Further Content Exploration

As we think about the government's propaganda messages during wartime, it is interesting to consider messages and speech that were disallowed during times of war and crisis. It is especially interesting to look at various laws from different time periods that may have been in conflict with Americans' First Amendment right to free speech. It is also instructive to explore changes in the interpretation of the First Amendment over time.

Discuss the following questions with your colleagues or reflect on them in your journal.

1. Were Americans as free in 1914 to criticize the government and oppose intervention in the war, in print and in public speeches, as they were during the WWII era or Vietnam era, or today? Are there particular laws and/or court cases that lead you to this conclusion?
2. If there are differences in tolerance for opposition points of view during different periods, what do you think accounts for these differences? Why have Americans and the government been more or less willing to tolerate opposition during certain times periods than during others?
3. If you do not see noticeable differences, then what accounts for the changes in the laws and the greater press and media freedoms during particular eras?
4. What rights do you think the government has under the first amendment? Is it allowed to say anything? Should government propaganda be protected speech, or should there be limits? Explain.