Timeline Description: Woodrow Wilson was America's 28th president. He served two terms, including the years during World War I. One of his earliest memories is meeting General Robert E. Lee.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1856 | Woodrow Wilson's birth Woodrow was born in Virginia to a southern family who fought for the south in the Civil War. His childhood home is now a library. |
| 1866 | Education Because of the turmoil of the Civil War, Woodrow's education was inconsistent. It is also said that he had dyslexia, and he didn't learn to read until he was ten years old. |
| 1879 | Princeton Woodrow eventually taught himself a special system to help himself learn more easily. He went to Princeton University where he studied philosophy and history. |
| 1885 | Marriage Woodrow met and married Ellen Axson while visiting family in Georgia. They had three daughters. |
| 1887 | Continuing career in education Though he had started law school, Woodrow soon found himself teaching. He taught at various schools including Cornell University, Bryn Mawr, and more. |
| 1890 | Princeton Faculty Woodrow joined the Princeton faculty and continued teaching for many years. He also worked with the Evelyn College for Women. |
| 1911 | Governor of New Jersey Wilson ran for Governor and won the vote by a wide margin of almost 50,000 votes. Many believe it was because of the shifting political stand of the country. |
| 1912 | Presidential Election Wilson had high expectations when it came to his career, and he decided to run for president. Because he had grown so respected and popular, and because the Republican Party split, he won an easy victory. |
| 1913 | President! Wilson's first term as president was marked with hardship. World War I began across the Atlantic Ocean, and Wilson's wife, Ellen, died while in the White House. |
| 1916 | Second Presidential term In spite of the turmoil marking his first term, Americans rallied around Wilson because he was able to keep them out of the War. The vote was so close that it required a re-count, but Wilson came out the winner. |
| 1917 | World War I In spite of the Americans' wish to stay out of the war, President Wilson recognized that not stepping in to fight could result in an end to their way of life. He declared war on April 2, 1917. |
| 1918 | Women's Suffrage A draft was enacted to build the American military up for the war. With so many men gone, women had to step up and fill the gap, and this led the way for greater women's suffrage and rights. |
| 1919 | League of Nations The war was brought to a close and President Wilson traveled to Europe to sign the Treaty of Versailles. The President also proposed the League of Nations, which caused fighting in the US. |
| 1924 | President Wilson's death Throughout the end of his presidency, Wilson's health worsened and he had several strokes. He passed away from a stroke three years after leaving office. |