Leading them to the promised land: Woodrow Wilson, covenant theology and the Mexican Revolution, 1913--1915

There have already been some studies of Wilson and his religious beliefs, and also on relations between Wilson's administration and the various Mexican factions during their revolution. My study is unique because it concentrates on the considerable influence that covenant theology had on Wilson's worldview and how that influenced his policy towards Mexico during his first term in office, 1913--1915.; The development of covenant theology played a critical role in the development of the Presbyterian church shaping the view of the roles of both God and man for Woodrow Wilson. Covenant theology emphasizes the role of sacred agreements, or covenants, between God and his creation. It credits mutual, voluntary agreements as being the foundation of society and relies on a division of powers in a federal form as the basis of governing. The Presbyterian Church modeled its government on this foundation with what it viewed as a divinely sanctioned order of elected assemblies and a representative government. Wilson, an elder in the church as well as the son and grandson of Presbyterian ministers viewed the world through this lens of federal theology. While Wilson did not attempt to copy the exact form of government in American Presbyterianism outside of the church, he was profoundly influenced by the covenant theology. It molded his operational code and formed the basis of the assumptions. He relied on this code to define his responsibilities and his responses to outside events, especially early in his first term when he was striving to master his new position of authority.; My dissertation will concentrate on Wilson's response to the Mexican Revolution as a case study providing the best illustration of Wilson's internalization of federal theology. The United States was the primary foreign power in Mexico, playing a major role in its domestic affairs. It was one of the first foreign crises that Wilson dealt with during his Presidency illustrating the assumptions he held when he took office.