Alien And Sedition DBQ

The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress in 1798 before America prepared for war against France. The acts increased the amount of time from 5 years to 14 years of living in America to become a citizen of the U.S. It forced the president to imprison or deport illegal aliens because of dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States” and restricted the freedom of speech against the government. These laws were passed to weaken the Democratic-Republican Party. Negative reaction happened when the people of the United States did not agree with these acts, which helped the Democratic-Republican Party win the 1800 presidential election. Only one act was repealed (The Naturalization Act) in 1802, all the rest were allowed to expire. These acts differ from the others in that the Alien and Sedition acts were really used to get people out of the country and keep them out, instead of keeping the people safe. I think the idea of these acts were reasonable in the aspect of all the illegal immigrants coming into the nation at the time. I do not agree with the

strict codes that went along with them like changing the residency to become a us citizen from five to fouteen years, that is just plain out dumb.
The Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917-18 were used to make a national loyalty to America and its allies.

The acts made it illegal to “ disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” about the Constitution, the government, the American Uniform, or the flag. Over the course of the acts reign, it prosecuted over 2,100 people. These acts compared to the others took away the freedom of speech that americans deserve. The government really took control of what the people could say or do with these acts unlike the other acts that were looking out for the American people. I agree with the government trying to build support for WW1, but I really hate that they took the freedom of speech away from the people to say what they want about the government or war. I feel that even in times of great sorrow, the American people should still be given all their rights no matter the

circumstance.
The Patriot Act of 2001 after the 9/11 attacks were put in place to make the United States a more secure and safe place against terrorism. The patriot act allowed investigators to organize crime scenes with the latest technology including cameras to supervise public places and prevent future attacks from happening. The patriot act also allowed facilitation between government agencies to share information so they can better connect the dots. It also updated the law to reflect new technologies and new threats. and lastly increased the penalties for those who do commit terrorist crimes. Out of the three acts, the Patriot Act is the most concerned about the safety of the United States citizens. It all is put into place to prevent any further attacks and keep all the people safe. I think after the 9/11 attacks this is the best thing the government could do. Since the Patriot Act came into place the terrorist crime level has gone significantly down. With minor attacks here and there, the precaution and safety of the United States has got better and better.