pc 1 commander in chief-wilson and the espionage act-student program

8/2/2019 PC 1 Commander in Chief-Wilson and the Espionage Act-Student Program

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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?



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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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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?


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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


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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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National Security Letter

pc 1 commander in chief-wilson and the espionage act-student program

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