Alien and Sedition Act: What is the main purpose of the Alien and Sedition Acts? The acts were designed by Federalists to limit the power of the opposition Republican Party. The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress in 1798 in preparation for an anticipated war with France. Why did the Federalists want the Alien and Sedition Acts? 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. What rights did the Alien and Sedition Acts violate? While Jefferson denounced the Sedition Act as a violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which protected the right of free speech, his main constitutional argument was that the act violated the Tenth Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
Document and Questions: 1. "Although Adams was fiercely criticized for signing the Sedition Act, he never advocated [its] passage nor personally implemented [it]." But in what way does the act reflect President Adams's concerns, principles, or solutions, as listed by the class? 2. What does the Sedition Act classify as a crime? 3. In what ways does the act go beyond what Adams might have wanted? by a show of hands, determine which students believe the Sedition Act was/was not designed to respond to the President's concerns.