The Alien And Sedition Acts

At the beginning of the Adams administration, the Alien and Sedition acts were passed by Congress. These four acts (one of which, the Alien Enemies Act, is still in use today), enabled the presidents to deport any non-citizen and made it a crime to criticize the government. Although these acts may have seemed harmless (in a nation full of illegal aliens, they might even seem helpful), they were unconstitutional, limited freedom of speech, and gave the executive branch far too much power. Both Virginia and Kentucky responded, protesting that these acts were unconstitutional, and that the state governments (not the judiciary branch) should judge whether a law was constitutional or not. Even if a law is helpful in a specific situation, I still believe it should be checked against the guidelines set forth in our constitution, otherwise our freedoms given to us in this government will disintegrate. If only all our laws were in line with the constitution which we call our own.