World War I
For this assignment, the class will discuss the perspectives of the two sides for and against restrictions on free speech in World War I: Oliver
Wendell Holmes was on the side of restricting it in the Schenck decision in March 1919, supporting the 100% Americanists, and then he seemingly
switched sides in the Abrams decision, opposing restrictions on speech in that decision of November 1919. You will write a minimum of two
paragraphs discussing the positions assigned to your group (see below). A good paragraph should include about 6 sentences minimum – a 1-2
sentence paragraph is never enough. Be comprehensive in your coverage of the assigned readings.
Feel free to write in character as a person from the World War I homefront (ex: if you are in favor of restricting free speech, pretend to be a
100% Americanist supporting the Schenck decision; if you are against restricting free speech, pretend to be an opponent of war supporting
Holmes’s dissent in the Abrams decision). Use examples from the various readings to support your analysis. Answer the following questions for
your assigned perspective:
Answer the questions in favor of restricting free speech
1A. For Restricting Free Speech (answer these questions if you are in Groups 1 or 2) According to Holmes and you, what conditions and/or type of
speech, if they exist, give the government the right to limit free speech? Why is Holmes correct in your view? What is going on in the world
when this decision was handed down that helps us understand why Holmes was inclined to limit free speech in this case and at this time, but not
eight months later when he ruled in the Abrams decision protecting the right of free speech? In other words, explain how the times in which a
decision is made can shape the nature of the decision that the Court reaches? Your answer should reflect the main points of Chapter 21 on the
homefront, the video above, AND the Schenck opinion of O.W. Holmes.
For your particular reading, be sure to answer all of the above questions relevant to your reading. Your answer should reflect the main points
from the reading, including extensive use of the primary source (Holmes on Schenck/Holmes on Abrams). Be sure to use examples to support your
main points. Proof your answer before submitting it as errors in grammar and spelling will lead to a deduction in points. Use quotations when
using the exact wording from the reading. Most of your answer should be in your own words and be sure to cite any quotes used in your answer.
Use only the above sources for this assignment: DO NOT USE ANY OUTSIDE SOURCES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. If you do, you will receive a “0” for the
assignment.
The homefront in World War I was both an effect and a cause. It was the effect of Wilson’s determination that American entry into the first
World War would make the world adopt American values, democratic institutions and end war for all time. Many Americans, believing in these
goals, thought that no one should be allowed to oppose a cause so great. Others, opposed to the war, thought the war was a bloody disaster for
the nation and its people and a boon to greedy bankers and arms manufacturers. They included pacifists such as Jane Addams, Socialists such as
Eugene Debs and radicals of a variety of stripes. The conflict between the two sides, the supporters of “100% Americanism” who wanted to
restrict freedom of speech and the opponents of war who wanted to push free speech to its limits, polarized American and contributed to
divisions in the following decade known as the “Tribal Twenties.” In this discussion, you will explore the connections between the war and its
homefront divisions, on the one hand, and the degree to which the limits of free speech were defined for the future.
Required Readings
Read the following sources for this discussion:
1. Excerpt from Chapter 21 of The American Yawp
2. How the World War I Homefront and Foreign Policy Influenced EachOther
3. O.W. Holmes’s majority opinion in Schenck vs. U.S. (March 1919)
4. O.W. Holmes’s Dissent in Abrams v. U.S. (November 1919)
Instructions
For this assignment, the class will discuss the perspectives of the two sides for and against restrictions on free speech in World War I: Oliver
Wendell Holmes was on the side of restricting it in the Schenck decision in March 1919, supporting the 100% Americanists, and then he seemingly
switched sides in the Abrams decision, opposing restrictions on speech in that decision of November 1919. You will write a minimum of two
paragraphs discussing the positions assigned to your group (see below). A good paragraph should include about 6 sentences minimum – a 1-2
sentence paragraph is never enough. Be comprehensive in your coverage of the assigned readings.
Feel free to write in character as a person from the World War I homefront (ex: if you are in favor of restricting free speech, pretend to be a
100% Americanist supporting the Schenck decision; if you are against restricting free speech, pretend to be an opponent of war supporting
Holmes’s dissent in the Abrams decision). Use examples from the various readings to support your analysis. Answer the following questions for
your assigned perspective:
YOU WILL TAKE ONE POSITION BELOW BASED ON YOUR GROUP:
-Groups 1 and 2 answer the questions in favor of restricting free speech
-Groups 3 and 4 answer the questions opposed to restricting free speech.
1A. For Restricting Free Speech (answer these questions if you are in Groups 1 or 2) According to Holmes and you, what conditions and/or type of
speech, if they exist, give the government the right to limit free speech? Why is Holmes correct in your view? What is going on in the world
when this decision was handed down that helps us understand why Holmes was inclined to limit free speech in this case and at this time, but not
eight months later when he ruled in the Abrams decision protecting the right of free speech? In other words, explain how the times in which a
decision is made can shape the nature of the decision that the Court reaches? Your answer should reflect the main points of Chapter 21 on the
homefront, the video above, AND the Schenck opinion of O.W. Holmes.
For your particular reading, be sure to answer all of the above questions relevant to your reading. Your answer should reflect the main points
from the reading, including extensive use of the primary source (Holmes on Schenck/Holmes on Abrams). Be sure to use examples to support your
main points. Proof your answer before submitting it as errors in grammar and spelling will lead to a deduction in points. Use quotations when
using the exact wording from the reading. Most of your answer should be in your own words and be sure to cite any quotes used in your answer.
Use only the above sources for this assignment: DO NOT USE ANY OUTSIDE SOURCES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. If you do, you will receive a “0” for the
assignment.
Please complete the assignment after the Flipped Classroom session between September 20 and 27. You will be able to add to your post if you
present it before the Flipped session and want to modify or add to it for extra credit. The postings of other students will remain hidden until
you make your initial posting. Once you have made your posting, you will be able to see the postings of other students.
