Alien and Sedition Acts Flashcards
(12 cards)
What was the Alien and Sedition Acts?
4 bills that the Federalist passes in 1798 in preparation for an anticipated war with France
Who sign the laws?
President John Adams
What was the names of the 4 bills?
Alien Enemies Act
Alien Friends Act
Naturalization Act
Sedition Act
What was the Alien Enemies Act?
States that any citizen from foreign countries that posed a threat to national security, if found guilty will be detained or deported
What was Alien Friends Act?
Allowed the President to deport any citizen of any foreign nation who he decided posed a threat to the nation while inside its borders.
Allowed President to expel citizens without proof of guilt
What was Naturalization Act?
Made it harder for immigrants to become citizens
Went from 5 years to 14 years until you could try to be a citizen
What was the Sedition Act?
Was illegal to speak, write, or print any statement about the President, Congress, Federal Government , or Federal Laws, which brought him, in then wording of the act, “into contempt or dispute”
Which of the 4 laws was the most Unconstitutional?
Sedition Act
Citizens said it violated freedom of speech
What does Sedition mean?
In general, it means inciting others to resist or rebel against lawful authority
Did the Alien and Sedition Acts end?
Alien Enemies Act- never ended
Alien Friends Act- expired in 1800
Sedition Act- expires in 1801
Did Madison and Jefferson like these Acts?
They did not
Passed Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
What was the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions?
Claimed that the Alien and Sedition Acts could not be put into action because they were in violation of the Constitution
