In this January 8, 1918, speech on War Aims and Peace Terms, President Wilson set down 14 points as a blueprint for world peace that was to be used for peace negotiations after World War I. ... Wilson's 14 Points were designed to undermine the Central Powers' will to continue and to inspire the Allies to victory.
Wilson subsequently used the Fourteen Points as the basis for negotiating the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war. Although the Treaty did not fully realize Wilson's unselfish vision, the Fourteen Points still stand as the most powerful expression of the idealist strain in United States diplomacy.
Many young men were excited when the war broke out since; they could join the army and do something for their country to make them proud or become 'heros'.
