Debs v. United States
Encyclopedia
Debs v. United States, , was a United States Supreme Court
decision that upheld the Espionage Act of 1917
.
Eugene V. Debs
was an American
labor and political leader and five-time Socialist Party of America
candidate for the American Presidency. On June 16, 1918 Debs made an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio, protesting US involvement in World War I, and he was subsequently arrested under the Espionage Act of 1917
. He was convicted and sentenced to serve ten years in prison and disenfranchised for life.
The case against Debs was presented in a document entitled Anti-War Proclamation and Program showing that Debs's original intent was to openly protest against the war. The argument of the Federal Government was that Debs was attempting to arouse mutiny and treason by preventing the drafting of soldiers into the United States Army
. This sort of sentiment and speech was outlawed in United States with the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917. The argument in favor of Debs was that he was entitled to the rights of free speech provided for under the first amendment
of the Bill of Rights
.
stated that little attention was needed since Debs's case was essentially the same as Schenck v. United States
, where the Court upheld a similar conviction. The Supreme Court decided against Debs, and maintained the power of the Espionage Act, sentencing Debs to ten years imprisonment, and a loss of his citizenship.
in 1920 greatly increased the total number of votes cast.)
The Espionage and Sedition Acts were largely repealed in 1921, and on December 25, 1921 President Warren G. Harding
pardoned Debs from prison.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decision that upheld the Espionage Act of 1917
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
.
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor and political leader and five-time Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
candidate for the American Presidency. On June 16, 1918 Debs made an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio, protesting US involvement in World War I, and he was subsequently arrested under the Espionage Act of 1917
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
. He was convicted and sentenced to serve ten years in prison and disenfranchised for life.
The case against Debs was presented in a document entitled Anti-War Proclamation and Program showing that Debs's original intent was to openly protest against the war. The argument of the Federal Government was that Debs was attempting to arouse mutiny and treason by preventing the drafting of soldiers into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. This sort of sentiment and speech was outlawed in United States with the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917. The argument in favor of Debs was that he was entitled to the rights of free speech provided for under the first amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
of the Bill of Rights
United States Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and...
.
The court's decision
In its ruling on Debs v. United States, the Court examined several statements Debs had made regarding the war. While Debs had carefully guarded his speeches in an attempt to comply with the Espionage Act, the Court found he had still shown the "intention and effect of obstructing the draft and recruitment for the war." Among other things, the Court cited Debs's praise for those imprisoned for obstructing the draft. In his opinion, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...
stated that little attention was needed since Debs's case was essentially the same as Schenck v. United States
Schenck v. United States
Schenck v. United States, , was a United States Supreme Court decision that upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 and concluded that a defendant did not have a First Amendment right to express freedom of speech against the draft during World War I. Ultimately, the case established the "clear and present...
, where the Court upheld a similar conviction. The Supreme Court decided against Debs, and maintained the power of the Espionage Act, sentencing Debs to ten years imprisonment, and a loss of his citizenship.
Subsequent developments
Debs went to prison on April 13, 1919. While in prison in Oregon, he ran for president in the 1920 Election for the fifth and final time, though he had lost his citizenship. He received 919,799 votes (3.4% of the popular vote), the most ever for a Socialist Party presidential candidate in the U.S. and slightly more than his 900,672 total in the 1912 election, which equaled six percent of the popular vote. (National women's suffrageWomen's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
in 1920 greatly increased the total number of votes cast.)
The Espionage and Sedition Acts were largely repealed in 1921, and on December 25, 1921 President Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
pardoned Debs from prison.
See also
- In re DebsIn re DebsIn re Debs, 158 U.S. 564 , was a United States Supreme Court decision handed down concerning Eugene V. Debs and labor unions. Debs, president of the American Railway Union, had been involved in the Pullman Strike earlier in 1894 and challenged the federal injunction ordering the strikers back to...
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 249
- Inherent powersInherent PowersInherent powers are those powers that a sovereign state holds. The President derives these powers from the loosely worded statements in the Constitution that "the executive Power shall be vested in a President" and that the President should "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"; defined...