Sedition Act Of 1918

The Sedition Act was an attempt by the United States government to limit “freedom of speech,” in-so-much-as that “freedom of speech” related to the criticism of the government during war.

The Espionage Act made it a crime to help wartime enemies of the United States, but the Sedition Act made it a crime to utter, print, write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the United States' form of government.

Socialist Eugene V. Debs was sentenced to 10 years in prison under this law. U.S. radicals who were "Wobbly" members of the IWW were also imprisoned during World War I for their anti-war dissent under the provisions of the Sedition Act. In his 1941 book ''Censorship 1917'', James Mock noted that most U.S. Establishment newspapers "showed no antipathy toward the act" and "far from opposing the measure, the leading papers seemed actually to lead the movement in behalf of its speedy enactment."

The Sedition Act was repealed in 1921. Although the Sedition Act was upheld by the US Supreme Court in Schenck V. United States , some legal experts view the Sedition Act as being antithetical to the letter and spirit of the United States Constitution, specifically the 1st Amendment of the Bill Of Rights .

TEXT OF THE SEDITION ACT

Section 3

Whoever, or disloyal language, or who, in an Abusive and violent manner criticizes the Army or Navy or the flag of the United States shall be at once dismissed from the service...

Section 4

When the United States is at war, the Postmaster General may, upon evidence satisfactory to him that any person or concern is using the mails in violation of any of the provisions of this Act, instruct the postmaster at any Post Office at which Mail is received addressed to such person or concern to return to the postmaster at the office at which they were originally mailed all letters or other matter so addressed, with the words "Mail to this address undeliverable under Espionage Act " plainly written or stamped upon the outside thereof, and all such letters or other matter so returned to such Postmaster s shall be by them returned to the senders thereof under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe.

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Sedition Act Of 1918