On January 8, 1918, Woodrow Wilson went to Congress to announce his ideas regarding America's war affairs. He created what is known as the Fourteen Points, a plan that would determine the foreign affairs of the United States after World War I (Brower). By looking at the points, it is easy to identify how they were similar in nature, allowing them to be grouped together. The first group covers points one, two, three, four and five. These points dealt with the idea of ​​how to maintain peace between nations and reduce the risks of imperialism and war. Instantly, the idea of ​​peace is introduced, as the first point begins with “Open Alliances of Peace” proving the importance of peacekeeping (“Woodrow Wilson”). Additionally, Wilson aimed to unite the nations of the world peacefully by granting nations the "freedom" to navigate the seas, removing "economic barriers" that hindered trade, reducing "national armaments" based on threat facing a country and allowing “freedom, an open and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial demands” (“Woodrow Wilson”). These five points were brought together to guarantee the freedom of every nation, because no nation would have a stronger army or control over the seas. Additionally, trade would be less costly, allowing for stronger relationships between countries. Wilson wanted to continue with this idea of ​​reducing imperialism. To answer this, he included points six through thirteen, which dealt with “territorial guarantees” (Brower). In summary, Wilson wanted to give each nation its own independence. Points six and seven deal with the evacuation and restoration of Russia and Belgium respectively (Jones). Point eight deals with the restoration of French territory, and point nine deals with borders...... middle of paper..." France: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present, European Nations. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. Modern World History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web, November 9, 2013. “Signature of the Treaty of Versailles, 1919.” 2005. Web 11 November 2013. « The National Archives | Exhibitions and online learning | The National Archives | First World War | cold war." A world at war: understanding conflicts and society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. November 9, 2013. "Woodrow Wilson: Fourteen-point speech (1918)." American history. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. November 8, 2013. Zabecki, David T. “Poland: World War II: Understanding Conflict and Society.” ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. November 10. 2013.