Abstract
Among all of America's presidents, perhaps half a dozen men stand apart because their record, for one reason or another, has elicited a profusion of literature in sharp contrast with their predecessors and successors. One of these select figures is Woodrow Wilson. Since his death this scholar-president has been the subject of so much discussion and writing that he has become an almost legendary figure, an idol, a martyr to the cause for which he stood, Wilson was an idealist, perhaps too much so, and it is his idealism that is remembered---and cherished. For those of us who look back upon Wilson's time, it is difficult to perceive how there could have been much opposition to this man; yet, we are all aware of his vain struggle for the League of Nations, This episode of Wilson's problems has been explored again and again by scholars of eminence. But another of Wilson's battles has been all but lost between the New Freedom and the Great War. In 1916 Wilson was re-elected president in one of America's closest elections. This in itself is significant, but even more startling is the almost wierd sectional alignment which resulted. Despite the wealth of written material on Wilson, this election has not as yet been closely studied. Most writers mention that Wilson was re-elected primarily because he had "kept us out of war". Much beyond this is virgin ground. Clarity may come when Arthur S. Link, who is now writing what promises to be the definitive work on Wilson, reaches the campaign of 1916, but for this we must wait.