Sedition in World War I

Central Historical Question: Day 1 Were critics of World War I anti- American? You will be exploring this with Mr. Knox today 

Mini-lecture Public opinion on WWI was divided in the U.S. Some Americans, notably socialists, Christian pacifists, anarchists, women’s groups, unionists, and intellectuals, opposed the war. Some of these pacifists believed war was immoral, while “radicals” believed the government was entering war not to “make the world safe for democracy,” as Wilson claimed, but rather to serve the interest of capitalists. Other Americans strongly supported U.S. entry into the war in light of the Zimmerman telegram and the sinking of the Lusitania.

Mini-Lecture In 1916 President Wilson won re-election running on the slogan “He Kept Us Out of War.” After the revelation of the Zimmerman telegram and Germany beginning a program of unrestricted submarine warfare that threatened U.S. commercial shipping, Congress declared war in April 1917. That same month Wilson established the Committee on Public Information, a propaganda agency that galvanized public support for U.S. war aims. The president pushed through Congress the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, which suppressed anti-British, pro-German, and anti-war opinions. Over 1,500 people were prosecuted and over 1,000 convicted under these laws, many for small acts of dissent. His administration saw the arrest and deportation of many foreign-born, antiwar radicals and drew closer to pro-war unions.

Quick Check Discuss as a class for five minutes: What did President Wilson do to promote nationalism and restrict dissent during WWI? (Nationalism in this context means loyalty and devotion to a nation; Dissent in this context means to not agree with or oppose with the views/policies of the government.)

Quick Check 2 Discuss as a class for five minutes: Based on what you know about WWI, do you think these were necessary decisions? Why or why not?

Handouts You will be receiving one page with Document A on the front and Document B on the back You will also be receiving a Graphic Organizer In pairs, answer the questions on the Graphic Organizer using the reading from Documents A and B. This will take 5-10 minutes for each document- for a maximum of 20 minutes.

Share out/Discussion Do you think Debs and Schenck were anti-American? Why or why not? Discuss for five minutes

Good Job Today! Tomorrow we will continue to explore the question (Were critics of World War I anti- American?) by analyzing another document. Bring your Documents and Graphic Organizer tomorrow.

Central Historical Question: Day 2 Were critics of World War I anti- American? You will be exploring this with Mrs. Boulton today 

Document C Yesterday you analyzed two documents, Documents A and B. Today we will be looking at another document: Document C on the Sedition Act of 1918. Before we look at the document, note that the to counter opposition to the war, the United States government passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts, which limited the rights of Americans.

Document C Read and answer the Guiding questions on the back of your Graphic Organizer As you complete these questions, consider whether or not Debs and Schenck were guilty of breaking this law. This part will take about 10 minutes

Debrief Both Debs and Schenck were arrested for breaking the law, found guilty, and sentenced to jail. Debs served 32 months in prison until President Harding released him in 1921. Schenck spent 6 months in prison. Discuss as a class for 5-10 minutes: Do you think Debs and Schenck broke the law?

First Amendment Before we look at the next document, let’s remember what the First Amendment says: The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, ensuring that there is no prohibition on the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

Document D On the back of Document C is Document D. Mrs. Boulton will guide you in reading Document D together as a class. She will ask for students to read one paragraph at a time. After you read, discuss for 5-10 minutes the following: What does the ruling say? Do you agree with the ruling? (Consider this ruling within its historical context and also consider the content of the First Amendment)

Homework (or classwork if you finish early) Write a paragraph addressing the question: Were critics of WWI anti-American? Include evidence from at least 3 of the documents I shared with you in this lesson. Please be sure to cite your Documents, for example: “In document C, it shows that ….” Or “In the Sedition Act of 1918 it states… (Document C)