Week 7 Discussion Board 3: Do We Have Rights During Wartime?

Directions:

Based on the assigned reading, lectures, and videos this week, how would you answer the question: Do We Have a Right to Civil Liberties During Wartime?

This question refers specifically to the case of Eugene Debs, who made an anti-war speech in 1918 and was subsequently arrested and imprisoned for violating recently passed federal laws restricting wartime protest.

So that you may make an informed, historically well-supported judgement of the Debs case, you should first do the following things:

• study our lecture on Nativism and the Great War.
• read chapter 19 of our textbook.
• read the Espionage Act
• watch the video with your textbook author Eric Foner discussing civil liberties during WWI
• listen to the radio interview with scholar Ernest Frieberg, who wrote a book on the Debs case.
• read the entire speech Debs gave in Canton, Ohio (1918)

Once you are informed and ready to post, make ONE main discussion post indicating whether you feel the government was justified in prosecuting and imprisoning Debs, and whether you think his sentence was fair. Aim your main post to a minimum of 300-400 word range.

Also, reply to ONE of your classmates explaining why you agree/disagree with their analysis. As always, be courteous and pratice good etiquette even when disagreeing with each other. Consult the discussion board scoring rubric posted earlier this semester to review the grading criteria.

Higher scores will go to posts that demonstrate an understanding of what was happening in America during that time, based on our assigned materials.

Remember, your discussion posts are due by Sunday before midnight. So you will need to complete this assignment within that time frame.