The History of the Espionage Act – Spy History of the Week

On By JeffIn spy, Spy nonfiction


Alice Paul and Lucy Burns picketing the White House with others for the National Woman's Party. (Courtesy, Library of Congress)

The above image is of Women Suffragists who were nearly prosecuted under the Espionage Act in 1917 when they protested Woodrow Wilson in front of the White House. Read more here.

Obviously, who to charge under this act has been an issue from it’s creation.

Now that the hysteria over Wikileaks has died down a bit, perhaps this piece from Slate.com history of the Espionage Act of 1917 can be read with a clear head.

No matter your opinion of current events, the history behind how we got here is always interesting.

One thought on “The History of the Espionage Act – Spy History of the Week”

  1. Mata Hari

    Very interesting read. Unbelievable that they would try to charge these women with the Espionage Act, and very ironic that they wanted to use the words of the Pres to convict them.

    Reply

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