1. Eugene Debs defends political dissent – WW I
Primary content source: The Story of Us by Joy Hakim

2. Americans were deeply divided on World War I
Americans were deeply divided on World War I. To generate popular support for the war effort, President Woodrow Wilson enlisted specialists in advertising and public relations.
President Woodrow Wilson

3. Through speeches, publications, and films, these officials convinced many citizens to buy war bonds and to demonstrate their loyalty to the U.S. government.

4. At times, patriotism degenerated into anti-German hysteria, nativism, and intolerance.

5. Despite this hostile climate, anti-war protestors, political radicals, and pacifists continued to oppose the war.

6. To suppress this dissent (voice), government officials instituted severe restrictions on speech.

7. In June 1919, Congress passed the Espionage Act, imposing high fines and long jail terms for broadly defined antiwar activities.
Eugene Debs protesting American involvement in WWI.

8. In May 1918, the law was amended with a Sedition Act that penalized “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” about the federal government, the U.S. flag, the Constitution, or the armed services.

9. Public officials imprisoned thousands of pacifists, antiwar activists, and political radicals.

10. Eugene Debs was among those imprisoned
Eugene Debs was among those imprisoned. A long-time labor activist, Debs gained national attention when he was sentenced to a six-month jail sentence for his role in leading the 1894 Pullman strike.

11. While imprisoned, Debs read many political texts and grew highly critical of capitalism.

12. Upon his release, he converted to socialism and led the Socialist Party of America for many years (also their presidential candidate.)

13. In June 1918, Debs gave a speech in Canton, Ohio
In June 1918, Debs gave a speech in Canton, Ohio. In the address, he declared, “The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class had always fought the battles.”

14. Debs was immediately arrested for violating the Espionage and Sedition Acts. During his September 1918 trial, Debs presented his own case.

15. “I have never advocated violence in any form
“I have never advocated violence in any form. I have always believed in education, in intelligence, in enlightenment; and I have always made my appeal to the reason and … conscience of the people.”

16. “I admit being opposed to the present form of government…I am doing what little I can…to bring about a change that shall do away with the rule of the great body of the people (the working class) by a relatively small class…”

17. “When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong. The minority are right…”

18. “In every age there have been a few heroic souls who have been in advance of their time, who have been misunderstood…persecuted, sometimes put to the death.”

19. “…when American colonists were still foreign subjects…to speak against the king was treason…Washington, Adams, Paine, these were the rebels of the day.”
Thomas Paine

20. “At a later time…It was against…the institution of slavery…that controlled the President, both branches of Congress, the Supreme Court, the press…And again there were a few lovers of liberty who appeared.”

21. “I believe in patriotism. I love the flag as a symbol of freedom
“I believe in patriotism... I love the flag as a symbol of freedom. I object only when that flag is prostituted…to sordid ends…in the name of patriotism, would keep people in subjection…”

22. “Yes, I was opposed to the war
“Yes, I was opposed to the war. I am perfectly willing…to be branded a disloyalist, and if it is a crime …punishable by imprisonment, for being opposed to bloodshed, I am perfectly willing to be clothed in the stripes of a convict…”

23. “I believe in the Constitution…Isn’t it strange that we Socialists stand almost alone in defending the Constitution of the United States.”

24. “The Revolutionary fathers… understood that free speech and free press and the right to assemblage by the people were the fundamental principles of democratic government…It can be understood by a child…”

25. “That is the right that I exercised …and for the exercise of that right, I now have to answer to this indictment (charge). I believe in the right of free speech in war as well as in peace.” – Eugene Debs

26. It made little impression to the jury
It made little impression to the jury. Debs was sentenced to ten years and stripped of his U.S. citizenship.

27. Though imprisoned, Debs won 1 million votes in the 1920 presidential election.

28. The following year, President Warren C. Harding ordered Debs released
The following year, President Warren C. Harding ordered Debs released. In 1976, the government restored his citizenship posthumously (after his death.)