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Eugene V. Debs Speech To The Jury Analysis

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On April 2, 1917, the 28th president of the United States of America, Woodrow Wilson, delivered a speech before the Congress in order to declare war against Germany. This period of history represents the first worldwide conflict and opposes the Allied forces of the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan against the Central Powers of Germany, Bulgaria, the Austrian-Hungarian empire, and the Ottoman empire. Woodrow Wilson involved the United States, which was originally neutral at the beginning of World War I when the Germans attacked and sank the Lusitania, a ship transporting ammunition to the allies but also American citizens. More importantly, in his speech, Woodrow Wilson explicitly states his opinion and purpose that ' 'the world must be made safe for democracy ' ' (Voices of Freedom 107) and that the immediate contribution of his nation to World War I would bring "peace and justice" (Voices of Freedom 105) to the world, as well as the end of the threatening expansion of …show more content…

128. Eugene V. Debs, Speech to the Jury (1918) This document is a speech delivered during the historical context of World War I, by the American citizen, activist, and leader of the Socialist Party, Eugene Victor Debs, to a jury in a court of law in 1918. Eugene V. Debs was arrested and convicted for proclaiming on June 16, 1918, his strong war opposition in the course of his anti-war speech at Canton, Ohio. This event aligns with the creation of The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act made in 1918. The purpose of these laws was to forbid "spying and interfering with the draft but also "false statements" that might impede military success", as well as any ' 'statements intended to cast "contempt, scorn or disrepute" on the "form of government" or that advocated interference with the war effort" (Voices of Freedom 119). As a result, American citizens expressing their disapproval in any form regarding the war would be arrested and punished by these

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Wilson viewed America as a nation of peace and he wanted to preserve this view. However, as time went on, the little things the U.S did while claiming its neutrality started to matter. Germans retaliated to the U.S trade with the Allies. One thing led to another and the U.S joined the war under the Allies’

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1305 Words | 6 Pages

Germany’s broken policies and the decoded Zimmerman note were the major causes of Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of war. When the beginning of World War I came around, it was a very difficult time for everyone. President Wilson pledged a state of neutrality on behalf of the United States and had a vast majority of Americans backing him up in the meantime. However, it wasn’t long until tension started to rise up in America

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President Wilson was however sympathetic to Great Britain and France, and so even as he maintained neutrality he was slightly in favor of the Allies winning the war. Staying Neutral began to take a toll on the United States. The beginning of the United States getting their foot in the door of war was on May 7, 1915. A German submarine sinking a british

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884 Words | 4 Pages

Wilson’s image as an anti-war president helped him win the 1916 election, but he did take some action against the German sinking. In the first of three notes, President Woodrow Wilson declared the right of the United States, as a neutral country, could send citizens on any vessel. He also encouraged Germany to stop their unhampered submarine warfare. Wilson said that German acts are “so absolutely contrary to the rules, the practices, and the spirit of modern warfare…

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1332 Words | 6 Pages

This unknown fact of American being neutral or not, ultimately lead to the United States needing to enter World War I. Although the United States President at the time, Woodrow Wilson, explained the reasoning for the U.S. entering WWI was because of Germany’s submarine warfare, the violence toll that Germany took on America relates back to the concealed matter of the nation of the United States actually being neutral throughout the time before war

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944 Words | 4 Pages

The events that led to The United States joining the war were the Zimmerman telegram and the sinking of the Lusitania; therefore, these events shifted The United States’s position from neutral to fighting. World War I, also known as the Great War, was not originally on The United States’s agenda; however, Germany’s careless actions caused The United States to join the war. The sinking of the Lusitania was a turning point in the war because it was a passenger ship that was sunk by German U-Boats, or submarines. The Zimmerman telegram was a telegram sent from the German Foreign Office to the leader of Mexico. The telegram stated how Germany wanted Mexico to attack The United States (Alexander and Childress).

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Prior to US entry into the First World War President Woodrow Wilson’s idealism affected American foreign policy; he urged for neutrality. It was not until factors like the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram that led Americans to get involved in the war. Wilson was more idealistic than realistic and this becomes apparent in the peace treaty ending the war. Some of Wilson’s Fourteen Points like self-determination, the League of Nations, and peace without victory established the agenda for the peace conference that followed the war.

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George Washington encouraged the United States to take a neutral approach, to avoid wars with nations in the future. Woodrow Wilson wanted to continue the policy of neutrality. He eventually asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The Government failed to sign the Treaty of Versailles and join the League of Nations. Many thought that joining the League of Nations would lead to war.

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In 1917, while Wilson’s in office, the United States declared war against Germany, making America officially involved in World War I. The reasoning behind the addition of the U.S. was due to German soldiers sinking the many American ships even after stating their neutrality. In Wilson’s Joint Address, he stated that, “We must put that excited feeling

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1145 Words | 5 Pages

In order for them to support the war, the government used propaganda to evoke feelings of nationalism. While the United States joined the war as an opportunity to get revenge on Japan, propaganda was often censored to guarantee that Americans only saw the damage Japanese soldiers had done to Americans. To insure that Americans would not be put off and maintain the desire for war, images of dead Americans were prevented from being published to the public. (“Supporting Evidence”). Government officials knew that citizens were unable to withstand the gruesome photos taken of the realities of the war.

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The Alien and Sedition Acts were originally put in place by Federalists to limit the voice and power that Republicans had. The Sedition Act made it so Americans couldn’t make any kind of statement that would suggest disloyalty to the government. The Alien Acts made it possible for Americans to be deported, under specific regulations. The Espionage Act made it a crime to display any information, false or not, that would possibly interfere with military success. These laws were taken very seriously, for example, Eugene V. Debs was convicted for an antiwar speech.

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The Chicago 8 Trial was “as one commentator suggested, “a monumental non-event”” (The Chicago 8 Trial, An Account). The Chicago 8 trial was a disastrous trial with eight men who were carless and disrespectful, a judge that was biased, as well as the First Amendment rights being overlooked. Many would say this federal act was triggered by one of the most disastrous wars in the United States history, the Vietnam War. It wasn’t just that though, there was

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President Woodrow Wilson established America’s goal for joining World War I as “making the world safe for democracy.” At the conclusion of the War, President Wilson declared fourteen principles for peace to be used during the Paris Peace Conference, called the Fourteen Points. The most important of these points was the final point: a general association of nations with the guarantees of political and territorial independence and security. As the Peace Conference progressed, more nations ratified the Treaty of Versailles and joined the League of Nations, the embodiment of President Wilson’s fourteenth point. However, Senate the United States, from President Wilson’s own country, did not ratify the treaty.

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Wilson also passed the Espionage Act (1917) and the Sedition Act (1918) to criminalise criticism of the actions US government and armed forces during the war by censoring all forms of media, including speeches and written forms of media.

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Woodrow Wilson was our great nation’s 28th President and he delivered an eye opening speech to congress on April 2, 1917. Woodrow Wilson’s Declaration of War speech was a plea to congress to recognize the already present war between Germany and the United States. Congress was seemingly ignoring the war until then. The speech was directed to all Americans and congress before him.

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