The Alien & Sedition Acts

The Alien & SeditionActs

Start

O1

History

Activate

Use the video to answer Desmos slide #4 - What were the Alien and Sedition Acts a response to?

Setting the stage

Prior knowledge

Learning situation

Investigating the Alien & Sedition Acts

Click on the buttons below to explore the background surrounding the Alien and Sedition Acts in order to answer Desmos slides 5-7.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

sedition, n. - an action that moves people to resist or act out against lawful authority

Excerpt, “Letter from John Adams to Boston Patriot,” by John Adams 1809

In the excerpt below, Adams attempted to make clear his position on the acts of Congress generally and Alien and Sedition Acts specifically.

Mr. Tracy of Connecticut… I believe at the opening of the special session of Congress which I called soon after my inauguration… produced a long elaborate letter from Mr. Hamilton, containing a whole system of instruction for the conduct of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. I read it very deliberately, and really thought the man was in a delirium [craze]… It began by a dissertation [explanation] on the extraordinarily critical situation of the U. States… It recommended the raising an army of fifty thousand men, ten thousand of them to be cavalry, an army of great importance in so extensive a country vulnerable at so many points on the frontiers, and so accessible in so many places by sea. It recommended an alien and sedition law. It recommended an invigoration of the Treasury, by seizing on all the taxable articles not yet taxed by the government… [I did not] adopt his idea of an alien or sedition law. I recommended no such thing in my speech. Congress, however, adopted both these measures. I knew there was need enough of both, and therefore I consented [agreed] to them. But as they were then considered as war measures and intended altogether against the supporters of the French and peace with France, I was apprehensive [worried] that a hurricane of clamour would be raised against them, as in truth there was, even more fierce and violent than I had anticipated.

The Response

Part 1

These acts caused controversy and raised concerns about freedom of speech and the rights of immigrants. The Federalists, represented by Alexander Hamilton, supported these acts. They viewed the new laws as a means to protect national security and suppress political dissent, particularly from immigrant populations. However, the acts were highly unpopular among the Democratic- Republicans who opposed Adams. In fact, the Virginia and Kentucky legislatures passed resolutions, secretly penned by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, in protest against the acts.

More Controversy for Adams

President Adams also found himself embroiled in a major dispute at home. This challenge concerned the power of the federal government. In 1798, he signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. These laws aimed to restrict the freedom of immigrants (especially the French)and any critics of the government.

The Alien & Sedition Acts

Part 1

The Alien Act allowed the president to expel any foreigner he considered dangerous to the country, and the Sedition Act made it a crime to speak or write anything against the government.