As the confllict between the Federalists and the Jeffersonian republicans heated up in the late 1790's, and war raged across Europe, the well entrenched Federalists saught ways to blunt their opponents attacks and block their avenues to power. As part of that effort they passed the famous Alien [or Naturalization] and Sedition Acts. Those acts had the following provisions -

[As you read, give some thought to the specific groups that were thretened by this legislation- and the reasons why the Federalists would argue for these steps]

 

NATURALIZATION ACT - JUNE 1798   Be it inacted ...That no alien shall be admitted to become a citizen of the United States, or of any state, unless he shall have declared his intention to become a citizen of the United STates, five years at least, before his admission, and shall, at the time of his application to be admitted, declare and prove, to the satisfaction of the court having jurisdiction in the case, that he has resided within the United States fourteen years.

SEDITION ACT - JULY 1798     Be it inacted that if any persons shall unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government of the United States, which are or shall be directed by proper authority, or to impede the operation of any law of the United States, or to intimidate or prevent any person holding a place or office in or under the government of the United States, from undertaking performing or executing his trust or duty; and if any person or persons, with intent as aforesaid, shall counsel, advise or attempt to procure any insurrection, riot, unlawful assembly, or combination, whether such conspiracy threatening, counsel, advise, or attempt shall have the proposed effect or not, he or they shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and on conviction, before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars and by imprisonment during a term not less than six months nor exceeding five years; and further at the discretion of the court may be holden to sureties for his good behaviors in such sum and for such time, as the said court may direct. That if any person shall write, print, utter, or publish or shall cause or procure to be written, printed, uttered or published, or shall knowingly and willingly assist or aid in writing, printing, uttering or assist or aid in writing printing, uttering or publishing any false, scandalous, and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or President of the United States, with intent of defame the said government, or either houses or to bring them or either of them, into contempt or disrepute, of to excite against them or either of them the hatred of the good people of the Untied States, or to stir up sedition within the United States, or to excite any lawful combinations therein for opposing or resisting any law of the United States or any act of the President of the United States, done in pursuance of any such law, or of the powers in him vested by the constitution of the United States, or to resist, oppose or defeat any such law or act, or to aid encourage or abet any hostile designs of any foreign nation against the United States, their people or government, then such person, being thereof convicted before any court of the Untied States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.

To strike back against the Federalists, the Jeffersonian Republicans went back to their "power base" - the legislatures of some of the southern states - and responded with the following statment of "constitutional principles". It came to be known as the " states rights " doctrine, and it would form the philosophical base for the secessionist movement of the late 1850's, and the anti-integration efforts of southern Senators and Congressmen of the 1950's.... THE KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA RESOLUTIONS - 1798 Resolved that the several states composing the United States of American are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their general government; but that by compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted a general government for special purposes, delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving each state to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self government; and that whensoever the general government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void and of no force. That to this compact each state acceded as a state and is an integral party, its government created by this compact was not made the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself; since that would have made its discretion and not the Constitution, the measure of its powers; but that as in all other cases of compact among parties having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress.

Research

The Bill of Rights