Summary Of The Sedition Act Violates The Bill Of Rights
The article The Sedition Act Violates the Bill of Rights ,which is written by George Hay a Virginian politician, is a con written article about the Sedition Act. This article states that the Sedition Act is against the Constitution which is true (Dudley 84). Hay’s opposer, Chauncey Goodrich, authored an article called The Sedition Act Does Not Violate the Bill of Rights stating a pro position on the Sedition Act. His article states that the Sedition Act follows the Constitution which is false (Dudley 86).
George Hay stated in his article The Sedition Act Violates the Bill of Rights “The words, freedom of the press, like most other words, have a meaning, a clear, precise, and definite meaning, which the times require, should be unequivocally
ascertained.” (Dudley 84). The words freedom of the press in the first amendment, specifically states that the press has the freedom to say what they want, unless it is slander of libel. Hay also stated, “The freedom of the press, therefore, means the total exemption of the press from any kind of legislative controul, and consequently the Sedition Bill, which is an act of legislative controul, is an abridgment of its liberty, and expressly forbidden by the constitution.” (Dudley 86).
The legislation does not have the power to control the press rights. Under the Sedition Acts, more power is given the government to control the press than the Bill of Rights legally allows. Chauncey Goodrich, in his pro Sedition Act article, states “...is not an abridgment of the liberty of the press, for it would be a manifest absurdity to say, punishing him for doing that which he never had a liberty to do…” (Dudely 87). The article states that Americans never had the liberty of press even though the first amendment states all Americans do. The Sedition Act clearly violates the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. Because these laws do violate the Constitution, the Supreme Court needs to rule this law unconstitutional and the President should work to have these acts abolished. The people of the United States of America should and do have the right to express what they feel, no matter who is being critiqued. As long as these critiques are not libel or slander, a law should not be able to stop the people from expressing their viewpoints of the government.
George Hay stated in his article The Sedition Act Violates the Bill of Rights “The words, freedom of the press, like most other words, have a meaning, a clear, precise, and definite meaning, which the times require, should be unequivocally
ascertained.” (Dudley 84). The words freedom of the press in the first amendment, specifically states that the press has the freedom to say what they want, unless it is slander of libel. Hay also stated, “The freedom of the press, therefore, means the total exemption of the press from any kind of legislative controul, and consequently the Sedition Bill, which is an act of legislative controul, is an abridgment of its liberty, and expressly forbidden by the constitution.” (Dudley 86).
The legislation does not have the power to control the press rights. Under the Sedition Acts, more power is given the government to control the press than the Bill of Rights legally allows. Chauncey Goodrich, in his pro Sedition Act article, states “...is not an abridgment of the liberty of the press, for it would be a manifest absurdity to say, punishing him for doing that which he never had a liberty to do…” (Dudely 87). The article states that Americans never had the liberty of press even though the first amendment states all Americans do. The Sedition Act clearly violates the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. Because these laws do violate the Constitution, the Supreme Court needs to rule this law unconstitutional and the President should work to have these acts abolished. The people of the United States of America should and do have the right to express what they feel, no matter who is being critiqued. As long as these critiques are not libel or slander, a law should not be able to stop the people from expressing their viewpoints of the government.