POL300: Constitution During Wartime, Spring 2003

Brett Marston

Paper #1

Write a well-argued, 3-5 page paper on the following questions:

The Sedition Acts laid bare serious, high-level theoretical and practical differences between Federalists and Republicans concerning the relationship between speech, government, and dissent, during wartime in particular.  Who was right?  If you think the Federalists were right, you must address the Jeffersonian objections that sedition prosecutions are inevitably partisan, that the truth defense is no help, and that some objectionable speech is a necessary evil under any defensible free speech regime.  If you think the Jeffersonians are right, you must address the Federalist concerns that “unity” is necessary during wartime, that public confidence is needed to secure the necessary unity (and the sacrifices required of the population), and that speech can, in fact, do harm to the necessary confidence.

Your paper should be typed,  double-spaced, with normal margins and a 12-point font.  It is due in class on Monday, 2/10.  You should also include precise references to the text; vague references or references based solely on my lectures will count against your grade (i.e., you have to read Curtis and the web readings I’ve assigned for the course)