The Alien & Sedition Acts (jan 1, 1798 – dec 31, 1799)

Description:

Under the presidency of John Adams, the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts because they were tired of having non-American citizens in their country. These acts stated that anyone in the country that isn't a citizen could be deported without a trial, and it stated that it was illegal to talk negatively about anyone in political power or any overall political power. This affected everyone in the US, so the anti-Federalists (more importantly Thomas Jefferson and James Madison) released a statement saying that the states should have a right to nullify. In 1799, the acts were officially repealed.