LAD #31: President Wilson's 14 Points

Wilson presenting Congress with his Fourteen Points

Wilson's Fourteen Points were proposed as a way to keep peace after World War I. In the opening, he discusses the conditions of countries like Germany and Russia. At Brest-Litovsk,  Germany was not interested in keeping peace, so Wilson proposed the 14 points in an attempt to make the world safe to live in. The points are summarized as follows:

1. Open covenants of peace

2. Freedom of the seas

3. Removal of economic barriers and establishment of equality of trade

4. Reduction of national armaments to the bare minimum necessary

5. Open-minded adjustment of colonial claims

6. Evacuation and lenient treatment of Russia

7. Evacuation and restoration of Belgium

8. Evacuation and restoration of French territory

9. Adjustment of Italy's borders

10. Allowing Austria-Hungary to self-govern

11. Evacuation and restoration of Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro

12. Secure sovereignty of Turkey and free passage through the Dardanelles

13. Creation of an independent Polish state

14. Establishment of the League of Nations

LAD #30: Schenck v. United States

Charles Schenck, a man convicted for obstructing the draft of soldiers into the army.

In Schenck v. the United States, Schenck mailed circulars to draftees that discouraged them from following the draft and joining the army and encouraged them to petition to appeal the Conscription Act. He was charged with violating the Espionage Act and obstructing recruitment. His case was appealed because of suspected violation of the First Amendment / free speech. The decision was unanimous in favor of the United States, with the reason being the character of every act depends on the situation. According to Holmes, in wartime, there is a "clear and present danger" that will stimulate evils Congress needs to prevent, and so certain things that are okay in peacetime can be punished.