USA HISTORY

MAKING OF A NEW NATION 1776 1800

PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS FROM ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS TO XYZ AFFAIR

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What was the Democratic-Republican response to the Alien and Sedition Acts?
A
Tennessee and New York Resolutions
B
Massachussets Pact
C
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
D
Unconstitutional Clause
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The Democratic-Republicans, political opponents of the Federalists, felt threatened by these laws. In fact, Jefferson and Madison kept their authorship of the resolutions secret because they feared arrest for sedition.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Democratic-Republican minority in Congress complained that the Sedition Act violated the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protected freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Detailed explanation-3: -Though the other states rejected the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, the measures served effectively as political propaganda and helped unite the Democratic-Republican party. In 1800, the Democratic-Republican candidate, Thomas Jefferson, would win the presidency, essentially defusing the crisis.

Detailed explanation-4: -Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, (1798), in U.S. history, measures passed by the legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky as a protest against the Federalist Alien and Sedition Acts.

Detailed explanation-5: -In response to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the state legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia each adopted a series of resolutions, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison respectively, declaring those acts to be unconstitutional.

There is 1 question to complete.