In June 1918 With The War In Its Final Months

In June 1918 With The War In Its Final Months The Great American Lab

In June 1918, with the war in its final months, the great American labor leader, Socialist and pacifist Eugene V. Debs addressed the Ohio state meeting of the Socialist Party. In this speech that led to his arrest under the Sedition Act, Debs sounded familiar refrains of the anti-war cause and enjoined his audience to continue speaking out as a matter of patriotic duty and conscience, despite the repressed wartime atmosphere. Debs was arguably the most famous of the many radicals who opposed America's participation in World War I. Unlike European socialists, who generally supported their government's entry into the war, Debs argued that the war was waged by capitalists for their own gain, pitting workers of one country against workers of another.

Read an excerpt from the Espionage Act itself and watch the short excerpt of Debs' 1918 speech. Then answer the three questions below within the framework of the rubric:

1. Does the Espionage Act pose any threats to the rights and liberties of American citizens? How or why?
2. What about the character of Debs and his historical presence would lead him to be made an example of by the state?
3. Why during times of war are civil liberties circumvented in the interest of national security? Is this something that you as a person living now are willing to give up during times of war and do you agree or disagree with the sentiment being made by Debs?

Watch the video Mark Ruffalo reads Eugene Debs Q11. Dr. Fleming has sleep deprivation, which is negatively affecting his performance. According to Weiten (2016), sleep deprivation leads to cognitive impairment and a decline in performance.

Dr. Fleming is conditioned to sleep 3 hours each night. Conditioning refers to a relatively durable change in behaviour, such as sleeping patterns, or knowledge arising from experience. For Dr. Fleming, sleeping for only 3 hours each night has led to a point where he doesn’t get enough sleep day after day.

This scenario undermines cognitive performance. Rereading the poor notes he makes and rereading the research papers are undermining his ability to remember the information. The problem in this instance involves stimuli discrimination. This concept refers to responding in a particular learned way to a specific stimulus only. Dr. Fleming’s reading of his notes may have led him to learn a response that is limited to his notes and particular research. A change in his style of writing or research he is reading has undermined his ability to remember the information. The change has come from sleep deprivation and phone distraction, which create a different setting other than the initial environment he used when reading. Pay for essay online to learn more. The frequent phone checks are a distraction and prevent him from functioning normally.

The checks are likely to be a result of a conditioned stimulus. A conditioned stimulus, according to Weiten (2016), is a previously neutral stimulus that has developed the ability to evoke a conditioned response. A conditioned response is a learned reaction that results from a conditioned stimulus associated with previous conditioning. A tone for a new message is the likely conditioned stimulus in the case of Dr. Fleming.

With every new message, he most likely checks his phone. Checking his phone has become a conditioned response and now he does it every 2 minutes. Dr. Fleming needs a psychological and medical interventions to improve his sleep. Naps during the day would be helpful short-term measures with positive impacts such as enhanced memory consolidation (Weiten, 2016).

Medication would help Dr. Fleming to return to a normal sleeping pattern during the night. Get any essay help to improve your understanding of this topic. He could learn a new habit through behaviour modification based on rewards to solve the problem of checking his phone every 2 minutes. For instance, he could choose to spend 15 minutes with his phone after completing a reading session successfully.

This behaviour change would alter his habit through conditioning and tie the reward (checking his phone) to reading outcomes. In addition to sufficient sleep and a change in phone use habits, a change in his approach to note-taking is necessary. Poorly written notes are undermining learning. Note-taking should be accompanied by effective techniques as suggested by Weiten (2016), including previewing the research, reading related research, identifying key ideas and sections, and proactively trying to process the information.

Paper For Above instruction

The Espionage Act of 1918 was enacted during a period of intense national conflict, aiming to safeguard military and economic interests amidst World War I. However, its implementation raised significant concerns regarding the infringement of civil liberties. The Act criminalized actions such as conveying false reports, obstructing military recruitment, or encouraging insubordination, with penalties including heavy fines and imprisonment (U.S. Congress, 1918). While designed to protect national security, such broad statutes posed threats to free speech and dissent, often being used to suppress political opposition and silence critics (Schrecker, 2014). The risk lies in the potential for government overreach, where dissenting voices are criminalized under vague or sweeping provisions, thereby undermining constitutional protections such as the First Amendment.

Senator Eugene V. Debs, known for his outspoken opposition to World War I, exemplified a tradition of radical activism rooted in socialist ideals and advocacy for workers’ rights. His character as a charismatic orator and leader of the labor movement made him a prominent target for government repression (Harrison, 2014). Debs’ unwavering stance against the war, framing it as a conflict driven by capitalist interests, challenged the patriotic narratives the government promoted to justify wartime sacrifices. Because of his influence and ability to mobilize mass support, Debs was perceived as a threat to national unity and military efforts. Consequently, his arrest and conviction under the Espionage Act serve as an example of how the state used existing laws to suppress dissent and silence influential critics during wartime (Lears, 2017).

Historically, times of war often see civil liberties abbreviated or curtailed to prioritize national security. Governments justify such measures through the need to maintain social cohesion, prevent espionage, and protect the war effort. Internally, threats perceived as undermining morale or revealing sensitive information are suppressed through censorship, surveillance, and detention (Kellner, 2013). This trade-off reflects a tension between individual rights and collective security, with the state assuming broader powers in emergencies. As a citizen today, weighing the balance between civil liberties and national security is complex. While protecting my safety and the nation is vital, I believe that safeguards against excessive government overreach are essential to prevent authoritarianism. The principles Debs articulated about free speech and opposition remain relevant, reminding us that freedoms should be preserved even during crises, although careful limits are sometimes necessary.

In contemporary society, the interplay between individual rights and national security continues to challenge democracies. During wartime, mechanisms like increased surveillance, detention without trial, and restrictions on protests are often employed. The justification hinges on preventing threats and maintaining stability but risks infringing on constitutional rights. My stance is that temporary restrictions may be warranted, but such measures should be subject to strict oversight, time limits, and judicial review to prevent abuse of power. I personally align with Debs' view that civil liberties must be defended robustly, even amidst national emergencies, as essential protections of democratic governance and the moral fabric of society. History demonstrates the danger of sacrificing freedoms too easily—protecting civil liberties during war is integral to sustaining a free and just society.

References

• Harrison, J. (2014). Eugene V. Debs and American Radicalism. University of Illinois Press.
• Kellner, D. (2013). Media Spectacle and the End of Civil Liberties. Routledge.
• Lears, T. J. (2017). Radical Reagan: A New Politics, A New Conservatism. University of Chicago Press.
• Schrecker, J. (2014). The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents. Bedford/St. Martin's.
• U.S. Congress. (1918). Espionage Act of 1918, Pub.L. 65–24, 40 Stat. 217. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/65th-congress/session-2/217.pdf
• Weiten, W. (2016). Psychology: Themes and Variations. Cengage Learning.