John Adams Laws: The Alien And Sedition Acts

Words: 417
Pages: 2

John Adams passed a series of laws called the Alien and Sedition Acts. He passed these laws because there were tensions between the French and the United States during this time, and Adams worried about immigrants in the United States siding with the French. In order to avoid this, the laws included powers to deport immigrants and made it harder for immigrants to vote. It also prohibited opposition to the government in the newspapers and other writings. Even though Adams thought these laws would be successful, the people of America opposed these laws. They argued that the laws were unconstitutional and went against the First Amendment, which included the idea of freedom of speech and freedom of press. Because of this, the Alien and Sedition