Blog Post #7: The Progressive Era

The questions Prof. Smith proposed on the class blog about why it is hard to find anti-war websites and articles really got me thinking, "why is it hard to find anti-war websites and why have I never thought about this before?" Antiwar.com has a bold statement at the top of their website that states, "It seems like not a day goes by without the US escalating tensions with a major nuclear power, whether it be Russia or China. Antiwar.com is the place to find the news and views on the new Cold Wars. Whether it's US warships sailing through the South China Sea, or the Biden administration slapping sanctions on Russian officials, we cover it all. But we can't do it without you!" This grabbed my attention because I have never been to an antiwar site and they are "hidden" for a reason. 

The Sedition Act, which was signed in 1918 making speaking out against war a crime. This might be one reason why antiwar websites are not mentioned on mainstream television. At first, the Sedition Act dealt mainly with the "quasi war." However, "The sweeping language of the Sedition Act made it illegal, among other actions, to “write, print, utter or publish...any false, scandalous and malicious writing...with intent to defame the...government,”. So, if it is only illegal to write and publish false information about war, it is confusing as to why people do not hear about these anti war websites. 

I personally am Switzerland when it comes to war because I do not know enough about war in general. However, I do think that war is not the solution to everything, especially the way we are doing it now that does not solve a thing. We train America to create a problem and react to it out of angst instead of trying to solve it quietly. Many of the things that our government does that are illegal such as stealing oil from Syria, yet we worry about anti war websites breaking the law.

The lines of illegal and legal anti war speech is very fine and that is why I think these websites are few and far between. Most people are more scared of the punishments than the impact the movement could cause. There is no shortage of strong pro war news articles and statements that are advertised by mainstream media. I wonder if the government was reached out to these antiwar websites and threatened to sue under the first amendment. If so, that is why it is important to know your rights and know for yourself what you are allowed to do.