November 19, 1919 - Congress Rejects the Treaty of Versailles

On November 19, 1919 a peace treaty was rejected for the first time. The Treaty of Versailles was a formal peace treaty between Germany and the allied forces and also included the creation of the League of Nations. Representatives from each country signed the treaty but for the U.S to accept the conditions it had to be ratified by Congress. Henry Cabot Lodge was the majority leader in the Senate and he opposed the treaty (1).

Lodge specifically opposed the section about the League of Nations because he thought the U.S would be giving up too much power. Lodge made Fourteen Reservations to go along with Wilsons Fourteen Points which reduced the control that the League of Nations would have over the U.S. William Borah, another leader of the Senate, also opposed the treaty (2).

Once again there was more conflict on the Treaty of Versailles. The Senate considered the treaty and voted on a version that included the Fourteen Reservations. Wilson did not want this so he ordered all his supporters to vote against that version. Borah and “the Irreconcilables”, which he was the leader of, didn’t support the treaty either way so they also voted against it. This treaty fell short of what it needed by a 55-39 vote. Another version without the reservations also fell short with a 53-38 vote (3).

The Treaty of Versailles never passed. In place of the treaty, Congress passed the Knox-Porter Resolution in 1921 (4). This was a resolution of Congress signed by Warren Harding officially ending U.S involvement in World War I. The Knox-Porter Resolution did not form a League of Nations like the Treaty of Versailles did.

- Alex S.




(1) "On This Day: Senate Rejects Treaty of Versailles," FindingDulcinea, 19 Nov. 2011, http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/November/Senate-Rejects-Treaty-of-Versailles.html
(2) FindingDulcinea, "On This Day: Senate Rejects Treaty of Versailles,"
(3) FindingDulcinea, "On This Day: Senate Rejects Treaty of Versailles,"
(4) FindingDulcinea, "On This Day: Senate Rejects Treaty of Versailles,"