The Devolution of Freedom

Freedom can carry a number of different meanings and interpretations; depending upon not only on who is asked, but when. The “American Dream” has long been vaunted in this country, enticing millions to emigrate with high hopes for a better life and the freedom to strive for prosperity. For Americans citizens, as well as emigrants from other parts of the world who made America their home before World War I, freedom before the war meant something wholly different than what it became post-war. While there was, and always has been freedom for anyone to strive for prosperity, success has never been guaranteed, and after The Great War, chances for anyone who did not have access to wealth became even slimmer. America entered the war with the purported intention of “making the world safe for democracy,” but rather than making Americans feel safe, it sealed government’s fate as a great repressor of freedom for its citizens.

Beginning with the Roosevelt administration, there rose a tendency of the burgeoning super power to interfere in the affairs of other countries in the name of “civilization.” This tendency catapulted to new extremes during the Wilson administration, with the new president’s “missionary zeal” and a “sense of his own and the nation’s moral righteousness” (Foner 773). He felt a sense of responsibility to bring the tenets of democracy to other peoples, the success of which he felt deeply related to American export and investment, claiming it served to “carry liberty and justice” to the entire world (Foner 774). He sent troops to occupy Haiti after the Haitian government refused to allow American banks to handle their finances, and controlled customs in the Dominican Republic, from 1916 until 1924, though did very little to promote the actual tenets of democracy. Wilson’s foreign policy was contradictory in nature; it declared freedom for all, yet its policies found their way into the affairs of countries that did not ask for them (Foner 774). These impingements foreshadowed the constraints of freedom for Americans that were soon to come after the war.

Before the war, there was widespread confidence in human ability to reason and progress of mankind. But by the end of the war, tens of millions of soldiers and civilians had fallen victim to combat, famine and influenza, which was a harsh reality for Western civilization. It undermined confidence and optimism, and in the eyes of the people, humankind regressed back to a time when war was the only answer to conflict (Foner 776). Despite the regression, some progressives intended to use what they considered to be a momentary setback to make way for great reform by promoting unification, cooperation, and benevolence over violence and tyranny. Wilson’s Fourteen Points laid out the vision for his moral crusade. The fundamental goals were self-determination for all people, free trade, freedom of the seas, openness and transparency of government, and colonized people able to decide their futures. These Fourteen Points inspired in many progressives the hope for spreading their beliefs and ideals around the world. They also led to many crusades at home, for and by the people, like the establishment of minimum wage, eight hour work days, and the right to form unions. Wages rose, most working conditions greatly improved, and the membership numbers of unions doubled (Foner 781). Once the war ended, however, wages, conditions, and unions went back to the way they were pre-war; unjust, and insufficient conditions for any person to achieve freedom, financially or otherwise.

Perhaps most constrictive of the ideals of freedom declared by American politicians was the “coercive patriotism” that came about post-war. The Socialist Party began to rise up against the war, voicing their opposition to American involvement. In response to this, Wilson created the Committee on Public Information, which was an effort to “explain” to Americans what made it necessary to become involved, in defense of their liberties. Propaganda began to flood American life with pro-war literature, war posters, movies, and even live speeches given to crowds (Foner 781). This greatly swayed general opinion of the war with the general public, and raised the question of what it meant to be free to think for oneself. It also brought freedom of expression under attack, if the attack was against the war.

The Espionage Act of 1917 not only made it illegal to distribute literature that was in any way critical of the aims of the administration, but also to voice one’s own opinion against war efforts was a violation. Making a statement against the flag could result in imprisonment (Foner 786). This silencing of speech and suppression of thought went against every imaginable concept of freedom, and set a dangerous precedent. “Patriotism” became synonymous with support for government, pro-war sentiment, and the celebration of the American capitalist system. Anything less than absolute government support was considered anti-American, and some states formed organizations to seek out these disloyal citizens, and scrutinize their every moves. Teachers were made to sign loyalty oaths, and citizens who did not purchase “Liberty Loans” were audited. One union leader, Frank Little, was lynched, and offices were raided and publications and files were confiscated (Foner 787). Freedom, at that point, was becoming just another word, its meaning lost to misuse and corruption.

Further crippling the meaning of freedom was suppression of traditional ways of life. While some assimilation is necessary when emigrating to other countries, many immigrants were forced to abandon their cultural identities, and adopt American ways (Foner 793) (What that actually meant was and remains a mystery to this day, however, as American culture was borne of many different cultures from all over the world as well as those already established when America was colonized). Most states had outlawed the teaching of foreign languages, and Iowa’s governor even proclaimed that “all oral communications in schools, public places, and over the telephone be conducted in English.” He declared freedom of speech did not include “the right to use a language other than the language of the country” (Foner 793). Intelligence tests were given to potential immigrants, and “scientifically” proved that they were inferior to Anglo Saxons (Foner 794). Further requirements and laws made the country that once opened its doors to all, the most exclusive club to gain entrance.

Also subjected to these IQ tests were non-whites, proving the persistence of racial inequality. African-Americans had little freedom, and their wellbeing was not written into the laws that promised better working conditions and wages. Violent outbreaks were common, like the 1917 riot in East St. Louis, Missouri, when employers essentially used black workers as pawns in their attempt to weaken unions (Foner 799). Riots broke out all over the country over racial tension, and the government turned a blind eye in many cases, and even exacerbated their plight by disallowing blacks into the navy, and segregating the few black troops that were allowed into the military. Wilson worried that the experience overseas would “go to their heads,” and persuaded the French not to socialize with them, or even treat them as equals. They were disallowed even from participating in the victory parade in France (Foner 798). Similar prejudice and tension was experienced by Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans. This pervasive racial inequality would continue to circumscribe the freedom of non-whites well into the era of the civil rights movement, and further served to demonstrate how American freedom was being attacked all over the country.

A wave of strikes began in early 1919, and threw the country and its citizens further into turmoil. A surge of unrest swept through America as more and more workers struck against their employers, and instilled fear in the government that the widespread strikes were “part of a worldwide communist conspiracy” at a time when social tensions surrounding the Russian Revolution were at their peak (Foner 803). This led to further offenses of American’s civil liberties, and thousands of arrests without warrant, holding many for months without cause. Labor organizations toppled, and many radical groups fighting for freedom gave up and disbanded, (Foner 804) leaving an empty shell of hope in the wake of Wilson’s Fourteen Point plan.

Once the war had officially ended, the Treaty of Versailles was negotiated in secret, which went against the “open covenant” Wilson had outlined. In fact, only a few of his points were achieved, and those that were, including the establishment of the League of Nations, and self-determination of Eastern Europe, portended future conflicts (Foner 804). The League of Nations, and the language of freedom Wilson used to describe it, according to Secretary of State Robert Lansing, “raised hopes which can never be realized,” inspiring “impossible demands.” Thus began lobbies for peace by various countries and for various causes, and would emblematically solidify America’s involvement indefinitely in future foreign affairs. The peace terms disappointed the Germans, and these too foreshadowed wars to come (Foner 807).

While there were small and short-lived victories, Wilson’s vision of making the world safe for democracy ultimately failed. Not only did it fail to spread democracy to other nations, but domestically, it restricted far more than it liberated (Foner 808). The meaning of freedom has always been difficult to nail down to one definition, but after World War I, it became difficult to define on any terms. Not only had “freedom” entirely lost its meaning, the American voice had been silenced, and its cries for liberation from tyranny and inequality fell upon deaf ears. With another war waiting in the wings, it would be another several decades before freedom could once again ring.

Work Cited

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 3rd edition, W.W. Norton, 2012.