Freedom of speech was restricted during World War I.

Congress passed the Espaiomage act of 1917, shortly after the United State entered into World war 1. The law prohibited interference in military operations or recruitment. Socialist party activist Charles Schenck was arrested under the Espionage Act after he distributed fliers urging young men to dodge the draft.

It passed the Espionage Act of 1917, which has been described as an "overt assault upon First Amendment freedoms." Congress passed an amendment to the Espionage Act called the Sedition Act of 1918 which further infringed on First Amendment freedom