pc 1 commander in chief-wilson and the espionage act-student program
TRANSCRIPT
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Educating Young People about the Constitution
www.BillofRightsInstitute.org
Presidents and the Constitution:Commander in Chief
Wilson and the Espionage Act
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Presidents and the Constitution Resources
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"They that can give up essentialliberty to purchase a little temporarysafety, deserve neither liberty norsafety. Benjamin Franklin, 1759
Yet, during times of war, the Presidentand Congress have curtailed freedoms inthe name of security.
Directions: Read Dr. Robert McDonaldsessay. Underline or highlight the factsyou think are important.
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War and the Constitution
Constitutional Connection Activity
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Objectives
Understand Woodrow Wilsons fear ofthe poison of disloyalty in the U.S.Understand the challenges to civilliberties in the U.S. before and duringWorld War I.Assess constitutional limits on freespeech and whether they changeduring wartime.Evaluate the constitutionality of the
1917 Espionage Act.
Critical Engagement Question
Was the Espionage Act of 1917, signed into law by PresidentWoodrow Wilson, a constitutional war measure?
Wilson and the Espionage Act
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Wilson and the Espionage Act
1. Other than the Espionage Act, name two
challenges to civil liberties in the U.S. duringWWI.2. What did the Espionage Act of 1917 outlaw?3. Why did Wisconsin Senator LaFollette object
to the Espionage Act?4. How was the Espionage Act amended in
1918?5. Do you believe the Espionage Act was
constitutional?6. Evaluate this claim: Never until WWI did the
suppression of freedom enjoy the almost
unanimous support
Background/Homework
Read Handout A: Woodrow Wilson and the Espionage Act and answerthe critical thinking questions
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Wilson and the Espionage Act
Warm-Up
Examine the images on the nextslide.
1) What is the topic of theseposters?
2) How are the differentindividuals portrayed? Why?
3) What is the goal of theseposters?
4) What can you conclude aboutthe tenor of the times in theU.S. before the countryentered World War I?
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World War 1 U.S. RecruitingPoster.
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Activity Dramatically read the excerpt from
Wilsons 1915 State of the UnionAddress on Handout B: WilsonsRequest.
One modern member of Congress saidabout this speech, [Wilsons]
pleaastonishes still, as much for itspassion as for what it proposesNopresident had ever spoken like that before;
none has since. How does Wilsonsspeech sound to modern ears? Do youfind it astonishing or unique? Whyor Why not?
Review Handout C: The EspionageAct (1917).
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Wrap-Up
A. Read Handout D: NoConscription Newsletter What is this newsletter
asking you to do? Did the author of the No
Conscription newsletterviolate the Espionage Act?
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Wrap-Up continued
You will put the newslettersauthor, Emma Goldman, on trial.
Review Handout E: The Trial ofEmma Goldman.
Assign the following roles: Narrator Emma Goldman Lead Counsel for Miss
Goldman
US Attorney Leon Frank Czolgosz President Woodrow Wilson Four judges
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World War I
ConscriptionPoster
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Wrap-Up continued
Possible additional roles: assistant counsel to the attorneys on either side
law clerks for the judges
Theodore Roosevelt
J. Edgar Hoover
congressional supporters of the Act
World War I soldiers
Kate Richards OHare
Rose Pastor Stokes
Those who arent role-playing should write amicusbriefs(short, historically accurate statements in support ofeither the prosecution or the defense.)
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Arrange one desk for awitness stand with a cleararea for attorneys and chairsfor judges.
Using the guide on HandoutE, present the (fictional) trial.
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Wrap-Up Did Emma Goldman
break the law?
Was the law she was
accused of breaking, theEspionage Act,constitutional?
Was the Supreme Court
correct to uphold herconviction under theEspionage Act?
Wilson and the Espionage Act
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Rally led by Emma Goldman, 1916
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Homework
Wilson and the Espionage Act, p. 56
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Respond to one of the followingprompts with a short essay.
Was the Supreme Court correct touphold the constitutionality of theEspionage Act and Emma Goldmansconviction? Why or why not?
What if the Espionage Act were passedtoday? Would it be well received?What similarities and differencesapply?
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Extension
Wilson and the Espionage Act
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Spirit of 76Painting by AM Willard
Research the release of the1917 film Spirit of 76 and the
subsequent arrest,conviction, and jailing of itsproducer, Robert Goldstein.Why was Goldstein arrested?
Was his conviction just? Whyor why not?
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The Issues Endure
Investigate the following: Palmer Raids
Limits on civil libertiesduring WWII, the
Vietnam War, and Waron Terror
Do laws justified bynecessity in wartime in
fact tend to become thefixed rule once the war isover?
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Wilson and the Espionage Act
National Security Letter