Compare And Contrast The Alien And Sedition Acts

In the year 1798, President Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, as rumors of a French invasion and enemy spies frightened many Americans. In paranoia, Adams approved of the acts, which increased the residency requirement for American citizenship that were not free white men of good character. They authorized the president to imprison or deport aliens considered dangerous, and restricted speech opposing the government. On the contrary, Thomas Jefferson, strongly believed in the rights of Americans, so he argued that these acts were an abuse of presidential powers and free speech. Compared to Adams, Jefferson held a stronger position in opposing the Alien and Sedition Acts because the acts granted the president tyrannical power that restricted the activities of foreigners in the country and limited freedom of speech and of the press.

In the Virginia Resolution, written on December 24, 1798, legislator James Madison opposed the acts, as Congress was exercising “a power not delegated by the Constitution,” and in actuality, Congress acted in an “expressly and positively forbidden” manner against the amendments by approving of the Alien and Sedition Acts. The power given to the president should have been a “universal alarm” to Americans because it “leveled against [the] right (...) of free communication among the people,” (Madison). Madison depicted that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional because it gave Congress, specifically the president, too much control of people’s liberties, that was not condoned in the Constitution. He argued that the acts did not protect people’s