World War I 3
World War I was a turning point in history for many nations. Never before had so many countries become involved in warfare. The United States had tried to stay out of the affair and was successful for a long time. However, it was inevitable that a world leader with worldwide interest become involved. It was democracy that kept them out of the war, and it was democracy that got them in to the war. This democracy was not without its faults. While the citizens of America felt that they should not become involved in war, the leaders of this democracy knew that it was necessary. When the United States became involved in the war, it became a test to see if a democracy could fight war without resorting to undemocratic means. One inherent quality of democracy is free enterprise. Entrepreneurs have the ability to start with very little materialistically, and through hard work and determination, can become affluent. The government does very little in a democracy other than to protect the consumer from faulty products and fraud. The laws of supply and demand naturally regulate the prices in a democracy. However, in 1917, Congress passed the Lever Act, which granted Wilson authority over agricultural production and distribution.
In 1918, Congress passed the Sabotage Act and the Sedition Act. These acts allowed the federal government to punish any expression of opinion that, regardless of what or not it led to action, was "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive'" of the American for of government, flag, or uniform. It was another dampener of the right to free speech. This act disallowed any negative voices towards America's entrance in the war. State and federal officials and judges made a mockery of the right of freedom of speech and belief. Just as those administering the draft subjected conscientious objectors to needless humiliations, often imprisonment, so those administering the espionage, sedition, and other wartime laws made conformity a measure of loyalty. The mails were closed to publications whose only offense was a statement of socialism, plea for feminism, or anti-British bias. People were hauled into court who had done more than criticize the Red Cross or the financing of the war or who had merely declared that war was contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. There were more than 1,500 arrests for sedition. The government lost any semblance of a democracy and more closely resembled a dictatorship. All freedom of speech and belief was revoked in the spirit of "loyalty." Can a democracy fight a war without reso
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Approximate Word count = 892
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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