USA HISTORY

Which 1918 Act of Congress did America claim was most destructive of their civil rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press?

(A) The National Defense Act

(B) The Selective Service Act

(C) T he National Security Act

(D) ** The Sedition and Espionage Act

Concept note-1: -The Sedition Act of 1918 curtailed the free speech rights of U.S. citizens during time of war.

Concept note-2: -During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson pushed for new laws that criminalized core First Amendment speech. Congress passed the Espionage Act shortly after the U.S. entered the war. The Act made it a crime to convey information intended to interfere with the war effort.

Concept note-3: -Along with Attorney General Thomas Watt Gregory, Burleson led the way in aggressively enforcing the Espionage Act of 1917 to limit dissent. By 1918, in actions that seriously threatened First Amendment freedoms and that likely would not be upheld today, 74 newspapers had been denied mailing privileges.

Concept note-4: -Passed by Congress in May 1918 and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, the Sedition Act of 1918 amended the Espionage Act of 1917 to include greater limitations on war-time dissent. 1Sec. 3.