Alien And Sedition Dbq

THE FEDERALITSTS ARE TAKING OVER: WHAT DO WE DO?

Katherine Scrofano
U.S History 1301
October 30 2017

The Kentucky resolutions were significant documents during the 18th century in response to the Alien and Sedition acts originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Their Purpose was to expose the Alien and sedition acts as unconstitutional. I agree with Thomas Jefferson that the Acts were unconstitutional because the acts are taking away certain individual rights given to the people as addressed in the constitution. As well as, any power not given specifically to the US government remains with the states and the people within those states.
The central idea that came into play during this time period was nullification. Nullification is the act of cancelling something, or to nullify it. Nullification was used in many instances during the 16th and 17th century as a way out of laws and regulations the government may pass that

are unconstitutional. For example, the government was given a set of rules of what they can and cannot do. If the government were to ever go out of bounds, or break a rule in anyway, the people and states have the right to call that law null and void. This concept was to keep the government from becoming an absolutist governing body.
The Kentucky and Virginia resolutions were a series of resolutions drafted by Thomas Jefferson in response to the Alien and Sedition acts of 1798.

The Alien and Sedition acts were a series of documents passed in preparation of war with the French. The Acts stated 2 main points: Firstly, the Sedition Act focused mainly on the idea that that any person or group that used ill language and speaking in regards to the actions of the government was illegal and the individual(s) are subject to punishment by the government. In addition the Alien Act addressed the presence of immigrants in America in response to the Republican Party. Basically, the act stated that the government had the power to deport immigrants to leave the country regardless of citizenship as well as make it increasingly difficult for these people to have a say in political affairs. For example, the act made it extremely difficult for people from other countries to vote. Both acts were extremely controversial to both the people and elected officials such as Thomas

Jefferson.
I agree with Thomas Jefferson because the Alien and Sedition acts were unconstitutional because they took away the peoples unalienable rights as well as it gives the federal government too much power. According to the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 by Thomas Jefferson, he writes to remind the people of who has the power ultimately in the government based on democracy: the people. According to the constitution, the people did not give the government unlimited powers. I agree with Jefferson because the alien and sedition acts give the government abilities to not only turn away citizens, but also to control what they do and say regarding the government. I do not believe that this is constitutional because it violates not only the first but also the tenth amendment that America was based upon from the beginning. The first amendment states that congress should respect an individual’s choices in religion, speech and press. This includes the ability to speak your mind about the government without fear of punishment. The alien and sedition acts also violate the 10th amendment- for all states to be given the final say about anything outside of the strict rules that the government is allowed to do. For a country that was built on the idea of freedom, the acts that were about to be passed don’t sound so free to me. Jefferson was right to step in and retain America’s principles with the Kentucky Resolutions.
To Reiterate, the Alien and Sedition acts were unconstitutional because they gave the government too much power and limited the freedoms of the people. The Kentucky Resolutions basically saved America from becoming a country where the government is the all holy ruling body like so many other countries before it. Without Thomas Jefferson reminding the people of their power, the people might have lost sight on what America was based on and life could be very different today.