What did the espionage act and the sedition act do?

Answer 1

The Espionage act of 1917 made it a crime to do anything that interfered with the governments power to recruit an army, interfere with any operation of the army, promote insubordination in the army, and to support an enemy of the United States all during war time. This was brought about from the Schenck Trial when the secretary of a socialist party distributed flyers to stop people from accepting draft notices and to refuse them. This was evaluated under the courts clear and present danger test and declared to be a direct attempt to interfere with the recruitment of the army. The sedition acts were meant to focus more upon those who supported enemy countries and was later repealed because although it simply supported the Espionage acts, it was a way of infringing upon the first amendments freedom of speech as anyone who spoke ill of the government or the United States would be subsequently brought to trial and this was simply too hard to enforce and went against the rights given to the people.