A Reference Resource Woodrow Wilson and his secretary of state,
William Jennings Bryan, came into office with little experience
in foreign relations but with a determination to base their
policy on moral principles rather than the selfish materialism
that they believed had animated their predecessors' programs.
Convinced that democracy was gaining strength throughout the
world, they were eager to encourage the process. In 1916, the
Democratic-controlled Congress promised the residents of the
Philippine Islands independence; the next year, Puerto Rico
achieved territorial status, and its residents became U.S.
citizens. Working closely with Secretary of State Bryan, Wilson
signed twenty-two bilateral treaties which agreed to cooling-off
periods and outside fact-finding commissions as alternatives to
war. In a statement issued soon after taking office, Wilson
declared that the United States hoped "to cultivate the
friendship and deserve the confidence" of the Latin American
states, but he also emphasized that he