The Sedition Act made it a crime to write or talk, in a critical manner, about the United States’ involvement in the war. The Sedition Act was created as an amendment to the Espionage Act, and this is where things got really controversial. The Sedition Act was created less than a year after the Espionage Act, being enacted in May of 1918. While punishments were handed out frequently during World War I to those accused of violating the Act, the number of prosecutions actually eased up during World War II. joined World War II, and the Act barred him from doing so. Roosevelt wanted to send military aid to Great Britain right before the U.S. This was all well and good until President Franklin D. Knowing this, it is understandable how the Act could have trampled the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the United States.Īnother roadblock that the Act created was its provision that no naval vessels equipped for combat could be shipped out to any nation that is engaged in a war in which the United States is a neutral party. The Postmaster General was permitted under the Act to destroy or otherwise refuse any mail publications that he believed to be in violation of the Act. This crime was punishable by a fee of up to $10,000, a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, or both.

These statements could be any statements that could be translated to encourage insubordination, mutiny, disloyalty, or refusal of duty. Communicating False Information – Attempting to interfere with military operations, or promoting the success of the country’s enemies by communicating false statements during wartime.In some cases, both penalties could be handed down. Anyone caught doing either of these things could be punished by death, or by a maximum prison sentence of 30 years. Providing Information – Handing over information that would either interfere with the United States’ military, or promote the success of the country’s enemies.The Defense Secrets Act was mainly concerned with keeping citizens from obtaining or handing over any information pertaining to the United States’ national defenses to anyone who was not “entitled to have it.”Įxamples of Espionage Act-related crimes and their penalties included: These penalties made the Espionage Act significantly more severe than the Defense Secrets Act of 1911, which inspired the Espionage Act.

Espionage definition law