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Chapter V - Undeclared War, The Alien and Sedition Acts
Undeclared War, The Alien and Sedition Acts 1798 - 1800
Adams reacted to the XYZ Affair (so named for the anonymous French agents who tried to negotiate the bribe) by calling for war in the name of "national security." He also privately hoped that his actions would eliminate internal dissent against his administration. Officially, thought war was never declared against France. Instead, an undeclared "quasi-naval war" took place between 1798 and 1800.
Choosing sides for or against France in this undeclared war quickly became a highly emotional issue. As in other periods of national crisis, Americans greatly distrusted foreigners and political dissenters - in this case, Republicans. Adams and the Federalists used this war hysteria to crush political opposition by pushing a series of acts through Congress.
The Alien and Sedition Acts were clearly aimed at immigrants suspected of being pro-Republican. First, the Naturalization Act increased the residency period from five to fourteen years and required all resident aliens to immediately register with the federal government. The Alien Enemies Act empowered the president to expel or imprison enemy aliens during time of war, while the Sedition Act outlawed conspiracies against the endorsement of federal laws and fixed maximum for such offenses at five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. This act also limited free speech since it specified that printing, writing or uttering "false, scandalous or malicious statements against the government of the United States or the President of the United States with intent to defame" became a serious crime punishable by as much as two years imprisonment and a fine of $2,000. One hundred and forty-three years later, the United States government interned thousands of Japanese-Americans with similar justification at the outbreak of World War II.
Regardless of all the hysteria generated by the quasi-war with France, only ten people were actually convicted under the Sedition Act. Most of these men were Republican newspaper editors who refused to retract their criticism of Adams as a "garrulous, bald, blind, crippled, toothless" old man with an "unbound thirst for ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice." Apparently, few people took the Sedition Act seriously since one Vermont editor conducted an election campaign from jail and won by an overwhelming majority.
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