Congressman Berge Convicted of Sedition Faces Long Prison Term
1917-1918
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The Sedition Act of 1918 extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to include speech that supported enemies of the United States or intended to negatively affect the American war effort. Congressman Victor L. Berger, a founding member of the Social Democratic Party of America, was convicted of violating this act in 1919 after publicizing his anti-militarist views.
The original caption for this photograph reads: "Congressman Berge convisted [convicted] of sedition faces long prison term. Representative Victor L. Berger, Socialist of Milwaukee who was convicted before Federal Judge Landis in Chicago of sedition and disloyalty under the Espionage Act. Berger and four other prominent socialists convicted with him face sentences of from one to twenty years and fines from one thousand to ten thousand dollars of both."
The original caption for this photograph reads: "Congressman Berge convisted [convicted] of sedition faces long prison term. Representative Victor L. Berger, Socialist of Milwaukee who was convicted before Federal Judge Landis in Chicago of sedition and disloyalty under the Espionage Act. Berger and four other prominent socialists convicted with him face sentences of from one to twenty years and fines from one thousand to ten thousand dollars of both."
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs.
National Archives Identifier: 31479984
Full Citation: Photograph 165-WW-163F-1; Enemy Activities - Officials - Congressman Berge convisted [convicted] of sedition faces long prison term; 1917-1918; Enemy Activities - Officials; American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 - 1918; Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Record Group 165; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/berge-sedition-charges, April 27, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.