a world safe for democracy", his wife, Edith Wilson, played an important supporting role in the background.
As Wilson's campaign for American involvement began, Edith was unofficially named his privy for many of the decisions and obstacles that came with engaging in a modern war. She became an active fundraiser by helping to enforce the unusually high income tax as well as encouraging citizens to donate and purchase liberty loans. She even sheared wool from the sheep that grazed on the White House lawn and sold them for military profit!
Edith Wilson further took vast measures to stimulate resource conservation during the war. She was noted to be the only First Lady that wore thrift clothing to save clothes for American soldiers. She called for
"meatless Mondays", "wheatless Wednesdays", and "gasless Sundays" to support her husband's campaign.
As a woman of this era, Edith also lived up to her traditional, mother-like role. She volunteered at the Red Cross cafeteria at Union Station where soldiers would be met with their last meal in America before departing to Europe. It was said that she gave farewell speeches that warned them of the unfamiliar diseases they may encounter there. She even personally knitted trench helmets, sewed pajamas, pillowcases, and blankets.
By November 11th 1918 when the war came to a close, America had done its job of providing immense support for the Allies. Although manpower was certainly one of its biggest contributions, people like Edith Wilson's behind-the-scene assistance uplifted the American spirit of engaging in a war for a moral cause.
Sources
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=29
http://millercenter.org/president/essays/wilson-edith-1913-firstlady
Great job on this post - it's interesting to see that many first ladies throughout American history were more than just figureheads and instead served an active role in the policies and events of the time. Edith Wilson is one of these women. You did a great job in highlighting much of her work during the war! It is interesting to see that Edith Wilson also did much following the war, serving as one of her husband's closest advisers and after he suffered from paralysis, basically becoming a de facto President.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very interesting! I didn't know that Edith Wilson played such a big role in her husband's presidency- it's so fascinating how she took control of campaigns and military leadership. Do you think her high role was due to the rising power of women in society (women were given the right to vote in 1920, which was during Wilson's presidency), or because she simply held power as the First Lady? Another thought- according to the documentary we watched in class, Edith Wilson took a greater role in the White House when Wilson got sick. She almost became over-controlling, re-arranging Wilson's room when people came to visit to make sure they couldn't tell that he was very ill. Why do you think she was so desperate to hide Wilson's secret?
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