Is there any doubt this has been our “Winter of Discontent”? The Trump tumult roils the body politic almost daily with assaults and threats to social and economic justice and hard-won civil rights. It’s difficult enough to keep a focus on the present. Is there some benefit from looking back to see how oppression and erosion of values were confronted and resisted in the past? I think there is – for insight on governmental manipulation, for understanding of what tripped up dissenters, for inspiration of those who persisted, and, sometimes, for specific tactics, even those employed 100 years ago.
Less than a month from now, on April 7, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated day when the United States entered World War One. What had been the “European War” for three years expanded to engulf much of the globe in conflict. For more than a year and a half WWI dominated every facet of American life. The federal government, with the cooperation of the states, mounted surveillance campaigns to bolster war fervor and to demand allegiance. Protest and the most casual dissent became criminal acts, lumped together under charges of sedition. For questioning the conduct of the war, objecting to the president’s actions, Americans were arrested. Many were prosecuted, convicted, fined, and sentenced to prison.
The nature of resistance and dissent both today and 100 years ago are the focus of my current research. I’m looking at the impact and outcomes of the Sedition Act, and I’ve begun a study of WWI dissent in Oregon. My initial findings will be presented on two upcoming occasions:
Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR
Free and open to the public
Oregon Historical Quarterly, Special World War One Issue
My article will be one of a series that explores the impact of WWI and lessons for today
Look for highlights of my sedition and dissent research here on my website: Michaelhelquist.com
Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions, Oregon State University Press
Available at bookstores and online outlets
Less than a month from now, on April 7, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated day when the United States entered World War One. What had been the “European War” for three years expanded to engulf much of the globe in conflict. For more than a year and a half WWI dominated every facet of American life. The federal government, with the cooperation of the states, mounted surveillance campaigns to bolster war fervor and to demand allegiance. Protest and the most casual dissent became criminal acts, lumped together under charges of sedition. For questioning the conduct of the war, objecting to the president’s actions, Americans were arrested. Many were prosecuted, convicted, fined, and sentenced to prison.
The nature of resistance and dissent both today and 100 years ago are the focus of my current research. I’m looking at the impact and outcomes of the Sedition Act, and I’ve begun a study of WWI dissent in Oregon. My initial findings will be presented on two upcoming occasions:
- April 19, 2017, 7-8:30 pm
Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR
Free and open to the public
- Summer 2017
Oregon Historical Quarterly, Special World War One Issue
My article will be one of a series that explores the impact of WWI and lessons for today
Look for highlights of my sedition and dissent research here on my website: Michaelhelquist.com
Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions, Oregon State University Press
Available at bookstores and online outlets
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