The personal liberties of the citizens of America

Americans’ personal freedoms and government control

Americans’ personal freedoms shouldn’t be restricted to the point where they are denied rights and freedoms like the right to free expression. Since 1865, there have been a number of significant events that have affected the state both favorably and unfavorably and contributed in some way to the founding of the nation. Furthermore, these events also provided insight into how much government control over the populace is necessary to safeguard the country.

Espionage and Sedition Acts during World War 1

For instance, the espionage and the sedition acts that were enacted of the World War 1 in 1917-1918 provided that specific forms of expressions, association, and beliefs were criminal acts. Primarily, the first was Espionage Act that prohibited wilfully making reports that are false with the intention of interfering with the military success or the naval forces, disloyalty, inciting insubordination, mutiny in the military, and the obstruction of recruitment or the enlistment service of the nation. Later, the Sedition Act was added to curb the outcome of the first. This second act set out eight other criminal offenses that included printing, uttering, publishing any disloyal, writing, scurrilous, profane, abusive language that depicts contempt, contumely, scorn, or disrespect to the government.

Internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II

Another marker of the American history is the Internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II which resulted from the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese. The Executive Order providing the same was signed in 1942 and led to the relocation of approximately one hundred and twenty Japanese-Americans into camps.

McCarthyism and the Red Scare

Thirdly was the McCarthyism and the Red Scare. The Red Scare represented the concern that spread widely about the fear of Americans towards the subversion of the communists within the society. Besides, McCarthyism was the practice that was carried out in America to attempt the minimization of the threat posed by communism. The exercises included the accusation and detention of those suspects deemed as security threats.

Pentagon Papers

Lastly, the Pentagon papers was a name ascribed to the top-secret Department of Defense that involved in the study of America’s military and political involvement in Vietnam.

Truncation of personal liberties and its consequences

Evidently, from the four discussed events in the history of America, it is clear how the truncation of the personal liberties of the citizens have always been tragic hence proving the thesis that it should not be done to the extent of denying people their critical freedoms and rights. In fact, the Sedition and Espionage act only led to the cropping up of more controversial movements despite the numerous arrests. Moreover, the other proof for the disadvantages that come with curtailing of liberties is depicted in the act by the Congress to compensate the Japanese-Americans whose liberties were violated regardless of their loyalty to the United States.

Bibliography

Hodges, A. J. “The Espionage And Sedition Acts In World War I: Using Wartime Loyalty Laws For Revenge And Profit”. Journal of American History 100, no. 3 (2013): 863-864.

OkyeonYi-Hong. “American Wartime Democracy Redux: The Internment Of Japanese Americans In 1942”. Korean Political Science Review 45, no. 6 (2011): 89-111.

Perkiss, Abigail. “Speaking History: Oral Histories Of The American Past, 1865-Present . By Sue Armitage And Laurie Mercier”. Oral History Review (2016): ohw127.