Sedition Act of 1918
E55664
The Sedition Act of 1918 was a World War I–era U.S. law that expanded restrictions on speech by criminalizing criticism of the government, the Constitution, the military, or the war effort.
Aliases (1)
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States federal statute
→
speech restriction law → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Sedition Act (1918)
→
|
| amends |
Espionage Act of 1917
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| criminalized |
abusive language about the United States Constitution
→
abusive language about the United States armed forces → abusive language about the United States flag → abusive language about the United States government → advocacy of curtailment of war production → disloyal language about the United States Constitution → disloyal language about the United States armed forces → disloyal language about the United States flag → disloyal language about the United States government → speech intended to incite resistance to the war effort → speech intended to obstruct the sale of war bonds → |
| criticizedFor |
restricting freedom of speech
→
suppressing political dissent → |
| dateEnacted |
1918-05-16
→
|
| dateRepealed |
1920-12-13
→
|
| dateSigned |
1918-05-16
→
|
| enactedBy |
United States Congress
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
World War I era
→
|
| jurisdiction |
federal government of the United States
→
|
| legalArea |
First Amendment law
→
criminal law → national security law → |
| legislativeBody |
65th United States Congress
→
|
| maximumPenalty |
$10,000 fine (1918 dollars)
→
20 years imprisonment → |
| notableDefendant |
Eugene V. Debs
→
|
| partOf |
United States Espionage and Sedition Acts
→
|
| penalty |
fine
→
imprisonment → |
| relatedTo |
Abrams v. United States
→
Espionage Act of 1917 → First Amendment to the United States Constitution → Schenck v. United States → civil liberties during wartime → |
| repealedBy |
Act of Congress of December 13, 1920
→
|
| signedBy |
Woodrow Wilson
→
|
| signingPresident |
Woodrow Wilson
→
|
| status |
repealed
→
|
| subject |
civil liberties in the United States
→
freedom of speech → sedition → |
| usedToProsecute |
antiwar activists
→
political radicals → socialists → |
| warContext |
World War I
→
|
Referenced by (6)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Sedition Act of 1918
("Sedition Act (1918)")
→
|
alsoKnownAs |
|
Abrams v. United States
→
|
legalIssue |
|
Woodrow Wilson administration
→
|
notablePolicy |
|
Espionage Act of 1917
→
|
relatedLegislation |
|
Smith Act
→
|
relatedTo |
|
Abrams v. United States
→
|
statuteApplied |