POS2041 Lecture Notes - Lecture 39: Espionage Act Of 1917
17 Aug 2020
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Abrams v. united states case: facts of the case. In 1918, the united states participated in a military operation on russian soil against germany after the russian revolution overthrew the tsarist regime. Russian immigrants in the us circulated literature calling for a general strike in ammunition plants to undermine the us war effort. The defendants were convicted for two leaflets thrown from a new york city window. One denounced the sending of american troops to russia, and the second denounced the war and advocated for the cessation of the production of weapons to be used against soviet russia. They were sentenced to 20 years in prison: constitutional question. Whether the amendments to the espionage act or the application of those amendments in this case violate the free speech clause of the first amendment: conclusion. The court held that in calling for a general strike and the curtailment of munitions production, the leaflets violated the espionage act.
