William Allen Rogers. Now for a Round Up. Published in the New York Herald, May 9, 1918. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (092.00.00) Enlarge Show Previous 3 of 6 Next All Objects After the Sedition Act, passed on May 16, 1918, augmented the already stringent Espionage Act of 1917, the New York Herald ran this cartoon by William Allen Rogers touting Uncle Sam's expanded authority to "round up" those that would oppose the government. Rogers identifies the undesirables as spies, Irish separatists, and radical anti-war International Workers of the World, commonly known as the "Wobblies." The law now made it illegal time of war to "willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government . . . the Constitution . . . the military or naval forces . . . the flag . . . or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States." This Day in History Time Periods: World War I: 1910 - 1919 Themes: Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights Painting of Eugene Debs by Robert Shetterly from Americans Who Tell the Truth. The Sedition Act of 1918 was enacted on May 16, 1918 to extend the Espionage Act of 1917. The Sedition Act covered a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds. Howard Zinn noted in an article in The Progressive (July, 2006): Woodrow Wilson’s decision to bring the United States into the First World War brought widespread opposition. To suppress this, the government adopted legislation — the Espionage Act, the Sedition Act — which led to the imprisonment of almost a thousand people. Their crime was to protest, by speech or writing, U.S. entrance into the war. Another law provided for the deportation of aliens who opposed organized government or advocated the destruction of property. Eugene V. Debs was one of the many
people arrested under the Sedition Act. Here is a reading of the speech he was giving in Canton, Ohio when he was arrested, from Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Learn about the 79 people convicted of sedition in Montana in 1918 and 1919 in the article Montana’s Sedition Act. Library of CongressAmerica's first Red Scare, an era of hostility toward perceived "disloyalty" — and relentless government repression of radicals and others — began in April 1919. Organized labor, freed from its wartime pledges not to strike, pressed for higher wages, shorter hours and the right to collective bargaining, touching off a draconian response. But the Red Scare's roots extended deep into the preceding years, almost to the day America entered World War I. Forced Out of Neutrality Stifling Criticism A Law Against Espionage Censorship Zealous Postmaster Wartime Raids and Mass Arrests More Anti-Radical Sentiment Silencing Radical Voices Underlying Political Motivations Free Speech? No Speech. The Deportation Option Purge of Russian Immigrant Workers The Most Dangerous Anarchists Sent Away Forever What was the effect of the Espionage Act of 1917?The Espionage Act of 1917, enacted just after the beginning of World War I, makes it illegal to obtain information, capture photographs or copy descriptions of any information relating to national defense, with the intent for that information to be used against the United States or for the gain of any foreign nation.
What was the outcome of the Sedition Act?Under the incoming Republican administration, the Sedition Act eventually expired on March 3, 1801; however, arguments made for and against it shaped subsequent debate about constitutional protections of free speech.
What did the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 have in common?The law was extended on May 16, 1918, by the Sedition Act of 1918, actually a set of amendments to the Espionage Act, which prohibited many forms of speech, including "any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States ... or the flag of the United States, or the ...
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