<P> The Espionage Act of 1917 was passed to prevent spying but also contained a section which criminalized inciting or attempting to incite any mutiny , desertion , or refusal of duty in the armed forces , punishable with a fine of not more than $10,000 , not more than twenty years in federal prison , or both . Thousands of Wobblies and anti-war activists were prosecuted on authority of this and the Sedition Act of 1918 , which tightened restrictions even more . Among the most famous was Eugene Debs , chairman of the Socialist Party of the USA for giving an anti-draft speech in Ohio . The U.S. Supreme Court upheld these prosecutions in a series of decisions . </P>
<P> The Espionage Act of 1917 was passed to prevent spying but also contained a section which criminalized inciting or attempting to incite any mutiny , desertion , or refusal of duty in the armed forces , punishable with a fine of not more than $10,000 , not more than twenty years in federal prison , or both . Thousands of Wobblies and anti-war activists were prosecuted on authority of this and the Sedition Act of 1918 , which tightened restrictions even more . Among the most famous was Eugene Debs , chairman of the Socialist Party of the USA for giving an anti-draft speech in Ohio . The U.S. Supreme Court upheld these prosecutions in a series of decisions . </P>
who was convinced and sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving an anti-war speech against wwi
who was convinced and sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving an anti-war speech against wwi
Eugene Debs
Eugene Debs