Essay about Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act...

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act (Amendment) of 1918 On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what†¦show more content†¦Subsequently, in 1918, after approximately two thousand people were prosecuted#, according to Mickey Z., under the Espionage Act of 1917, the Wilson Administration passed the Sedition Act of 1918, also known as the Sedition Amendment to the Espionage Act. The Sedition Act of 1918 increased th e governments power to suppress the American people in their effort to criticize the war. Under this new amendment Congress expanded their power to not only punish those interfering with national defense and recruiting troops, but also included those individuals, who according to U.S. History.com, publicly criticized the government- including negative comments about the flag, military or Constitution.?# These two Acts of Congress were in direct contradiction to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which states: ?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably assemble, and to petitionShow MoreRelatedWorld War I and the Home Front Essay991 Words   |  4 Pagesbegan in 1914 but America remained neutral until its entrance into the war in 1917. 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