General Background
Both the Alien Act and Sedition Act were signed by President John Adams in 1798. The laws were passed by a Federalist controlled Congress as America prepared for war with France. These laws were created to silence and weaken the Federalist's opposition party, the Democratic-Republican Party. The American public ultimately did not like these laws which helped the Democratic-Republican Party win a victory in the 1800 Presidential election. After the Federalists lost the 1800 election, the laws were repealed or allowed to expire. The controversies surrounding these acts provided for the first testing of the limits of freedom of speech and press.
Alien Act
The Alien Act
The Alien Act was passed in summer of 1798. An alien is a person who belongs to a foreign country. This act infringed upon the traditional American policy of open-door hospitality and speedy assimilation. The act involved a few different aspects, including the Naturalization Act, the Alien Enemies Act, and the Alien Friends Act.
- The Naturalization Act was passed by Congress on June 17, 1798. The act required applicants for citizenship to have declared intention to becoming a citizen 5 years prior to application, and lived in the United States for 14 years when the application was admitted. This act was to be implemented on all new aliens providing they were no longer citizens of any nation at war with the United States.
- The Alien Enemies Act was passed on July 6, 1798 by Congress. The act was applied if the United States was in a declared war with a foreign nation or if the United States experienced an invasion incursion attempt by a foreign nation and it was acknowledged by the President. If one of these actions took place then any male citizens (age 14 and older) of the hostile nation that had not been naturalized were subject to deportation or imprisonment. If these alien enemies were not charged with any violations of public safety, they would be given a certain amount of time to leave America.
- The Alien Friends Act was passed by Congress on June 25, 1798. This act allowed the President at any time to order any alien deemed dangerous to be deported (including those under suspicion for treason or spying). If the alien did not leave the country he could be imprisoned for three years and never be allowed to become an American citizen. The President could also issue a license to an alien granting him temporary residency in the United States. This act also required a declaration from ships entering American ports of any aliens on board the ship.
Sedition Act of 1798
President John Adams (1797-1801)
The Sedition Act was passed by Congress in 1798 while John Adams was President. This act made it a crime for American citizens to print, speak, or publish any false, scandalous, or malicious writing about the U.S. government. There were punishments for citizens who broke the Sedition Act, which could include imprisonment or heavy fines.