English Teacher Breaks Bad

Was Oscar M. Heath a voice of conscience or a crackpot?

Oscar M. Heath, from his book, The Composts of Tradition. Public Domain.

In the popular imagination, high school English teachers are mild-mannered, bookish people. They tend to be introverts, far more comfortable spending time with William Faulkner and James Joyce than denizens of the “real” world.

Oscar M. Heath, a high school English teacher in early-twentieth century Chicago, defied the stereotype. In 1917, his “radical” opposition to America’s entrance into World War I destroyed his career and brought the anger of a stressed nation down upon him. Although post-Vietnam Americans, accustomed to protesting their government’s involvement in overseas conflicts, might find it hard to believe, opposing government policy in the early-twentieth century could have severe consequences for a citizen.

A Seditious Traitor

Oscar burst upon the world stage when America, after considerable delay, announced its entry into World War I. President Woodrow Wilson had campaigned on the promise to “keep us out” of the European war, and Heath was aggrieved that the president had reversed himself.

As newspapers trumpeted Wilson’s plans to require nine million American men to turn their energy to the war effort — as soldiers or factory laborers — Heath composed a pamphlet arguing…