USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
“Wilson Signs 1918 Espionage Act”:This headline shows that the federal government can:

(A) ** Restrict citizens rights in times of crisis

(B) Raise armies without informing the public

(C) Station troops in a person’s home at any time

(D) Require citizens to testify against themselves

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -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-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: -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-4: -The Sedition and Espionage Acts Were Designed to Quash Dissent During WWI. As the United States entered World War I, President Wilson and Congress sought to silence vocal and written opposition to U.S. involvement in the war.