Wilson is generally ranked by historians and political scientists as one of the better presidents . More than any of his predecessors , Wilson took steps towards the creation of a strong federal government that would protect ordinary citizens against the overwhelming power of large corporations . He is generally regarded as a key figure in the establishment of modern American liberalism , and a strong influence on future presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson . Cooper argues that in terms of impact and ambition , only the New Deal and the Great Society rival the domestic accomplishments of Wilson 's presidency . Many of Wilson 's accomplishments , including the Federal Reserve , the Federal Trade Commission , the graduated income tax , and labor laws , continued to influence the United States long after Wilson 's death . Wilson 's idealistic foreign policy , which came to be known as Wilsonianism , also cast a long shadow over American foreign policy , and Wilson 's League of Nations influenced the development of the United Nations . Saladin Ambar writes that Wilson was " the first statesman of world stature to speak out not only against European imperialism but against the newer form of economic domination sometimes described as ' informal imperialism . ' " Notwithstanding his accomplishments in office , Wilson has received criticism for his record on race relations and civil liberties , for his interventions in Latin America , and for his failure to win ratification of the Treaty of Versailles . Many conservatives have attacked Wilson for his role in expanding the federal government . In 2018 , conservative columnist George Will wrote on '' The Washington Post '' that Theodore Roosevelt and Wilson were the " progenitors of today 's imperial presidency . " In the wake of the Charleston church shooting , during a debate over the removal of Confederate monuments , some individuals demanded the removal of Wilson 's name from institutions affiliated with Princeton due to his administration 's segregation of government offices
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
Woodrow Wilson