USA HISTORY

C ongress passed these acts in 1917 that stated Americans could be jailed or fined up to $10, 000 for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane or abusive about the government or the war effort. What were the names of these acts?

(A) ** the Espionage and Sedition Acts

(B) the Selective Service Act

(C) Schenck v. United States

(D) none of these

Concept note-1: -In June 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act . The piece of legislation gave postal officials the authority to ban newspapers and magazines from the mails and threatened individuals convicted of obstructing the draft with $10, 000 fines and 20 years in jail.

Concept note-2: -The Espionage Act of 1917 prohibited obtaining information, recording pictures, or copying descriptions of any information relating to the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information may be used for the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation.

Concept note-3: -The Act made it a crime to convey information intended to interfere with the war effort. Later, the Sedition Act imposed harsh penalties for a wide range of dissenting speech, including speech abusing the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution, and the military.

Concept note-4: -Sedition Act of 1918 (1918) The Sedition Act of 1918 curtailed the free speech rights of U.S. citizens during time of war. Passed on May 16, 1918, as an amendment to Title I of the Espionage Act of 1917, the act provided for further and expanded limitations on speech.

Concept note-5: -Is the Espionage Act still in effect? Many significant chunks of the Espionage Act of 1917 remain in effect and can be used in the court of law. In its modern iteration, the act has been used to prosecute spies and leakers of classified information.