The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed on July 14, 1798 under the administration of President John Adams. They were supposed to protect the United States from "dangerous" aliens, but were used by the Federalists in an attempt to stop the growth of the Democratic-Republican Party. July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was the first (1789–1797) Vice President of the United States, and the second (1797–1801) President of the United States. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Democratic-Republican party was the first United States political party, which evolved early in the history of the United States. ...

There were actually four separate laws making up what is commonly referred to as the "Alien and Sedition Acts":

1. The Alien Enemies Act authorized the president to imprison or deport any alien associated with any nation that the United States was fighting in a "declared war."
2. The Alien Act authorized the president to deport any alien considered dangerous, even in peacetime.
3. The Naturalization Act extended the duration of residence required for aliens to become citizens, nearly tripling it from five years to 14.
4. The Sedition Act made it a crime to publish "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" against government or government officials.

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison opposed the Acts, and drafted the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in protest. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was the third (1801–1809) President of the United States and an American statesman, ambassador to France, political philosopher, revolutionary, agriculturalist, horticulturist, land owner, architect, archaeologist, slaveowner, author, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia. ... James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was the fourth (1809–1817) President of the United States. ... The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, also known as the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves, were passed in opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts. ...

Though the Acts were ostensibly written for security purposes, they were in reality a tool of the ruling Federalist party. Because most immigrants became Democratic-Republicans, the Naturalization Act's longer residency requirement meant that fewer of them could become citizens and vote against the Federalists. And if, under the Alien and Alien Enemies Acts, the president could deport any "dangerous" or "enemy" alien, potential Democratic-Republicans would never have the opportunity to vote against any Federalist.

Under the Sedition Act, anyone "opposing or resisting any law of the United States, or any act of the President of the United States" could be imprisoned for up to two years. It was also illegal to "write, print, utter, or publish" anything that criticized the president or Congress. (It was notable that the Act did not prohibit criticism of the Vice-president. Jefferson held the office of Vice-president at the time the Act was passed.) The Sedition Act, however, was (and generally still is) looked at as a direct violation of the First Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights, which granted the right of free speech. Although the Federalists hoped the Act would muffle the opposition, Democratic-Republicans still "wrote, printed, uttered and published" their criticisms of the Federalists. Indeed they strongly criticised the act itself, and used it as an election issue. The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... United States Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution. ... Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ...

Ultimately the Acts backfired against the Federalists; President Adams himself never supported or used them. Only one alien was actually deported, and only ten people were ever convicted of sedition. The Acts were all repealed or expired by 1802, and ultimately contributed to the Federalists' loss in the election of 1800. 1802 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

Although the Supreme Court never ruled on the validity of any of the Alien and Sedition acts, subsequent mentions of the Sedition Act in particular in Supreme Court opinions have assumed that it was unconstitutional. For example in the seminal Free Speech case of New York Times v. Sullivan, the Court declared, "Although the Sedition Act was never tested in this Court, the attack upon its validity has carried the day in the court of history." 376 U.S. 254, 276 (1964). Seal of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest federal court in the United States of America. ... Holding The First Amendment, as applied through the Fourteenth, protected a newspaper from being sued for libel in state court for making false defamatory statements about the official conduct of a public official, because the statements were not made with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth. ...

Later similar laws

Parallels to the "alien enemies" act can be seen in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the ongoing dispute about the president's power to designate and imprison detainees and "unlawful combatants." The Japanese American internment refers to the exclusion and subsequent removal of approximately 112,000 to 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans, officially described as persons of Japanese ancestry, 62 percent of whom were United States citizens, from the west coast of the United States during World War II to... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Camp Delta. ... Unlawful combatant (also illegal combatant or unprivileged combatant) describes a person who engages in combat without fulfilling the conditions that confer lawful combatant status according to the laws of war. ...

A parallel to the Sedition Act of 1798 was the Sedition Act of 1918. However the 1918 Act is far more narrowly drawn, criminalizing seditious acts only during wartime, and only within the scope of military operations. The Sedition Act of 1918 was an amendment to the Espionage Act of 1917. ...

See also

• Alien Act of 1705 in England
• Alien Registration Act of 1940
• Sedition Act (disambiguation)
• Patriot Act

For the US Alien Act of 1798, see Alien and Sedition Acts. ... Events Construction begins on Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act (18 USC 2385) of 1940 made it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Sedition Act has been the name of three laws passed by the United States Congress: The Sedition Act of 1918 The Sedition Act of 1798 The Sedition Act of 1861 This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

References

• American Aurora: A Democratic-Republican Returns: The Suppressed History of Our Nation's Beginnings and the Heroic Newspaper That Tried to Report It by Richard N. Rosenfeld (St. Martin's Press) 1997
• Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from The Sedition Act of 1798 to The War on Terrorism by Geoffrey R. Stone (W. W. Norton & Company) 2004
• Grand Inquests: The historic Impeachments of Justice Samual Chase and President Andrew Johnson by William H. Rehnquist (Morrow 1992) (ISBN 0688171710) Chase was impeached largely for his conduct of a trial under the Sedition act.

William H. Rehnquist has served as the Chief Justice of the United States since 1986. ...

External link

• Alien and Sedition Acts and related resources at the Library of Congress
• Full text of Alien and Sedition Acts