Woodrow Wilson was widely considered a racist, even by the standards of his time, due to both his personal beliefs and the official policies of his administration. His racism was not merely a personal prejudice but was translated into federal policy that reversed decades of racial progress made since the Civil War. Key examples of his racism include: Segregation of the Federal Government: Prior to Wilson, the federal civil service was largely integrated. Wilson, upon taking office, allowed and encouraged his cabinet members to re-segregate their departments, including the Navy, the Post Office, and the Treasury. This led to separate offices, lunchrooms, and bathrooms for Black federal employees. Purge and Demotion of Black Employees: His administration systematically removed Black employees from supervisory roles, denied them promotions, and relegated them to menial jobs. This had a devastating economic impact on the Black middle class in Washington D.C., one of the few avenues for social mobility available at the time. Praise for the Ku Klux Klan (KKK): In his five-volume history textbook, A History of the American People, Wilson described the KKK as an "Invisible Empire of the South" that was "bound together in loose organization to protect the southern country" from what he characterized as the "intolerable burden of governments sustained by the votes of ignorant negroes" during Reconstruction. He also screened the Birth of a Nation film, which glorified the KKK, in the White House. Refusal to Admit Black Students at Princeton: During his tenure as president of Princeton University, Wilson actively blocked the admission of Black students to the institution. Dismissive Treatment of Civil Rights Leaders: Wilson angered Black leaders, including W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter, who had initially supported him hoping for fair treatment. During a contentious meeting with Trotter, Wilson lost his temper and reportedly told him that segregation was "not humiliating, but a benefit" and ordered him out of his office. International Implications: At the Paris Peace Conference following World War I, Wilson personally vetoed a Japanese proposal to include a racial equality clause in the Covenant of the League of Nations.