Espionage Act & Sedition Act
President Woodrow Wilson, who was concerned that dissent, in time of war, was a significant threat to morale. The passing
of this act forbade Americans to use "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government,
flag, or armed forces during war. The act also allowed the Postmaster General to deny mail delivery to dissenters of
government policy during wartime.
The Espionage Act made it a crime to help enemies of the United States, but the Sedition Act made it a crime to utter, print,
write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the United States' form of government.
The Espionage Act -1917
Section 3
Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to
interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States or to promote the success of its
enemies and whoever when the United States is at war, shall willfully cause or attempt to cause insubordination, disloyalty,
mutiny, refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct the recruiting or
enlistment service of the United States, to the injury of the service or of the United States, shall be punished by a fine of not
more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both.
Sedition Act -1918
Section 3
Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to
interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its
enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements, or say or do anything except by way of bona fide
and not disloyal advice to an investor or investors, with intent to obstruct the sale by the United States of bonds or other
securities of the United States or the making of loans by or to the United States, and whoever when the United States is at
war, shall willfully cause or attempt to cause, or incite or attempt to incite, insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of
duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct or attempt to obstruct the recruiting or
enlistment services of the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully utter, print, write or
publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States or the
Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag of the United States, or the
uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute, or shall willfully utter,
print, write, or publish any language intended to incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to the United States, or to promote
the cause of its enemies, or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully by utterance, writing,
printing, publication, or language spoken, urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any
thing or things, product or products, necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war in which the United States may be
engaged, with intent by such curtailment to cripple or hinder the United States in the prosecution of war, and whoever shall
willfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated, and whoever
shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act
oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or the imprisonment for
not more than twenty years, or both: Provided, That any employee or official of the United States Government who
commits any disloyal act or utters any unpatriotic or disloyal language, or who, in an abusive and violent manner criticizes
the Army or Navy or the flag of the United States shall be at once dismissed from the service.. of others who dwell upon
others
Section 4
When the United States is at war, the Postmaster General may, upon evidence satisfactory to him that any person or
concern is using the mails in violation of any of the provisions of this Act, instruct the postmaster at any post office at which
mail is received addressed to such person or concern to return to the postmaster at the office at which they were originally
mailed all letters or other matter so addressed, with the words "Mail to this address undeliverable under Espionage Act"
plainly written or stamped upon the outside thereof, and all such letters or other matter so returned to such postmasters
shall be by them returned to the senders thereof under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe.
