Essay On Sedition Act

Sedition Act of 1798 The sedition act of 1798 was a law that consist of people who opposed the government’s policy should be imprisonment and fined. The law was passed by congress and signed by John Adams in 1798, which consists of four series Alien Act, Alien enemies Act, Naturalization Act, and Sedition act. The Sedition act became the biggest reputation to the United States. The constitution ascertained the right to have freedom of speech, but the Sedition Act prosecutes those who voice against the government. The Sedition Act did not want Americans to do any false writing against the federal government. The first Amendments clarifies that congress has no right to make a law that will be established on religion or abridging the freedom

In the first section of the sedition act the American people did not argue much about because it provides protection if people start to revolt with violence against the government. It also states that people who causes violence such as robbery, killing, and a misdemeanor. I agree violence isn’t the answer to protest on a decision the government make, but if there is a decision that doesn’t make sense then people have the right to protest peacefully. I also completely agreed that anyone who does an act of violence to anyone or does disruption should be punish with a fine and be place in an imprisonment. In section two of the sedition act it consists of freedom of press, which has some boundaries. It states that the government has every right to punish anyone who writes any defamatory and libel statements against the government. Mostly likely they would get a fine. I do believe that Americans shouldn’t write any false statements about the government; however I do believe that they have the right to criticize the government. Therefore, I have a strong belief that Americans do write some authentic statements that the government tries to hide from us, but there is some who write libel statement just to get people attention. I absolutely stand by section one in the sedition law it provides protection to America, in which we can live safety. In section I do agreed in some of the allegations,

He states, “The officers of the government would have the right to invade this fortification, and to make prisoners of the garrison, whenever they thought there was a failure in the duty of publishing only the truth, of which failures persons chosen by the government are to judge.” Hay implies that if we let the government silence the publisher’s inaccurate statements, then the government would win authority over every American and it would limit their liberty of the press. He believes that American’s should not fear on making your own opinion because the true ideas could come from it. For me it basically means that the government controls what the publishers write. Hay also states, “the sedition bill, which is an act of legislative control, is an abridgement of its liberty, and expressly forbidden by the constitution.” Hay implies that the sedition bill is taking liberty away from everyone and is being unconstitutional to the constitution. The government does want the American people to express their own thoughts of how the government is being run bad; instead they have to silence themselves, so they won’t have to be sued or imprisonment. It must have been difficult for Americans to speak out how bad the government is doing because if they voice their opinion or give a false statement, then they’ll face the consequence with jail time and a