Verified Document

Social Justice The Context Of Eugene Debs' Essay

Social Justice The Context of Eugene Debs' Court Statemtent

When a historically-naive, contemporary American reads Eugene Debs' statement to the court, it would be hard not to assume Debs believed he was a martyr for some imaginary cause. However, if the historical context is understood, this assumption would quickly dissipate. This essay will therefore examine the historical context within which this statement was made.

Debs' court statement is intimately tied to the patriotic fervor surrounding entry of the United States into World War I (Jensen 1968). While very few Americans actually wanted to become involved in WWI, the country was roughly divided between those who felt it would be their patriotic duty to serve if called and those who believed it was their moral duty to take an anti-war stance. One of the more vocal anti-war elements was unionized labor, specifically the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). IWW members, otherwise known as the 'Wobblies', believed the war was a product of capitalist greed (Jensen 1968, 57). In addition, many IWW leaders were socialists, a fact that helped fuel the first Red Scare in the aftermath of WWI (Finan 2007, 5, 11). Eugene Debs was the leader of the Socialist Party and an active anti-war speaker[footnoteRef:2]. [2: Christopher M. Finan, From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of Free Speech in America (Boston:...

Debs' conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court a year later, even though Debs was very careful not to say anything that could have been construed as opposing the draft. Public criticism of the Court's decision in the Debs case helped contribute to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' conversion to a defender of free speech. In this sense, Debs court statement and trial was not an act of futility.]
Standing in opposition to the Wobblies were the manufacturers who feared labor unrest or even sabotage, once America entered the war (Jensen 1968). More importantly, the Wilson Administration and many members of Congress shared these concerns (Finan 2007, 28-32). As a result of these fears, the Espionage Act was amended in May of 1918 and the Sedition Act was born. This amendment made it a crime to speak out against the U.S. government. It was within this atmosphere of war preparations and German espionage hysteria that Debs gave his statement in court, after having been convicted of sedition because he gave an anti-war speech.

References

"E. V. Debs statement to the court upon being convicted of violating the Sedition Act." Marxists Internet Archive. Marxists.org. Last modified 2001. http://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1918/court.htm.

Finan, Christopher, M. From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History…

Sources used in this document:
References

Addams, Jane. "The subjective necessity for social settlements." In Philanthropy and Social Progress, edited by Henry C. Adams, 114-127. New York: Thomas Y. Cromwell, 1893.

Cole, William I. "Introduction." In The City Wilderness: A Settlement Study; by Residents and Associates of the South End House, edited by Robert A. Woods, 1-9. New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1898.

Finn, Janet L. And Jacobson, Maxine. Just Practice: A Social Justice Approach to Social Work, 2nd Edition. Peosta, Iowa: Eddie Bowers Publishing, 2008.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Social Justice Social Work Value/Social Justice- for
Words: 1665 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Social Justice Social Work Value/Social Justice- For centuries, philosophers have puzzled the human condition. Since humans have lived together there have been queries about how and why humans acts the way they do, not just individually, but how they form partnerships, groups and are able to cooperate enough for survival and the future possibilities for society. In particular. As technology continues to increase, so do the complexities of societal integration, and

Social Justice in Micah
Words: 1025 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Social Justice in the Book Of Micah Social justice is justice that is exercised within a society and in particular it is to be exercised among and by the various social classes in society. A society that is socially just is one that has advocacy and practices that are based on principles of solidarity and equality. Social justice also requires that a just society is one that understands and values human

Social Justice Just Get Started: Engagement Anticipatory
Words: 1163 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Social Justice Just Get Started: Engagement Anticipatory empathy can be described as the ability of a person to evaluate the effects of his or her actions or words on another person. This is a common technique used by therapist to understand the outcomes of their therapy. It is necessary to practice social justice that one can understand in other person's shoes and try to perceive the impacts that one's may have on other.

Social Justice Theoretical Constructs and Social Justice
Words: 1132 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Social Justice Theoretical Constructs and Social Justice What does it mean to say that theory can influence and shape racist, classist, and sexist notions of people, groups, and societies? Theoretical constructs, the text by Finn & Jacobson (2003) tells us, are highly influenced by prevailing political, cultural and social hierarchies. Accordingly, those theories of sociological order which ultimately are accepted as organic and naturally occurring are often tied into certain pointedly hegemonic imperatives.

Social Justice We Have Described One of
Words: 1060 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Social Justice We have described one of the roles of social justice work as that of the "bricoleur," What is the significance of this role for the process of research and evaluation? The reading explains that the bricoleur is mindful of the subjective nature of inquiry and the preferences that inquiries bring during research. In fact, every part of a research project, from thesis to drafting is different depending on the personality

Social Justice and the Gospel for Centuries,
Words: 1427 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Social Justice and the Gospel For centuries, philosophers have puzzled the human condition. Questions abound about why humans act the way they do, why they form groups, what role cultural and social norms have for learning, how societies form, the nature of society, social change, and the way integration and alienation fit in with modern societies. In particular, the changes in urbanization and technology, and access to other cultures, spurred even

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now