Читать книгу First Ladies For Dummies - Marcus A. Stadelmann, Marcus A. Stadelmann PhD - Страница 60

The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed at the urging of President Adams and consisted of four separate acts designed to silence any opposition to his rule:

 The Naturalization Act made it more difficult to become a U.S. citizen. It mandated living in the country 14 years instead of 7 to acquire citizenship.

 The Alien Act allowed the government to deport foreigners who were considered a threat to the United States.

 The Alien Enemies Act allowed the government to imprison foreigners who were considered a threat to the United States.

 The Sedition Act made it a crime to criticize the federal government. Criticizing the president or Congress was punishable by imprisonment and fines up to $5,000.

President Adams never enthusiastically enforced the first three acts, but he and his party used the Sedition Act to send reporters, newspaper publishers, and even a Congressman critical of him, his political party, and his family to jail.

When Jefferson became president, he repealed the Naturalization Act — the other acts expired in the early years of Jefferson’s presidency.