One of the first controversial laws passed by Congress during the administration of President John Adams, the Alien and Sedition Act, was influenced by domestic conflict and escalating international issues with Britain and France. What were the Alien and Sedition Acts and what did they do? Why were they so controversial? Finally, what was their lasting influence and its significance?
Alien and Sedition Act Summary
In 1796, John Adams was the Federalists' (political party) nomination for President, running against Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republicans. These factions and political parties had formed during Washington's administration. The Federalists moved to create policies that would fortify a strong central government, while the Democratic-Republicans championed a system that delegated more power to the States. Adams wins the election by a narrow margin.
The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798: Intended to suppress dissent. Three of the four acts targeted immigrants. The Naturalization Act: Lengthened the residency period required for five to fourteen years of citizenship. The Alien Enemies Act: Provided for the detention of enemy aliens in times of war. The Alien Friends Act: Only to be in effect for two years, gave the President almost unlimited authority to deport any alien they deemed dangerous to national security. The Sedition Act prohibited the publication of insults or malicious attacks on the President or members of Congress.
Why was the Alien and Sedition Act passed? The XYZ Affair
President John Adams, who signed the Alien and Sedition Acts into law.
As John Adams' administration began, he adopted the beginnings of an international crisis. In 1794, during the presidency of George Washington, John Jay was sent to negotiate with Britain better trade terms than those established in the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The Jay Treaty of 1794 improved America's relationship with England, but it provoked retaliation from France- a key ally during the Revolutionary War and a strong trade partner. Angry at the United States, France ordered vessels to seize American ships carrying British goods.
In response, Adams appointed three special commissioners to settle with France. At the same time, Congress authorized funds to build new warships and stockpile weapons and ammunition. For months, the American commissioners sought to open negotiations with the French, but the French delegation demanded a bribe before the talks would begin. President Adams told Congress of the failure to negotiate and recommended defense appropriations.
Convinced that Adams deliberately sabotaged the negotiations, congressional Republicans insisted that dispatches be turned over to Congress. Aware that releasing these reports would work to his advantage, Adams compiled, withholding the names of the French Agents, referring to them as "X, Y, and Z." The revelation that America had been treated with utter contempt by the French government stimulated a wave of anti-French sentiment in the United States.
Calls for war circulated. Congress formally nullified the 1778 Treaty with France and authorized American warships to seize French vessels. The Republicans who opposed the war and sympathized with France could do little to stem the tide.
The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798
An image of the Alien and Sedition Acts from the U.S. Archives. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
The Federalists saw this political climate as an opportunity to deal a blow to their Republican opponents. In 1798, the Federalist-controlled Congress passed four laws known as the Alien and Sedition Acts.
What did the Alien and Sedition Act do?
Three of the Acts targeted immigrants, who Federalists felt held Republican sympathies.
- The Naturalization Act: Lengthened the residency period required for five to fourteen years of citizenship.
- The Alien Enemies Act: Provided for the imprisonment of enemy aliens in times of war.
- The Alien Friends Act: Only to be in effect for two years, gave the President almost unlimited authority to deport any alien they deemed dangerous to national security.
Adams never used the Alien Friends Act, and the Alien Enemies Act was never used as the war was not officially declared.
The fourth law, the Sedition Act, prohibited the publication of insults or malicious attacks on the President or members of Congress.
Alien and Sedition Act Significance
The immediate impact of the Alien and Sedition Acts was a political one. Federalists split over the course of action the United States would take toward France, starting a quasi-war over merchant trading. Hamilton and his supporters still called for a declaration legitimizing the undeclared naval war the two nations had waged for months. Even though Adams successfully negotiated a peaceful end to the conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte after he seized power in France, the negotiations were not known in the U.S. until after the election of 1800.
Why was the Alien and Sedition Act controversial?
This split in the Federalist party weakened their hopes of keeping the presidency, especially as Republicans entered the race of 1800 firmly united behind Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr as candidates. A split ticket was with Jefferson and Burr receiving 73 electoral votes each, Adams receiving 65, Charles Pinckney receiving 64, and John Jay receiving 1, sending the election to the House of Representatives. Though Jefferson would eventually be elected the third president, the Federalists lost their political battle due to the fallout of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The electoral map of the Presidential Election of 1800 that was divided over the reaction to the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The long-term influence of the Alien and Sedition Acts is solidifying the political party system in the United States. First, the two emerging parties, the Democratic-Republicans, and the Federalists were only fledgling factions in 1796 that had festered during Washington's administration. The divisiveness of the Alien and Sedition Acts forced many Americans to choose a side, fortifying the effect of political party activism. In addition, the creation of these solid political parties because of the Alien and Sedition Acts also led to the successful non-violent transition of power between two different ideologies in the aftermath of the election of 1800.
Alien and Sedition Act - Key takeaways
- One of the first controversial laws passed by Congress during the administration of President John Adams, the Alien, and Sedition Act, was influenced by domestic conflict and escalating international issues with Britain and France.
- As John Adams' administration began, he adopted the beginnings of an international crisis with France, who began seizing American merchant vessels.
- The two political factions at the time, the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists differed on how to approach the issue with France.
- The Federalists saw this political climate as an opportunity to deal a blow to their Republican opponents. In 1798, the Federalist-controlled Congress passed four laws known as the Alien and Sedition Acts
- The immediate impact of the Alien and Sedition Acts was a political one. Federalists split over the course of action the United States would take toward France, splitting the ticket for the presidential election of 1800 and losing the election for the presidency to Thomas Jefferson of the Republicans.
- The long-term influence of the Alien and Sedition Acts is solidifying the political party system in the United States.
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