The Effect Of US Opinions On The Wartime During 1898-1945

Wartime during 1898-1945 brought uneasiness and instability for all Americans. Opinions on the war divided the people of the United States. Many believed America was unready and feared a German victory. The possibility of a dramatic shift in the global balance of power weighed heavily on non-supporters. Others were ready to fight and wanted the United States to play a key role in stopping Germany and its allies. In order to grow support for the U.S. entering the war, the government used patriotic persuasion and legal intimidation to shift people's perspectives. For example, the Committee of Public Information created a propaganda campaign that promoted U.S. soldiers as heroes. Groups worked to convey the war in a positive light and create

government and war, Congress took aggressive action. They limited US citizens' freedom of speech by passing The Espionage Act. The government now had the right to imprison a person for up to 20 years for inciting rebellion in the armed forces or for obstructing the draft. This action was represented in Schenck vs the United States. This case involved a man who distributed pamphlets against the draft. Schenck lost due to a finding that freedom of speech could be limited when there was a clear or present danger to public safety. In this case, World War 1. Furthermore, the Sedition Act, passed in 1918, went further by prohibiting anyone who made “disloyal” or “abusive” remarks about the US government. This prohibited Americans from truly expressing their point of view on how they felt about the war. The action by the U.S. government went against the First Amendment of the Constitution which protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government. During this period in history, Americans’ civil liberties were being taken away all in securing support for the United States entering and remaining in World War

With war hysteria swarming, American nativist groups were able to use this as an excuse to freely express their prejudices. For example, during World War II, Americans worried that American Citizens with Japanese ancestry could be loyal to Japan. In response to this concern, on February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed the Executive Order, which allowed the military to exclude people from any location without a trial or hearing. This order also sent Japanese Americans to internment camps and they had no right to leave. Japanese Americans lost their rights under the Fifth Amendment where no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process. In the court case, Korematsu vs the United States, the court stated the passage of the Act was constitutional due to the circumstances at the time. This left Japanese Americans to live a life of hopelessness and desperation. Another example is the Barred Zone Act which prohibited “undesirables” from immigrating to the U.S. This created a system of exclusion and discrimination with no system or recourse available to those impacted. A final example of civil rights being taken away during wartime can be seen in the Palmer raids. A series of bombings caused A. Mitchell Palmer to order mass arrests of possible anarchists and socialists based on limited criminal evidence. The Palmer Raids trampled