Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument28 June 1919

Covenant of the League of Nations

28 June 1919

The founding charter of the League of Nations, drafted by a commission chaired by Wilson and signed as part of the Treaty of Versailles.

Wilson chaired the commission that drafted this Covenant, and its Article X became central to his losing fight with the Senate.

Ask Woodrow Wilson about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This document is the charter of the League of Nations, signed on 28 June 1919 as Part I of the Treaty of Versailles. Woodrow Wilson chaired the commission that drafted it, working alongside figures such as Colonel House, Robert Cecil, Jan Smuts, and representatives from many nations.

Why it matters

The Covenant created a General Assembly, an Executive Council, and a Permanent Court of International Justice, aiming to prevent future wars through collective security. Its Article X, requiring members to defend each other's territory, became the center of Wilson's fight to win U.S. Senate approval, a fight he ultimately lost. The negotiations also reveal tensions over issues like racial equality, which Wilson avoided addressing.

Look closer

  • Why might the League's founders have disagreed over a racial equality clause, and what does Wilson's response show about him?
  • What problems might arise when many countries with different interests try to write one shared agreement?
  • Why did Wilson champion Article X so strongly, and why might the U.S. Senate have resisted it?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Woodrow Wilson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Woodrow Wilson sources

Meet the AI Woodrow Wilson →
Scanned printed page of a typed speech with dense paragraphs of text, showing Wilson's call for open covenants of peace and a list of numbered points including freedom of navigation and removal of economic barriers.Speech

Primary source

President Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points

Woodrow Wilson · 8 January 1918

Scanned typed page titled ADDRESS, beginning 'Gentlemen of the Congress' and discussing the German submarine warfare announcement. Handwritten notes appear in pencil at upper left, and a blue pencil mark sits near the title.Speech

Primary source

Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Germany

Woodrow Wilson · 2 April 1917

Scan of the encrypted Zimmermann Telegram on a Western Union telegram form, addressed to German Legation, Mexico City, via Galveston, dated January 1917. The body is a grid of groups of numbers, signed Bernstorff at the bottom, with a handwritten 'Charge German Embassy' note and a Western Union 'Night Letter' header.Document

Primary source

Zimmermann Telegram

Arthur Zimmermann · 1917

Speech

Primary source

Recording of the Voice of Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson · 7 August 1912

Speech

Primary source

League of Nations Address at Pueblo

Woodrow Wilson · 25 September 1919

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Woodrow Wilson now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions