Comparing The Alien And Sedition Act

In 1798, the Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in hopes of protecting America from being infiltrated by spies. The spies they were most worried about were French spies. The reason Congress worried primarily about the French was because during this time the Federalists dominated Congress. Alexander Hamilton led the Federalists and openly supported the British. These acts left President John Adams with a difficult decision, should he pass acts that violate the constitution or protect the United States from entering a war that it cannot win? The Alien and Sedition Acts included acts that were unconstitutional, but were justifiable due to the state of United States at the time and the position of President Adams. The Naturalization Act, …show more content…
These acts caused major controversy because they directly violated the first amendment’s protection of free speech and the press, or so it seemed. The Federalists argued that freedom of speech and press only protected ideas, “According to English law, freedom of speech and the press only applied before the expression of ideas. The government could not censor or stop someone from expressing ideas. But after the words had been spoken or printed the government could punish people if they had maliciously defamed the king or his government” (“the Alien and Sedition Acts: Defining American Freedom”). This Federalist view was not what the constitution meant about freedom of speech and which was why these acts would expire and not be renewed, “[T]he Sedition Act clearly violated protections under the first amendment of the Constitution…As a result, Madison and Jefferson directed their opposition to the new laws to state legislatures” (U.S. History “The Alien and Sedition Acts”). The Sedition Act created the most controversy because it was unconstitutional, but the passing of the Alien and Sedition Acts at the time can be viewed as