Preview

The Sedition Act Of 1798

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
336 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Sedition Act Of 1798
The Sedition Act of 1798 violates the United States Constitutional Amendments. Although this is a major controversy, this law quietly falls into a gray area when in contrast with these Amendments. Regarding the scenario of “The Home Front in the Quasi-War”, Thomas Jefferson and his devotees were inessentially referred to as the “French Party” by Congress. It seems that the United States Congress acts as if they have manipulative control over the Constitutional Laws and violating any of them can be carried forth unless publicly contested. These acts of Congress would then amend and reform the definition of a Republican.
The Sedition Act of 1798, being a Federal Act directly violates the 1st and 10th Constitutional Amendment. The Freedom of Speech and the Freedom of Expression along with the enlisted power for individual States and its people for executing federal laws must lie first and foremost. Carrying out the violations of the Sedation Act by Congress did go without resistance or recognition, most likely due solely to Federalists’ purposeful neglect and overlooking. Writers and journalists from which whom wrote of and spoke of their opinion were rashly prosecuted, even if some cases were of a very innocuous matter.
James Madison and Thomas Jefferson rallied against the Sedition Act stating that it was a direct violation of the United States Bill of Rights. Under the first Congressional Amendment, the Freedom of Speech and the Freedom of Expression would naturally impede the Sedition Act of 1798. In order for the United States Congress to actually enforce the Sedition Act on a person deemed criminal, the First Amendment will then be violated with the succession of the Tenth Amendment. To solidify the breaching of the Tenth Amendment, Congress would then not grant power to the State and its citizens of which can, by law of the Constitution, is able to overturn a Federal ruling. The Sedition Act is unconstitutional, although it appears there is mild disparity by

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    To add to this, the suspension of Habeas Corpus in 1817 meant that radicals could be charged without trial, and this successfully led to the radical voice being silenced. The radicals couldn’t complain because the government would simply arrest…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rituals and Festivals DBQ

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages

    • Sedition Act – 1798 law that allowed the prosecution of critics of the government.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jefferson vs Hamilton Dbq

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages

    null and void.(Doc H) In response to the resolutions Rhode Island, along with several other Federalist states, declared it was unconstitutional to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts as doing so would blend legislative and judicial powers.(Doc I) Once elected president, Jefferson repealed these acts and even stated in his Inaugural Address that strangers unused to writing or speaking freely could do so now.(Doc…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Election of 1800 or “The Bloodless Revolution” marked a watershed in U.S. history. This non-violent transfer of power from the Federalists to President Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican party signified a fundamental change in U.S. politics. In the beginning of his first term as president, Jefferson made it clear that he would do anything to uphold the Republican principles he held dear in his heart. Jefferson believed that the preservation of the Constitution was essential if Americans wanted to live in a “harmonious and solid country.” Unlike the…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The two political parties of Federalists and Republicans differed to a great extent and centered on domestic and foreign policy differences, reached their highest point of disagreement upon the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1978, in purpose that one party would remain in control by limiting the power and growth of the other party (Doc S). Under the threat of war with France, Congress in 1798 passed four laws in an effort to strengthen the Federal government, known as the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. These acts did not permit anyone to criticize the government at all, through writing, or any other shape, form, or fashion as if their views on government did not matter at all (Doc B). Many people wished that acts would be executed for they knew that it would divide the nation that was trying to become one (Doc O). It also extended the time to become an American citizen, since the Federalists believed that…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A violation of the United States Constitution could seem like something horrible for both the country and its citizens. Considering the violation was within 15 years of the constitution's creation date, you could tell the government wasn’t strong from when they branched off from England. The constitution was created for the citizens of the United States so they had basic laws to follow and they had special rights. When the Sedition Act was created in 1798 it created anger among the citizens because it stripped them of one of their rights stated in the constitution, freedom of speech. Political figures such as John Adams pushed for this act to be passed because many newspapers and articles had the rights…

    • 1654 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (or Resolves) were important political statements in favor of states' rights written secretly by Vice President Thomas Jefferson (who would later become president) and James Madison in 1798. They were passed by the two states in opposition to the federal Alien and Sedition Acts. Though often mentioned as a pair in modern historical discussions, they were actually two separate documents. The Kentucky Resolutions were written by Jefferson and passed by the state legislature on November 16, 1798, with one more being passed the following year on December 3, 1799. The Virginia Resolutions were written by Madison and passed by the state legislature on December 24, 1798. Jefferson and Madison collaborated on the writing of the two documents, but their authorship was not known for many years. The resolutions attacked the Sedition Acts, which extended the powers of the federal government over individuals inside the states. The resolutions declared that the Constitution was a "compact." That is, it was an agreement among the states. The federal government had no right to exercise powers not specifically delegated to it; should the federal government assume such powers, its acts under them would be void. Thus it was the right of the states to decide as to the constitutionality of such laws passed by…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Citizens of the United States were found to be divided into two separate political groups during the ratification of the United States Constitution. The first group, the Federalist Party, having a nationalistic view, favored a strong central government, restricting powers of the states. However, the Republican Party believed that the power of the national government should be limited and the states be given additional power. Many different issues occurred between the two parties, however the debate on the first national bank, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798, establish why the republican party adopted these views on the government. The republican party felt that definite rights should be reserved by…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States of America and France’s alliance had badly deteriorated after the French Revolution came to a completion in the late 1790s. In fear of a war with France and political turmoil surfacing in America, the Federal Congress passed four laws in 1798, signed by President John Adams, that came to be known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. These laws became a source of bitter controversy across the country, causing many to be furious and claim that the acts violated their personal liberties such as the right to free speech. Others, however, sought to defend the decrees and prove that they were constitutional, affecting only foreigners and those who were conspiring against the government. President Adams’s secretary of state, Timothy Pickering, argued that the laws would not have an effect on American citizens, so there was no need for concern (as stated in Timothy Pickering Upholds the Representative Laws.) James Madison, who would later become the fourth president of the United States, drafted The Virginia Legislative Protests in 1798, which declared that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional and would be abolished.…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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).…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamilton Implied Powers

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In 1798 the government put into practice the policy of implied powers with the Sedition Act. " That if any person shall write, print, utter... scandalous writing against the government of the United States... then by such a person, being therefore convicted... shall be punished by a fine...and imprisonment..." (G). The Sedition Act restricted the people and it showed that the policy of implied powers of the government could be taken too…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alien and Sedition Act of 1789 were to overall not allow people to criticize the government in the press. Many of the judges and Supreme Court was filled with a majority of Federalist, so usually it was a bias vote when it came to decisions. The Democratic-Republicans often known as the democratic Jeffersonians were not supportive of the Alien and Sedition Act and believed it was unconstitutional. Yet with the Federalist in control the minds of the Jeffersonians were pushed aside. The Federalist Party was slowly but surely taking over and while many converted to the Democratic- Republicans after this act they had good support. It seemed that…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the late 18th century, political and social disagreements between the American colonies and Britain led to the most significant event in American History, the American Revolution. The American Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 to 1783. It is the reason as to why we became the United States. The original thirteen colonies did not agree with the Parliament of Great Britain governing them without representation so they rejected and expelled royal officials and Provincial Congress. Two major political parties formed the Federalists and the Republicans. These two parties were always at great competition with each other to gain public popularity. At the same time tension started between the United States and France and an undeclared war was ensuing with France. These were the two causes that led to the administration of John Adams passing out the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1978. There were four acts in total, the first three were regarding the rights of immigrant. The Sedition Act however, was perhaps the most controversial. It was deemed unconstitutional because it violated the right of speech and allowed the prosecution of anyone who voiced or printed their opinions if it went against the government or the president of the United States. In response to the Sedition Act Thomas Jefferson drafted the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 and James Madison drafted the Virginia Resolutions of 1798 with the help of Thomas Jefferson.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    They countered it by adopting a narrow definition of the freedoms, drawn from English law. Here, the freedoms only existed prior to expression of an idea (Neuman 52). After one had spoken words or published information, people could however still be punished by government if proven to have defamed the government or king. Proponents argued that speech could naturally qualify to be seditious irrespective of the amount of sincerity or truth in it. Limitation of speech could also be justified basing on the priorities of the government at the time. For instance, according to the sedition act, there has to be a scandalous, false, or malicious element in the writing or speech.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 13th Amendment

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The 13th Amendment, passed by Congress January 31, 1865, and ratified December 6, 1865, states: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The passing of this amendment freed slaves and made it illegal to have slaves, but the 13th Amendment did not give African-Americans the equal rights that they longed for. Consequently, slavery was a major setback for African-Americans leaving them deprived of education, which in the long run made it difficult for African-Americans to obtain any type of power in the United States. This shortfall of education hindered African-Americans from…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays