Download The Alien and Sedition Acts Revised

The Alien and Sedition Acts
US History/Napp
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“Conflict between the two political parties was particularly bitter during the presidency of
Washington’s successor, John Adams (1797-1801). A Federalist majority in Congress
enacted two laws whose chief purpose was to intimidate the supporters of the DemocraticRepublicans. The Alien Act authorized the president to deport foreigners residing in the
United States who were thought to be dangerous to the public safety. The Sedition Act
authorized the government to fine and imprison newspaper editors who printed any
‘scandalous and malicious writing’ about the government.
The state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky passed resolutions that protested these
acts and claimed the right to nullify (disregard) them as unconstitutional. These
resolutions expressed the views of Thomas Jefferson, who argued that the Alien and
Sedition Acts violated citizens’ basic rights.” ~ U.S. History and Government
Questions:
1- When was conflict between the two political parties particularly bitter?
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2- What had the Federalist majority done to intimidate or frighten supporters of the
Democratic-Republicans?
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3- What was the Alien Act?
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4- What was the Sedition Act?
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5- In your own words, define “Alien.”
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6- In your own words, define “Sedition.”
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7- What did the state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky do in response to these
Acts?
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8- What did the state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky conclude about these Acts?
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9- Define nullify.
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10- What did Thomas Jefferson argue about these acts?
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Alien and Sedition Acts -1798
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions -1798
(1798)
These pieces of legislation above reflected
(1) claimed that individual states have the
the conflict between
right to interpret federal laws
(1) Congress and the President
(2) was part of the unwritten constitution
(2) States’ rights and federal supremacy
(3) supported the federal government’s
(3) The military and civilian government
power to declare war
(4) The Supreme Court and state courts
(4) allowed new states to enter the Union
Explain the meaning of the political cartoon:
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Explain the meaning of the political cartoon:
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Definition: Alien
“A foreigner, especially one who is not a naturalized citizen of the country where they are
living”
~ Oxford Dictionary
Definition: Sedition
“Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch”
~ Oxford Dictionary
Historical Context: Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
“In 1798 the United States stood on the brink of war with France. The Federalists believed
that Democratic-Republican criticism of Federalist policies was disloyal and feared that
aliens living in the United States would sympathize with the French during a war. As a
result, a Federalist-controlled Congress passed four laws, known collectively as the Alien
and Sedition Acts. These laws raised the residency requirements for citizenship from 5 to
14 years, authorized the President to deport aliens, and permitted their arrest,
imprisonment, and deportation during wartime. The Sedition Act made it a crime for
American citizens to ‘print, utter, or publish…any false, scandalous, and malicious writing’
about the Government.
The laws were directed against Democratic-Republicans, the party typically favored by
new citizens, and the only journalists prosecuted under the Sedition Act were editors of
Democratic-Republican newspapers. Sedition Act trials, along with the Senate’s use of its
contempt powers to suppress dissent, set off a firestorm of criticism against the Federalists
and contributed to their defeat in the election of 1800, after which the acts were repealed or
allowed to expire. The controversies surrounding them, however, provided for some of the
first tests of the limits of freedom of speech and press.” ~ ourdocuments.gov
Questions:
1- What was happening in 1798?
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2- What did the Federalists believe about the Democratic-Republican Party’s
criticisms of Federalist policies?
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3- What did the Federalist-controlled Congress pass in response to Federalist
concerns?
________________________________________________________________________
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4- How did these acts affect immigrants?
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5- What did these acts make a crime?
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6- Was the Sedition Act a violation of the First Amendment? Explain your answer.
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7- Who typically favored the Democratic-Republicans?
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8- What happened in the election of 1800 as a result of these acts?
________________________________________________________________________
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9- What happened to the acts after the election of 1800?
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10- Do you believe that the government ever has the right to limit freedom of speech
and the press? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________
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The Alien and Sedition Acts were aimed
The main purpose of the Alien and Sedition
primarily at
Acts was to
(1) Illegal aliens
(1) Capture French and British spies.
(2) British radicals
(2) Control the Federalists.
(3) Political opposition
(3) Silence and punish critics of the
(4) French radicals
Federalists.
(4) Keep Thomas Jefferson from becoming
The Alien and Sedition Acts occurred
president.
during the
(5) Provide support for the Democratic(1) Washington Administration
Republican party.
(2) Adams Administration
(3) Jefferson Administration
The Sedition Act
(4) Hamilton Administration
(1) Threatened First Amendment freedoms.
(2) Established criteria for deporting
How would the Alien Acts apply today?
dangerous foreigners.
(1) The Acts would allow unlimited
(3) Changed naturalization requirements
immigration
for new citizens.
(2) The Acts would end all immigration
(4) Was never enforced.
(3) The Acts would deport immigrants
(5) Was found by the Supreme Court to be
suspected of anti-government views
unconstitutional.
(4) The Acts would create harsher
penalties for illegal immigrants
The Virginia and Kentucky resolutions were
written in response to
The Federalist-dominated Congress’s Alien (1) The XYZ affair.
Act was aimed at _______, whereas the
(2) Thomas Jefferson's presidential
Sedition Act was primarily aimed at ______. candidacy in 1800.
(1) Rebellious slaves, newspapers
(3) The Alien and Sedition Acts.
(2) Recent immigrants, newspapers
(4) The Federalist papers.
(3) Recent immigrants, merchants
(4) Merchant smuggling, rebellious slaves