may 18, 1798 - Alien and Sedition Acts

Description:

A set of 4 laws passed by the Federalists under John Adams
Alien Acts:
raised citizenship residency requirements from 5 to 14 years
gave the president the power to deport foreigners/immigrants
allowed the “arrest, imprisonment, and deportation [of immigrants or foreigners] during wartime”
Sedition Acts:
American citizens cannot “print, utter, or publish...any false, scandalous, and malicious writing” regarding the government
You can’t say anything bad about the government
freedom of speech?
Deemed necessary because Federalists were scared of immigrants (primarily the French ones) rebelling against the government