Julian Ward

HIST 007A
10/1/15
In an attempt to suppress the voices of the rising fury of the Republicans, the Federalists
devised a list of conducts known as the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. These lists of
laws were designed to obfuscate any potential success of the Republicans ploys in
government regulations. In the eyes of those loyal to the executive power of the United
States government, Republicans were seen as voters impervious to any ruling construct
and whose main incentive was to have the French serve as the ruling body. After
President John Adams rejected pleas for war raised by his constituents, the Federalists
decided to retaliate by composing the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Alien Acts
collectively stated that the president had overall authority over war-related incidents,
including immigration regulations. They decreed that any person whose nation of origin
was suspected to treachery of the United States were subjected to exile and that new
members of the country would be placed in a 14 year waiting period before they were
granted citizenship. The Sedition Act enforced fines and imprisonment upon anyone who
denounced the United States government. These esoteric policies were aimed to prevent
the French from colluding with Pennsylvanian farmers (who were questioned during the
agrarian revolts from the Whiskey Rebellion four years earlier) and to control Republican
rebels from overthrowing central government power.
What the Federalist saw as an act of political mediation was a series of unconstitutional
laws in the eyes of the infuriated Republicans. In order to disband these rising conflicts,
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison retorted with the Virginia and Kentucky
Resolution. The Virginia Resolution, written by Madison, was a modest proposal in
comparison to its Kentucky compatriot, which suggested nullifying any federal
regulations if perceived unconstitutional. This approach was considered radical by
Madison because it indicated a country being run by states rather than a central federacy.
What the Virginia Resolution wanted to accomplish was to declare Federalists actions a
display of retrogression in a nation yearning for democracy.
The Virginia Resolution speaks on behalf of the General Assembly of Virginia and
praises their loyalty to the Union whose Constitution serves as the nucleus of the nation.
However, their authoritative stance was noted. Madison explained that the powers of the
government should be as limited in the plain sense and intention of the instrument
constituting the compact. In other words, the government should function in accordance
with the Constitution rather than modifying the Constitution for their own personal gain.
The document continues by describing the Alien and Sedition Acts as palpable and
alarming infractions of the Constitution, and that issuing these laws would degrade the
foundation of a democratic land of which the people had originally intended it. The final
point Madison speaks against is the fundamental error of the Alien and Sedition Acts that
infers a constriction in free speech, whether its intentions are either for or against the
federal government. Jefferson and Madison wanted to remind their peers that the United
States was a land seeking to benefit the general welfare of the people and that
Federalists were juxtaposing their personal ideals with the common good.