Alien and Sedition Acts
During the crisis with the French, the Federalists were able to pass some important legislation through Congress. The Alien and Sedition Acts were the first to be passed in 1798. Under these acts, the president gained the right to imprison or deport citizens of other countries that were residing in the United States. Additionally, anyone in the United States that wrote or said anything that was malicious or considered “scandalous” regarding the United States could be fined or jailed. Although these acts were implemented as a measure to protect the United States and its government, the Federalists who introduced the acts used them to silence the Republicans, since they could no longer criticize the government. As a result of the acts, many Republicans were convicted and some were even tried for their negative fervor against the government.
Once again, Thomas Jefferson voiced his opinion, this time against the Alien and Sedition Acts. It was Jefferson’s opinion that punishment for such behavior should be left to the local or state authorities and not the federal government. Jefferson found support in James Madison, who shared his views regarding the acts. The two joined forces and introduced the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. These two laws, which were adopted by their respective states, stated that the states had the right to judge whether federal laws agreed with the Constitution. Therefore, if a state believed that a law was unconstitutional, it could decide that a law was “null and void” within that state. As a result, neither state enforced the mandated resolutions.