Sedition Act Discussion
Less than a decade after the Bill of Rights was passed and freedom
of speech and of the press was guaranteed, Congress passed a series of laws
that severely limited that right. During a stressful time of a quasi-war with
France and the birth of the two-party system, the party in power (the
Federalists) created the Alien and Sedition acts to limit the political power
of their rival (the Democratic-Republicans). To do this, the Federalists
toughened the naturalization requirements, gave power to deport enemy
immigrants, and made it illegal to write, print, utter or publish anything that
was false, scandalous, and malicious against the government.
Read theSedition
Act portion
of the Alien and Sedition Acts, which is formally titled An Act in Addition to
the Act, Entitled “An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the
United States.” Linkhttp://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=16&page=transcript#no-3
Did the Alien and Sedition Acts cause a greater divide between the
political Parties? Explain. Is the limitation of the freedoms protected in the
Bill of Rights ever justified for any reason? Why or Why not?
