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2003 Dbq Virginia And Kentucky Resolutions

Decent Essays

In 1798, President John Adams passed the Alien and Sedition Acts containing three parts: the Alien, Sedition, and Naturalization Acts. The Alien Act allowed the president to deport any immigrant that he found dangerous to the nation; the Sedition Act made it a crime to criticize the government; and the Naturalization Act lengthened the citizenship process. These acts were repealed by 1802 due to their negative impacts and influences on society. The Alien and Sedition Acts left an impact on the nation through the deprivation of American rights—such as the first amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of press— leading to protests that rocked the nation. These policies created a gap between the government and the people, destroying …show more content…

The Alien and Sedition Acts gave more power to the central government so the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were made to give more power to the state government. Frank Anderson, a historian, states, “the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, whatever their whole purpose, were designed primarily as a protest against the infringement of this principle by the recently enacted Alien and Sedition Acts” (Anderson 1). The Resolutions demonstrate how there is a battle in the nation itself, sparked by the Alien and Sedition Acts. Due to the acts, the nation was divided into two parts and division in the nation means division amongst the people. The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions allowed states to pick and choose which federal laws they want to follow. Therefore, in a sense, the nation was not united and if there is conflict in the nation, there will be chaos. Anderson continued writing, “We are warranted, therefore, in concluding that the idea of the remedy which the resolutions put forward originated with their ideas, and in belief with Jefferson...and the ideas of Thomas Jefferson” (Anderson 46). The Alien and Sedition Acts forced citizens to take action as people, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, protested, having known that it would lead to controversy, demonstrating the troubles caused by the Alien and Sedition Acts. Protests cause disorder in the nation and from that disorder, the nation will not in order. As the act led the nation to protest, the nation saw a constant fall in the American

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