-Civil liberties is defined as the basic rights guaranteed to individual citizens by law -During world war 1 individuals rights were being taken away by the government -People who opposed the war were often sent to jail or lost their jobs -Rights like freedom of speech and the right to protest were being suppressed Civil liberties Events that had a major effect Causes -government was trying to limit the opposition to the war -when propaganda wasn't enough they <span>started forcing people to support the </span> <span>allied powers </span> <span>-president Woodrow Wilson said "gravest threats against our national peace and safety have been uttered within our own borders." The Espionage Act, passed in </span> <span>June 1917, provided penalties </span> <span>of 20 years imprisonment and </span> <span>fines up to $10,000 for those </span> <span>convicted of interfering with </span> <span>military recruitment. The sedition act of 1918 made </span> <span>it a crime to disrupt military </span> <span>recruiting or enlistments, to </span> <span>encourage support for Germany </span> <span>and its allies or disrespect for </span> American war efforts. Schenck vs. United States -Charles Schenck was the Secretary of the Socialist Party of America and <span>responsible for printing, distributing, </span> and mailing to prospective draftees during WWI opposing the war <span>-convicted of violating the Espionage Act </span> -appealed to the Supreme Court saying their decision violated his first amendment rights -court held that Schenck's conviction was constitutional <span>-the first amendment did not protect speech encouraging insubordination </span> -"clear and present danger" -Schenck spent 6 months in prison Activists Eugene V. Debs <span>*an American Labor and </span> political leader, and 5 time Socialist Party of America Candidate for the American presidency <span>*made an anti-war speech in Canton, </span> Ohio protesting involvement in WWI *arrested under Espionage act <span>*sentenced to serve 10 yrs in prison and </span> <span>disenfranchised for life Upton Sinclair</span> sorry for this being sooooo long
<span>In Montesquieu's De l'Esprit des Louis (Spirt of Laws), he argues for government system that have a "separation of powers," since he believed this is the best way to protect individual liberty. </span>