Eugene Vs Debs Speech Analysis

Eugene V. Debs and W.E.B Du Bois were two distinctive men who established the United States vast inconsistency from professed values to their actual conduct. In many ways, these two men are very different. However, both means arguments provide accurate descriptions of a time when the United States was saying one thing but acted in a contrasting manner. Debs speech discusses the matter of the Espionage Act, while Du Bois piece digs deeply into the matter of lynching in the United States. Both articles were written within the first two years of the ending of WWI. Eugene V. Debs “Speech to the Jury before Sentencing under the Espionage Act” written in 1918 was directed for the jury and written in first person. The purpose of this speech was to defend the right of dissent or

Du Bois, founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and editor of it’s magazine, The Crisis. Du Bois was not against black participation during WWI, however he urged black soldiers to continue to fight when at home, this time for freedom. Du Bois’ article was directed for African Americans, particularly black soldiers who had fought in WWI. Du Bois’ wrote in first person as a means of reaching his people. The purpose of this piece was to encourage African Americans who fought in the war to not stop fighting when they came home, for there was many things to be fought for. The inequality between blacks and whites was what motivated these soldiers to continue to fight for rights once having returned to the states. Du Bois’ “Returning Soldiers” article describes the drafting and fighting of black soldiers during WWI and the contraction between what they were fighting for. These soldiers were fighting for their homeland, for America. Yet at the time, America was representative of lynching, disfranchisement, caste, devilish insult, and brutality. In Du Bois’ terms it was a “shameful land”