Why Did The Federalists Believe That The Sedition Act Was Necessary?

Madison saw this as being treasonous and tried to have it repealed, but he was facing George Washington, who was the most respected person in the US at the time. Finally in the Sedition Act which was signed in by President John Adams, it was aimed at silencing editors who openly talked bad about the government. It was greatly opposed by most Republicans and greatly supported by Federalists. Later, as it was put into motion it actually backfired, with many immigrants and former Federalists defecting to the Republicans. All these things were issues that were debated by the founding brothers, but their voices are what also made them significant.

It was entirely necessary for Lincoln to limit the rights of individuals. Northerners who sympathized with the South, also called “Copperheads”, openly attacked President Lincoln and the draft in newspapers, magazines, and their words. They often shipped goods to the South. Their actions may have posed a threat to the Union and could have lead to the loss of Border States. To prevent this, Lincoln arranged for “supervised” voting, and rightfully suspended Habeas Corpus and free speech. Those who threatened the North by outwardly speaking against the Union could be jailed immediately.

Sewall and Adams were able to vividly describe images, in order to create a picture in the minds’ of the readers. Sewall used dramatic words to describe his feelings such as, “It is in vain to think any longer of drawing them-to such a pitch is the Frenzy now raised, that the Colonists will never yield Obedience to the Laws of the parent State, till, by Experience, they are taught to fear her power.” Adams also used his diction to his advantage when defending his position. “But it is honestly confessed, rather than become subject to the absolute authority of parliament, in all cases of taxation and internal polity, they will be driven to throw off that of regulating trade.” By using words like these, both Sewall and Adams, were able to express their ideas more effectively to their intended audience.

The Father of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, a man who is recognized as the penman of the revolution and has had his name tarnished by the modern populace as being nothing more than a tempestuous hypocrite; a man who relentlessly advocates liberty, yet he also had ownership of a private plantation harboring an approximate 170 enslaved laborers. Within the essay Thomas Jefferson and the Meanings of Liberty, Professor Douglas L. Wilson of Knox College drives a compelling argument that sheds a newly found light on the seemingly convoluted actions of our notorious founding father. Professor Wilson indulges the reader in topics related to Jefferson’s infamy at a personal, empathetic level, and he makes it point not to apply a biased reasoning based upon ethics later to the era.

Signed into law by President John Adams in 1798, the Alien and Sedition Acts consisted of four laws passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress as America prepared for war with France. These acts increased the residency requirement for American citizenship from five to fourteen years, authorized the president to imprison or deport aliens considered "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States" and restricted speech critical of the government. These laws were designed to silence and weaken the Democratic-Republican Party. Negative reaction to the Alien and Sedition Acts helped contribute to the Democratic-Republican victory in the 1800 elections. Congress repealed the Naturalization Act in 1802, while the other acts were allowed to expire.

John Adam’s greatest presidential accomplishment or success was his dealings with France in 1798. This incident is better known as the infamous “Quasi-War”. The Quasi War was a dispute between the United States and France mainly fought over sea with each countries navies. It started with the United States refusing to continue to repay the money that was owed to from a loan from France to help them in war. The United States refused to pay because the money owed to the previous government, as similar to the US. France had, had its own revolutionary wars and overthrew the old monarchy ending in 1799. Since France had a new government, the United States felt no need to pay off old debt to the French First Republic. Now the French were not happy about this, so they started to attack American trade ships, which is called impressment. This was a way to help aid in their war with Britain. With the France navy oppressed so many of the US’s trade ships, this could have easily led to open war between to the two

The Americans have known the "Bribery" that the XYZ agents have brought, and they reacted to the XYZ with a shock and anger. Realized that President Adams was too weak politically and could not suited for the President job; The Republican newspaper heaped abuse on Adams as " a person without patriotism, without philosophy, and a mock monarch". With the temper so dangerously high and fears that political dissent was perhaps akin to treason, the Federalist leader moved to muffle the opposition. In mid 1798, Congress hammered out the Sedition Act; the Sedition Act made conspiracy and revolt are illegal, however, the Sedition Act also prohibited the right to speak or writing anything that defamed the president or Congress which is considered the citizen as

The constitution laid the groundwork for America's citizens giving essential rights to everyone. That would have been the ideal America; Humans are flawed and there of course has to be some form of disagreement. Throughout America's existence there have been arguments, public unrest, deadly altercations and disagreements when it comes to people's rights. An instance of this can be shown through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign. He dreamed of abolishing the mentality of the south not allowing blacks to vote. Dr. King also wanted to unite people not matter their skin color. Dr. King was another activist who contributed to the Civil Rights Act being passed. Due to Dr. King's acts the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was established to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment (1870) to the Constitution of the United States.

This is evidenced by the creation of the final act in the Alien and Sedition Acts, which states that the publication of anything that makes the American government look bad is punishable by fine or prison time. This once again shows American Exceptionalism in that the US government wanted everyone to believe that they were the perfect form of government. This act angered many people because they viewed this as unconstitutional because it violated the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Edward Livingston, a congressman from New York said, “...by this act… the president alone is empowered to make the law, to fix in his mind what acts, what words, what thoughts or looks, shall constitute the crime contemplated by the bill…” (Document Q). These people thought it best that the federal government’s powers were more limited because they feared that the federal government would become too powerful and tyrannical, or even worse, revert back to a monarchy. They were further angered by the fact that they were not allowed to print anything that stated their opinion, but those with the opposite opinion could. One example of this is the propaganda that is seen in Document M. This is a political cartoon that shows the occurrences of the XYZ affair. The cartoon is used to portray France as corrupt and show that America is better than all other countries, and is an example of the US federal government having too much power because they are, in a way, able to influence the minds of the people by controlling what they read. Other people however, argued that the Sedition Act is not unconstitutional at all and is merely a reiteration of what has already been stated. John Allen, Federalist congressman from Connecticut wrote, “The freedom of the press and opinions was never understood to give the right of publishing falsehoods and slanders, nor of

In 1917 was the point in history where Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment to amend the Constitution which stated that it prohibited the export, import, manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States. This law sparked rebellion in American citizens across the nation; many people thought this law violated their right to live by their own standards. The implementation of the 18th amendment created a large number of bootleggers who were able to supply the public with illegal alcohol. Many of these bootleggers became very rich and influential through selling alcohol, gambling and using other methods. The prohibition era allowed for organized crime to flourish and these practices are still used today.

9. On what constitutional interpretation was the concept of secession based? What was the reaction of the United States government to the southern states that seceded first?

Most Americans feared the government gaining too much power, so they were reluctant to give this power to the Congress. Delegate Joseph Jones of Virginia, in his letter to Washington, points out this major issue as he describes the colonists’ in the Continental Army’s belief that “justice is not intended to be done to them” (Doc C). This shows that with the growth of the Congress’ inability to cater to the demands of the people will come the unfavorable uprising of the public. Also, a government is believed to be acting with injustice towards its subjects, conflict is inevitable. The affairs of the Continental Congress not only became an issue amongst the citizens, but also alarmed the members of the Congress itself.

The Democratic-Republicans still believed that the United States should ally itself with France Because of past conflicts and the XYZ Affair. Federalists in Congress attacked the Democratic-Republicans and said they were traitors. The Federalist-controlled Congress made a law, the Alien and Sedition Acts, These acts limited the rights of immigrants and forbade public criticism of the government. Federalists said that the acts were

During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency between 1801 and 1809, Jeffersonians succeeded in achieving many of their goals, even doing so responsibly and moderately. However, Jefferson’s presidency was plagued with national struggles.

Madison and Jefferson then seized on widespread public sympathy for France's expansive, revolutionary exploits to promote republican sentiment in the United States. Madison bitterly opposed Jay's Treaty, feeling that it made the United States dependent on England and in fact tied America to the corrupt power-politics diplomacy of the Old World. With the final ratification of Jay's Treaty, Madison felt that a commercial junta that cared very little for the republican character of the nation had gained control. The war-like attitude toward France of President John Adams,' administration alarmed Madison. The XYZ AFFAIR brought the United States and France close to war. During the continiuous turmoil in the United States, the