The Light Withdrawn: Christopher Cox On How Woodrow Wilson Shaped—And Undermined—American Democracy | Uncommon Knowledge | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Uncommon Knowledge

Hoover Institution

Politics, History, News:politics, Science, News

4.8 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

Was Woodrow Wilson a visionary statesman—or a reactionary bigot? Peter Robinson sits down with historian and former SEC Chairman Christopher Cox to discuss his latest book, Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn, Cox’s meticulously researched biography of the 28th president of the United States. Together, they explore Wilson’s complicated legacy: his towering achievements as a reformer and wartime leader and his deeply troubling record on race, gender, and civil rights. From his opposition to women’s suffrage and his resegregation of the federal government to his embrace of the film, The Birth of a Nation, Cox reveals how Wilson’s Southern upbringing and elitist worldview shaped both his presidency and progressivism itself. This conversation offers a sobering reappraisal of one of America’s most consequential and controversial leaders—and asks what it means to judge historical figures by the standards of both their time and ours.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Peter Robinson of Uncommon Knowledge. To honor the remarkable scholarship of Tom Sol,
0:06.0	renowned economist, social theorist, public intellectual, and Hoover Senior Fellow,
0:12.0	we're inviting everyone inspired by his work to enter two national contests.
0:18.0	The Thomas Soul essay contest is open to high school students and college undergraduates.
0:22.6	Students may explore a cultural issue or a policy issue through the lens of Tom Sol's work
0:28.6	or reflect on how Thomas Soul changed their view of the world.
0:33.6	He certainly changed mine. I imagine he may have changed yours. The second contest,
0:39.0	the Thomas Sowell video contest. This is open to everybody. It invites short, compelling
0:45.9	videos up to three minutes that answer the question, what lesson or teaching from Thomas
0:52.5	Soul do Americans most need to learn or remember today?
0:57.0	Winners of each competition will receive a $5,000 prize,
1:02.0	along with paid travel and an invitation to a special celebration of Thomas Soul
1:07.0	that will take place here at the Hoover Institution on the Stanford University campus.
1:12.6	All entries are due by August 31st.
1:15.6	Let me repeat that date. That's an important one.
1:17.6	All entries are due by August 31st.
1:20.6	To learn more and apply, visit hoover.org slash Thomas-Soul dash legacy.
1:30.9	Hoover.org slash Thomas-Soul Legacy.
1:35.9	Thank you.
1:38.6	Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president, a great man or a misogynist and bigot.
1:45.3	Historian Christopher Cox on Uncommon Knowledge Now.
1:58.2	Welcome to Uncommon Knowledge.
	...

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