The loss of the vessel known throughout Chicago as the “Christmas Tree Ship” is a symbol of dangers faced by the ships and sailors who braved the storm ridden great lakes in the age of sail.
The “Great Sedition Trial” uncovered shocking connections at the time with the German reich that we were fighting, and challenged the idea that the nation was of a single mind during the war. It also challenged exactly how far the national commitment to freedom of speech and opinion reached, especially in extraordinary times.