President Woodrow Wilson's greatest legacy was his vision of American internationalism, which continues to influence American foreign policy today. However, his views on internationalism were not popular in his own day, and he fought a losing battle in support of the League of Nations. In Woodrow Wilson's Western Tour, J. Michael Hogan offers the first detailed analysis of Wilson's speeches-including his celebrated speech delivered in Pueblo, Colorado-from his twenty-two day tour across the Midwest and Far West that attempted to rally public support for the League of Nations.
Assessing the tour in light of Wilson's own scholarly writings about civic discourse and democratic deliberation, Hogan provides new insight into Wilson's failure. Wilson's Western tour came at a transitional moment in the history of American public address-the new age of propaganda and scientific Òopinion managementÓ was ushered in by public relations and advertising industries after World War I. Hogan states that, ÒAt times, [Wilson] played the role of the orator-statesman, rising above personal and partisan interests and engaging his fellow citizens in 'common counsel.' At other times, he gave in to the frustrations of one embroiled in bitter political debate, lashing out at this critics and trying to manipulate public opinion.Ó Although Wilson had effectively appealed to public opinion before, this time his efforts did not result in a victory for his cause, and he collapsed, never to regain his physical powers, before the tour was over.

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