I was deeply moved by this speech. This country represents more than the daft politics and prejudice blinding people to immense ignorance. It angers me when some people label what is ‘American’, believing that being white, playing sports, or eating hot dogs or watching ‘Wizard of Oz’ is more American than whatever someone else does( My freshman year English teacher). Being Chinese, ethnically, I still deeply ascribe myself to be American. Not because I've been steadily inundated with daily pledges or propaganda, but because I truly think that in such a heterogeneous world, a country that represents the ideals of an equal liberty and pursuit of happiness for all humans is truly a blessing to have. America has its terrible flaws, but its greatest flaw would have been its non-existence.
Wilson was definitely a visionary. Its a shame more attention wasn't paid to him at home and abroad after WWI. The post-war years could have been radically different, and who knows, maybe WWII could have been avoided. He was definitely a citizen of the Word before that was even a thing.
Wilson was regarded very warmly by much of the colonial world, you could say he was a hero in many of the areas that labored under colonial oppression. He was regarded as a starry eyed fool by many of the international politicians in the post WWI world. Although he didn't prevent the division of the middle east or the oppression of Germany post WWI I think he left a legacy that makes being a citizen of the world more possible then it was before he hit the scene. I have read many presidential biographies and a bit of post WWI history, but never a biography on Wilson, it's probably something that I should check off my liberal education list.