Violations of the Espionage Act
- The Espionage Act, as well as the Sedition Act, was repealed in 1921.Washington, DC Skyline image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
Shortly after the country's entry into World War I against Germany, the United States Congress passed the Espionage Act on June 15, 1917, into federal law. The Espionage Act prohibited attempts of any kind to interfere with military operations, actions which Congress felt might be encouraged by growing public criticisms of the war effort. It also authorized the postmaster general to remove treasonous material from the mail. It was repealed in 1921. - One violation of the Espionage Act of 1917 was to support America's enemies during times of war, which the country was already engaged in upon the law's passage. Paramount to this offense was the direct interference with operations conducted by the United States armed forces or the promotion of its enemies' success. Conveying information that would jeopardize national defense, industrial plans or other government operations to America's enemies was considered a direct violation of the law, and was punishable by up to 30 years in prison or even death.
- Also in violation of the Espionage Act of 1917 was to promote insubordination within the military, either as a soldier or a civilian. Illegal acts included the conveyance of false information, the refusal of duty or an attempt at organizing a mutiny among other military force members. These violations were punishable with fines of up to $100,000 or up to 20-year prison sentences.
- In response to a growing fear that public criticisms of the war effort would hinder the recruiting abilities of the American military, Congress extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to include the Sedition Act of 1918. Passed on May 16, 1918, this set of amendments made it illegal to interfere with military recruitment and prohibited several forms of speech that were "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States...or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy." This went further than making it illegal to interfere with the draft, and went on to target people publicly criticizing the government.
