Discussion: Sedition Act
Less than a decade after the Bill of Rights was passed and freedom of speech and of the press was guaranteed, Congress passed a series of laws that severely limited that right. During a stressful time of a quasi-war with France and the birth of the two-party system, the party in power (the Federalists) created the Alien and Sedition acts to limit the political power of their rival (the Democratic-Republicans). To do this, the Federalists toughened the naturalization requirements, gave power to deport enemy immigrants, and made it illegal to write, print, utter or publish anything that was false, scandalous, and malicious against the government.
Review the: Sedition Act portion of the Alien and Sedition Acts, which is formally titled An Act in Addition to the Act, Entitled "An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the United States."
Did the Alien and Sedition Acts cause a greater divide between the political Parties? Explain. Is the limitation of the freedoms protected in the Bill of Rights ever justified for any reason? Why or Why not?