The strong steps that Adams took in response to the French foreign threat also included severe repression of domestic protest. A series of laws known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams.
The Federalist majority in Congress quickly passed four laws in 1798 to make the United States more secure from alien (foreign) spies and domestic traitors. Most of these laws, however, were also intended to weaken Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. The Republican minority in Congress argued that sedition laws violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and the press. The Federalists countered by defining these freedoms in the narrow English manner. The Alien and Sedition Acts provoked the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions and did much to unify the Republican party and to foster Republican victory in the election of 1800. The Republican-controlled Congress repealed the Naturalization Act in 1802; the others were allowed to expire (1800–1801). See J. C. Miller, Crisis in Freedom (1951, repr. 1964); J. M. Smith, Freedom's Fetters (1956); L. Levy, Legacy of Suppression (1960). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. President John Adams made no use of the alien acts. Most controversial, however, was the Sedition Act, devised to silence Republican criticism of the Federalists. The Republican-controlled Congress repealed the Naturalization Act in 1802; the others were allowed to expire (1800–1801). See J. C. Miller, Crisis in Freedom (1951, repr. 1964); J. M. Smith, Freedom's Fetters (1956); L. Levy, Legacy of Suppression (1960). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Federalist majority in Congress passed the Sedition Act and President Adams signed it into law on July 14, 1798. It was set to expire on March 3, 1801, the last day of the first and--as it turned out--only presidential term of John Adams. The Republican minority in Congress argued that sedition laws violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and the press. The Federalists countered by defining these freedoms in the narrow English manner. The acts were denounced by Democratic-Republicans and ultimately helped them to victory in the 1800 election, when Thomas Jefferson defeated the incumbent President Adams. The Sedition Act and the Alien Friends Act were allowed to expire in 1800 and 1801, respectively. The Alien Enemies Act, however, remains in effect as 50 USC Sections 21–24. The Alien Act and the Sedition Act were meant to guard against this perceived threat of anarchy. They were a major political issue in the elections of 1798 and 1800. They were very controversial in their own day, as they remain to the present day. The Alien and Sedition Acts were part of a larger body of work called the Virginia Report. Just click on The Alien and Sedition Acts to find these harsh anti-immigrant laws in their entirety. Report broken link. Liberty Online. One of the seeds for the Civil War was planted in Kentucky in 1799. No. It describes the United States in 1798 after the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. The strong steps that Adams took in response to the French foreign threat also included severe repression of domestic protest. A series of laws known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams. These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote 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. (on Archives.gov). Passed in preparation for an anticipated war with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts tightened restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limited speech critical of the Government. In 1798 the United States stood on the brink of war with France. The Sedition Act of 1798 - 1 - Sedition Act of 1798 – a brief history of arrests, indictments, mistreatment & abuse By Gordon T. Belt First Amendment Center library manager Introduction In 1798 the Alien and Sedition Acts were signed into law by President John Adams in response to fears of an impending war with France.  Text of the Sedition Act. The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills that were passed by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress and signed into law by President John Adams in 1798, the result of the French Revolution and during an undeclared naval war with France, later known as the Quasi-War. The Alien Act and the Sedition Act were meant to guard against this perceived threat of anarchy. They were a major political issue in the elections of 1798 and 1800. They were very controversial in their own day, as they remain to the present day.
http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/the-alien-and-sedition-acts.html http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/alien-sedition-acts.html http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/alien-sedition-acts.html http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/the-alien-and-sedition-acts.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts http://www.ushistory.org/us/19e.asp http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=16 http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/madison/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Sedition_Act_cases.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts
which was a republican response to the sedition act