Download Persuasive Essay - Alien and Sedition Acts (John Adams).

Hannah Moreno
2-13-12
3rd hour
Mr. Braisted
Persuasive Essay – Alien and Sedition Acts Cons (John Adams)
While John Adams was President, four acts were passed by the Federalist-controlled
Congress. They were the Naturalization Act, the Alien Act, the Alien Enemy Act, and the
Sedition Act. They later became known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. These laws stated that in
order to become a citizen of the U.S., one must have lived in the U.S. for at least fourteen years
(previously five years), the President has the power to kick any “dangerous” foreigners out of the
country, the President is allowed to send enemy aliens to prison during any time of war, and no
one is allowed to form a riot or protest against the national government. These acts clearly
should not have been passed and they should have been repealed immediately.
The Naturalization Act shouldn’t have been passed because it obviously does not
welcome foreigners to the country. Aliens must be residents of the United States for at least
fourteen years to become citizens, rather than the prior rule of only five years. Foreigners must
live in America for nine more years than before, which proves that they are “unwanted” in the
U.S.A.
The Alien Act states that the President can kick any “dangerous” foreigners out of the
country. This law is really unfair since the President is in charge of this act, and he can make
biased decisions against certain people. Similarly, the President controls the Alien Enemy Act
and is able to send any foreigners to jail during any time of war with subjective decisions.
The Sedition Act was the worst law of all because it violated the First Amendment of the
Bill of Rights and the Constitution. The First Amendment states that all citizens of the United
States have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom of press, the freedom to
petition, and the freedom of assembly. The Sedition Act prohibits anyone from forming riots or
protests against the government and will result in misdemeanor. The Sedition Act wrongly
disobeys the freedom of speech and press because people aren’t allowed to express themselves
by criticizing the government verbally or on paper.
These laws were very unconstitutional by not allowing foreigners to rebel against the
government. Saying only a few words about the government was considered a crime and could
get them sent to prison. The four acts were also discriminative against foreigners, which was
proven in each of the acts. These laws were specifically directed towards aliens who supposedly
may cause all sorts of “trouble” in America. It is unfair that they were focused on foreigners
while all of the other citizens did not have to go through this discrimination. Therefore, these
four acts should definitely not have been passed in the early 1800s during John Adam’s
presidency.