Woman's Peace Party Letter to President Woodrow Wilson, October 29, 1915

    Courtesy of Library of Congress, "Woman's Peace Party to the President of the United States," 29 October 1915

    Description 

    The Woman's Peace Party, organized in January 1915 and led by Jane Addams, was one of the most prominent organizations opposing American military intervention and the preparedness movement. In this 1915 letter to President Woodrow Wilson, the party leaders argued that preparations against threats from Europe, through the buildup of the U.S. military, would only lead to arms races that would cause more problems than they solved. "These preparations," they wrote, "would create rivalry, suspicion and taxation in every country." They believed that, instead, Wilson should concentrate his efforts on the opportunity for the "establishment of permanent peace" that "this world crisis offers."

    Transcript of the Woman's Peace Party Letter to President Woodrow Wilson

    Source-Dependent Questions

    • What role did the Woman’s Peace Party feel the United States should have had in world affairs?
    • Why would the Woman’s Peace Party characterize the dangers as hypothetical?
    • How does the rhetoric used in the letter differ from the letter written by Reverend Mercer Johnston?

    Citation Information

    "Woman's Peace Party to the President of the United States," 29 October 1915. Courtesy of Library of Congress

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