Name Period
War, Restricting Speech, and a Peace Settlement
“As an idealist and a Progressive, President Woodrow Wilson tried to broaden American involvement from defense of ‘freedom of the seas’ to a crusade for democracy and world peace. Wilson announced that ‘the world must be made safe for democracy.’ Americans found it inspiring to endure the war for such high‐minded ideals. To fight the war, Wilson was given sweeping powers by Congress. He established agencies to regulate the
economy during the war. Railroads came under direct government control. Congress passed the Selective Service Act (1917) and millions of American registered for the draft. Almost two million American troops eventually reached Europe, while women and African Americans filled their jobs at home. The cost of the war, about $30 billion was paid for by higher taxes and war bonds. Civil liberties were curtailed to meet wartime needs.
Espionage acts made it a crime to criticize the war. The Supreme Court upheld these restrictions on free speech in Schenck v. U.S.”
Source: The Key to Understanding U.S. History
Questions:
1. How did Wilson try to broaden American involvement?
2. What did Wilson want to make the world safe for?
3. What did Congress give Wilson to fight the war?
4. What came under direct government control during the war?
5. What was the Selective Service Act?
6. Who replaced the male workers who went to war?
7. What was the cost of the war?
8. How did Americans pay for the war?
9. Explain the following statement: “Civil liberties were curtailed to meet wartime needs.”
10. What was made a crime by Espionage Acts?
How Much Freedom of Speech Do You Have During Wartime? Schenck v. U.S. (1919)
“The case involved a prominent socialist, Charles Schenck, who attempted to distribute thousands of flyers to American servicemen recently drafted to fight in World War I. Schenck’s flyers asserted that the draft amounted to ‘involuntary servitude’ proscribed by the Constitution’s Thirteenth Amendment (outlawing slavery) and that the war itself was motivated by capitalist greed, and urged draftees to petition for repeal of the draft.
Schenck was charged by the U.S. government with violating the recently enacted Espionage Act. The government alleged that Schenck violated the act by conspiring ‘to cause insubordination…in the military and naval forces of the United States.’ Schenck responded that the Espionage Act violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which forbids Congress from making any law abridging the freedom of speech. He was found guilty on all charges. The U.S. Supreme Court reviewed Schenck’s conviction on appeal.
The Supreme Court, in a pioneering opinion written by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, upheld Schenck’s conviction and ruled that the Espionage Act did not violate the First Amendment. The Court maintained that Schenck had fully intended to undermine the draft because his flyers were designed to have precisely that effect. The Court then argued that ‘the character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which it is done.’ While in peacetime such flyers could be construed as harmless speech, in times of war they could be construed as acts of national insubordination. The Court famously analogized to a man who cries ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theater. In a quiet park or home, such a cry would be protected by the First Amendment, but ‘the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic.’
In sum, free speech rights afforded by the First Amendment, while generous, are not limitless, and context determines the limits.”
Source: pbs.org
Questions:
1. Who was Charles Schenck and what did he do?
2. What did Schenck believe about the draft?
3. What was Schenck charged with?
4. What did Schenck believe the Espionage Act was a violation of?
5. What did the Supreme Court rule about the Espionage Act?
6. Explain the analogy the Court made about crying “Fire!” in a crowded theater.
9. Explain your answer.
The Peace Settlement
American troops broke the deadlock in Europe, causing Germany to surrender in November 1918.
The Fourteen Points:
Wilson’s plan for peace
Reflected American idealism and Wilson’s view that the war should be a crusade for democracy and lasting peace
State that each major European nationality should have its own country and government (self‐determination)
Called for freedom of the seas, reduced armaments, and an end to secret diplomacy
Proposed the creation of a League of Nations, an international peace‐keeping organization
The Versailles Treaty:
Allied leaders wanted to impose a harsh treaty on Germany
Wilson had to make many concessions in order to get their support for the formation of the League of Nations
The actual treaty - Harsh
- Germany forced to pay reparations - Germany blamed for the war (war‐guilt
clause)
- Germany lost territory to France and Poland, and all of its colonies
- Germany lost its navy; army was reduced to the size of a police force
- A League of Nations was established
1. Identify three ways in which Wilson’s Fourteen Points differed from the Treaty of Versailles:
(1) (2) (3)
2. Identify one provision that Wilson wanted and that was accepted in the actual treaty:
3. Define the following terms:
a. Self‐Determination:
b. Reparations:
c. League of Nations:
4. Did the United States join the League of Nations? Why do you think this was so?
Practice Questions
1. ______________
2. ______________ 3. ______________ 4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________ 7. ______________
1. “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”
- Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
Which interpretation of the Bill of Rights does this statement illustrate?
(1) The needs of the government are more important than civil liberties.
(2) Constitutional protections of liberty are not absolute.
(3) The Supreme Court can eliminate freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights.
(4) The Bill of Rights does not safeguard individual liberties.
2. After World War I, the opposition of some
Members of Congress to the Versailles Treaty was based largely on the idea that the Treaty
(1) did not punish the Central Powers harshly enough
(2) did not give the United States an important role in world affairs
(3) would require the United States to join the League of Nations and might result in a loss of United States sovereignty
(4) would require the United States to assume the cost of rebuilding the war‐torn European economies
3. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were intended to
(1) redistribute Germany’s colonies among the Allied nations
(2) prevent international tensions from leading to war
(3) punish Germany for causing World War I
4. The “clear and present danger” ruling of the Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States illustrates the continuing conflict between (1) free speech and governmental authority (2) the use of search warrants and the rights of the
accused
(3) state powers and Federal powers
(4) religious freedom and separation of church and state
5. The “clear and present danger” ruling in the Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States (1919) confirmed the idea that
(1) prayer in public schools is unconstitutional (2) racism in the United States is illegal
(3) interstate commerce can be regulated by state governments
(4) constitutional rights are not absolute
6. A major reason for the isolationist trend in the United States following World War I was (1) a desire to continue the reforms of the
Progressives
(2) the public’s desire to end most trade with other nations
(3) the failure of the United States to gain new territory
(4) a disillusionment over the outcomes of the war
7. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were based on the belief that
(1) military strength is a nation’s best path to world peace
Analyze the following images
What is the meaning of the political cartoon?
What is the meaning of the poster?