Primary sourceSpeech8 January 1918

President Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points

Woodrow Wilson · 8 January 1918

Wilson's January 1918 address to Congress proposing fourteen principles for ending World War I and building lasting peace.

Wilson delivered this address himself, making it the clearest statement of his personal vision for peace after World War I.

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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. — Woodrow Wilson, 14 Points address to Congress, 8 January 1918. U.S. National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This is the printed text of a speech President Woodrow Wilson delivered to Congress on January 8, 1918. In it he laid out fourteen points meant to guide the end of World War I and future peace. It is held by the U.S. National Archives among Senate records.

Why it matters

The speech called for open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, removal of economic barriers, self-determination for peoples, and a league of nations. It became the basis many hoped would guide the peace talks after the war, though Allied leaders later rejected much of it. It shows Wilson's idealistic vision for world order and his belief that America should help reshape international relations.

Look closer

Why might Wilson have wanted to list his goals so publicly, rather than negotiate secretly?
Which points seem most idealistic, and which seem most practical?
What does the gap between this speech and the actual peace treaty tell us about the limits of one leader's vision?

This speech 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.