Justice Department Threatens Black Press Under Espionage Act for Anti-Lynching Content

After the Espionage Act passed in June 1917, Postmaster General Albert Burleson threatened to revoke mailing privileges from Black newspapers whose content the government deemed harmful to military recruitment or morale. The Messenger, edited by A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen, was denied mailing privileges in 1918 for opposing the draft. The Crisis was investigated for its 'Returning Soldiers' editorial. The campaign constituted an attempt to suppress Black civil rights advocacy through wartime legislation.