Blog Post #10: Progressive Era

    Dissent is a foundational aspect of democracy. One of the greatest parts of American democracy is that each individual is allowed to think and vote however they want, whether they align with the majority, the minority, or no one but themselves. Dissent is also one of the eight values of free expression we discussed this semester. The First Amendment protects dissenting opinions and views, allowing our country to be ruled by differing groups and opinions, rather than just mob rule like some other countries. However, this was not always protected especially during the Progressive Era. The Espionage Act in 1917 and the Sedition Act in 1918 were both passed in order to punish anti-war voices – which was a dissenting opinion from the government at the time. These laws being passed caused several Americans to be arrested and serve time in jail for their “crimes”, which were really just dissenting views.

    In terms of anti-war voices and protests, dissent is a major topic of discussion. There have been several famous protests within the United States, urging for US forces to be pulled out of war efforts. For instance, the infamous Kent State shootings, involved the death of four college students and nine to be injured during a protest of the Vietnam war. This famous example of dissent had a significant impact on politics and war efforts. It began a wave of other protests against the war efforts and the military draft, as well as politicians to begin making changes.

    Moreover, the Near rule is also extremely important, as it states that prior restraints are almost always unconstitutional except under three circumstances; if it is obscene, threatens national security during war time, or threatens to incite violence. This supreme court decision is pivotal and explains exactly why the government ignores and attempts to silence anti-war voices. The only times that the First Amendment does not immediately find prior restraint unconstitutional is when we are in war time, because a lot of rights of citizens change during those instances, giving the government more power and control. Therefore, the government supports war because it allows them certain freedoms that otherwise they don’t have. This is why websites that are anti-war and support those sediments are often hard to find, such as ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative. The government does not want anti-war voices to become the majority by being able to promote their views and information to citizens.