Congress passed the Sedition Act in May 1918 as part of the government’s efforts to suppress opposition to U.S. involvement in World War I. The act amended the Espionage Act by adding to what the government considered seditious, or treasonous, activities. Under the Espionage Act, it was a crime to interfere or encourage interference in the war effort. The Sedition Act made it illegal to criticize the U.S. government, the military, or the American flag. The government saw such criticism as a threat to the war effort because Americans may lose confidence in the system or the reasons for the war. The government passed the Sedition Act primarily to counter the activities of the Socialist Party and members of the Industrial Workers of the World, who believed the war as unjust. The Supreme Court upheld both the Sedition Act and the Espionage Act in the 1919 case Schenck v. United States. In 1921 the Sedition Act was repealed as peace returned to the nation.
