It is one of the great ironies of history, that many of the same political leaders that ratified the U.S. Some colonies passed laws declaring it treasonous to support the British King.Įven after the United States declared its independence from England, restrictions on speech continued. Those who were considered loyal to the King of England – loyalists – were subject to a host of onerous restrictions by colonial leaders.
#Utter scorn meaning free
The Revolutionary War era featured numerous restrictions on free speech and free press. (Image via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) Restrictions on speech during Revolutionary War Era and early years
While imprisoned, he was elected to represent Vermont in Congress. The Sedition Act of 1798 criminalized the “writing, printing, uttering or publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings about the government of the United States.” Lyon was sentenced to four months in jail.
#Utter scorn meaning trial
Matthew Lyon was the first person to be put on trial for violating the Alien and Sedition Acts, including the Sedition Act of 1798, after publishing criticism of President John Adams. In other words, the Supreme Court declared that the government could restrict speech more in times of war than in times of peace. United States (1919) that “hen a nation is at war, many things that might be said in times of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight, and that no Court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right.” Supreme Court, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes declared in Schenck v. The pattern has been consistent in American history from the Revolutionary War to the modern-day War on Terror after the infamous terrorist strikes on U.S. Patriotism at times devolves into jingoism and civil liberties take a backseat to security and order. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons, public domain)įreedom of speech often suffers during times of war. Harding commuted his sentence to time served in December 1921. He had been imprisoned in 1918 under the Sedition Act, for giving a speech against participation in the First World War. Debs leaving the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, on Christmas Day 1921.
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