Question 2: Should the United States join the League of Nations?
Read the documents below to help you develop your opinion on this essential question regarding the future of our world and the precarious peace President Wilson has worked to establish in Versailles.
Submit your comments below. For each question, every student should:
- Write a comment using evidence to back up your opinion (either by referencing the document or referencing specific facts discussed in class or in your readings)
- Ask a question
- Respond to someone else's comment or question
Document 1: President Wilson presents the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate
A league of free nations had become a practical necessity. ...
That there should be a league of nations to steady the counsels and maintain the peaceful understandings of the world ... [is] the basis of peace with the central powers. The statesmen of all the belligerent countries were agreed that such a league must be created to sustain the settlements that were to be effected. ... The League of Nations was the practical statesman’s hope of success in many of the most difficult things he was attempting.
Document 2: Henry Cabot Lodge's Reservations
The United States assumes no obligation to preserve the territorial integrity or political independence of any other country or to interfere in controversies between nations -- whether members of the League or not -- under the provisions of Article 10, or to employ the military or naval forces of the United States under any article of the treaty for any purpose, unless in any particular case the Congress, which, under the Constitution, has the sole power to declare war or authorize the employment of the military or naval forces of the United States, shall by act or joint resolution so provide. ...
If the United States shall at any time adopt any plan for the limitation of armaments proposed by the Council of the League of Nations under the provisions of Article 8, it reserves the right to increase such armaments without the consent of the Council whenever the United States is threatened with invasion or engaged in war.
Document 3: Excerpt from a speech by Senator Robinson (Democrat from Arkansas)
No senator can doubt that the repudiation by the United States of the undertaking in Article 10 to respect and preserve the territorial integrity and political independence of the other members of the League weakens, if it does not destroy, one of the principal agencies or means provided by the League for the prevention of international war.
offcourse not since we shouldnt be getting involed in others problems
ReplyDeleteCongress is mad because it takes away some of their power
ReplyDeleteso should we or should we not join the league of nation?
DeleteWe should join the League of Nations to stand guard against any threat or opposition of world peace. If there are any violations of the XIV Points, there would be immediate consequences for the violator and the League of Nations, along with the U.S., would judge for their violations.
ReplyDeletebut if someone that is not us opposes or threats the league or a member of the league this would drag us to the mess with them.
Deletewhy should we waste our money our soilders and are time to help others for getting in to problem
Deletewhat benefits do we get afterwards for our assistance?
DeleteIn Document 1, President Wilson presented the idea for the creation of the League of Nations and he stated, "to steady counsel and maintain the peaceful understandings of the world... [is] the basis of peace with the Central Powers".
Deletewe shouldn't join because the reason being why send the lives of our men. to fight a cause that is not beneficial for us
Deletewhat if the U.S. has economic problems and cannot pay for weapons for a conflict they are obligated to fight
DeleteWhat you can do is raise the nationalism of the U.S., create propaganda for the war effort, and then have mass production of weapons and mobilization in the country and abroad.
DeleteNo because the united states revives little help or not enough profit from the league for what it is doing and the help is giving.
ReplyDeleteno because this would mean that the united states will be geting involved in other nations problems so no the us should not join the legue of nations.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the League of Nations covenant is a good thing or a bad thing for small, weak nations? Will it help protect them or would it just be used by powerful nations to dominate them even more?
ReplyDeleteProbably both, but being used is not a bad price to pay for safety
Deleteit is not are fault they are weak, we can stay strong by protecting each other
Deletebut we are not only being used our power is being abused by other low income or problematic countries that need help and don't give anything in return.
Deleteand they can join the leage but just because they are weak we are supposed to help, why?
Deletei think that for smaller nations, it would benefit more greatly because they could get protection with the help of the bigger nations.
Deleteno we shouldn't join because why would the U.S. join a war and send the lives of are men. and fight someone else battle.
ReplyDeletetrue but then we'd have their men when we need them
DeleteI agree with Cabot's point about article 8; it is weak without specification of limitation.
ReplyDeletei believe that no we should not join because it will cause probles with ourselves wich means we would be getting invold which we do not need, we do not need to be getting invold in others problems
ReplyDeletewhich type of problems ?
DeleteThey should not joint the League of Nations. The only thins the U.S> wanted to prevent was war, and joining this alliance will drag them into many conflicts that otherwise would be irrelevant.
ReplyDeletedocument 2^^^^
DeleteNo i believe the United States should not join the league of nations primarily because of article 10 which implies military alliances. For example, the war in the Middle east over Jerusalem should not be of our concern especially in times of economic depression.
ReplyDeletefor the first time i agree
DeleteCan't we argue, though, that every nation is safer when we work together to banish aggression? For instance, no one would have thought that a nationalist terrorist attack in the Balkans would have anything to do with the U.S., but three years later we were dragged into a World War. Wouldn't it have been better if we all got involved to solve the problem right when it started?
DeleteNo, because the U.S is trying to maintain peace and stay neutral with all of the nations. The League of Nations states that if a country is in conflict with another country, all of the nations have to intervene which will destroy the neutrality
ReplyDeleteBut let us say that the US was in a depression and didn't have the funds to raise an army, who would we go to for help? How would we defend with out defenses?
Deletei think that's what the league is for, to help each other out
DeleteWell, hard to say on the matter since it's a delicate matter, but I believe that they definitely shouldn't be part of the League. There's always a high chance for conflict around the world, and imagine being dragged in unexpectedly to fight against the problems without our consent, I'd preferred we mind our own business until we know that conflict is heading towards us. Also, what's our share for helping in stopping the problems of other foreign nations that wasn't even our fault,yet. Like, Document 2 says, "The United States assumes no obligation."
ReplyDeleteI do believe the United States should joins the league of nations because we always try to get involved in other nations problems like stated in document 1
ReplyDeleteWhy would the U.S. want to deal with the struggles of other nations around the world??
DeleteI believe that the US shouldn't join the league of nation because it would just get the US involved in more conflicts around the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree because that would mean thhat the us will be getting involved in other nations problems and that would cause us to worry about their problems .
DeleteNo, a league of nations is a good idea but the article should be amended (not sure how)
ReplyDeletearticles
DeleteWill joining make us look morally appealing but economically & politically unappealing?
ReplyDelete