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The Pros And Cons Of The Sedition Act

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Today you can voice your opinion and write what you believe. However there once was a law in place that went against that freedom. It was called the Sedition Act, it went against the first amendment of the United States constitution, and it turned the political parties against each other. It caused many people to become angry because their freedom to talk and express their opinion had be taken away. The reason I request for its repel is because it was a violation of the first amendment, turned political parties against each other, and because the only reason the Sedition Act was made was because of the president’s wife.
First of all the sedition act was a direct violation of the first amendment. Many newspapers wrote about what they thought and would get arrested for that. In the Sedition Act it states, “false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the congress of the United States, or President of the United States,” (Adams 1798) this isn’t fair. The first amendment was made to protect you right of the …show more content…

But really the only reason the Sedition Act went through was because of Abigail Adams. She wrote many compliments like, “I wish our legislature would set the example and make a sedition act,” (Adams 1788-1801). She thought it would help the government, and protect them from harsh comments. In the long run it just made things worse and more chaotic. She also wrote, “to punish the stirrup of sedition, the writer and printer of base and unfounded calumny. This would contribute as much to the peace and harmony of our country,” (Adams 1788-1801). She may just seem like she wants to help the country, but she is really breaking the first amendment. She caused a lot of trouble in getting the Sedition Act passed and it really didn’t improve anything in the country. All it did was put innocent people in

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1. Samuel Adams established a committee of correspondence and formed a communication network between Massachusetts towns that stressed colonial rights. The burning of the Gaspée roused other states such as Virginia, Connecticut, South Carolina, and New Hampshire to set up their own committees of correspondence that would communicate with other colonies. 2. The committees sprang into action after the passage of the Tea Act, which relieved the British East India Company of paying taxes on tea it imported to Britain or exported to the colonies.

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Since the Revolution Jefferson and Adams parted ways and became enemies. When Jefferson was President he sent a letter to Abigail Adams in which he forgave Adams for what he had done. Abigail was angered by this and the two sent each other letters back about why the other was wrong. Adams had his own thing going on during this time. He was angry that everyone else was getting more credit than they deserved.

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Andrew Johnson became the President of the United States after the assassination of President Lincoln. Johnson stepped into office after the Civil War, which was a fragile time for the country. As president after the war, it was Johnson’s duty to assist in unifying the southern slave states and the northern rebellious population, as one country. This was a difficult task to complete, especially after the assassination of a former president who really helped in the Civil War and with slavery. Johnson tried to quickly restore the states in the Union, however his actions lead to a presidential impeachment.

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The Sedition Act allowed the US government to give consequences to anyone who goes against the government. Congress did not want any foreigners or citizens to be able to say anything negative

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Simply put, these acts outlawed freedom of speech. Adams effectively propelled America backwards to the days of British subjugation when John Peter Zenger was put on trial for speaking ill of the British government. Adams’s desire to quell

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The Sedition Act states that nobody has the right to stop laws from being created or enforced. They also don’t have the right to try and encourage others to do it, either. It went even further to say that people cannot even say bad things about the government or those in charge of running the government. This was the most extreme example of how political debates affected American development. These Acts were a way for those in power to try to make sure they stayed in

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Congress’s power to limit freedom of speech in any way is not included in the enumerated powers listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution (20-21). The states, if anyone, are the only governments that might posses the power to limit free speech (21). Government officials, however, obviously have no regard for the Constitution or freedom of speech and are acting upon their own desires and values (21). Many examples of freedom of speech infringement are given throughout this book, and the author shows how these kinds of laws are enacted throughout history.

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In conclusion both the Federalist and the Democratic Republicans had strong options about the Alien and Sedition Acts, most of which were different in relation to what was constitutionally right or wrong. John Adams truly tried to do something proper regarding the acts but it sadly backfired when he discovered the citizens of the United States enjoyed their personal freedom. Although I would have managed the Sedition Acts differently I believe this event contributed greatly into the shaping of our government since it was still pretty clear that our Founding Fathers had no idea how to run a nation. This event only lead to the discovery of political parties and the truth about personal opinions regarding the community members of this society.

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The first amendment states that “Congress cannot enact laws limiting ”the freedom of speech or press.”’ (Kentucky Resolutions) Again, in short, this amendment is saying that the federal government is not able to pass a law that takes away someone’s right to speak their opinion. Contrary to this amendment, the Federal government did exactly the opposite of what the amendment said was allowed. The acts, passed by John Adams, take away the human right of speaking what is on the mind and using what they say to show them off as a threat.

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