Alien And Sedition Acts

With a new system of government came unprecedented decisions, and the decisions to be made about numerous matters created infinite disagreements among the diverse population of America. People were thinking about this new system of democracy, a system that anticipated and called for changes, leaving the future open to concerned minds. With the ability to influence the law of the land came the fear of abuse. Decisions made or ideas presented were seldom view without bias, and quick accusations of right and wrong began as the major split between ideals formed. Parties were forming, and every step of the process made the groups stronger and more narrow minded, as affiliation spread from influencing intellectual and political aspects to playing a part in the social world as well. The proposed Alien and Sedition Acts appeared to be a simple bill, but considering the growing dissent between the two main groups of the country, the Acts can be analyzed and true purposes and thoughts can become unveiled.

In a world where people now control the government, opinions were the fuel. Things were subjective, there was a questionable amount of land to the west, the diversity of the nation was unlimited, and the Native Americans posed an unstructured and spontaneous threat. The gap was widening between the people, and the though of this new country being split so early troubled some. Thomas Jefferson at first stated that factions were not positive contributors to politics, and he remains unaffiliated so to not influence his relationships and decisions (Document C and E). This is a personal decision of Jefferson's that is not entirely popular or even believable among others. The strong siding that occurred with the Alien and Sedition...

... middle of paper ...

... seen with the many levels of meaning and purpose. Hamilton and the federalists have immigrants on their mind, and feel that this Act will dull the democrat's sharpened advantage. And Jefferson, who first liked to think of himself as party-free, soon ended up wound in equally as tight as Hamilton. As political tension mounted, everything little thing that occurred was a new argument for the two sides. A perfect example of this is the XYZ affair, and how the parties selfishly took the issue into a matter of internal right and wrong. The debate over the Alien and Sedition Acts was more than a heated discussion, or even the execution of Hamilton's hidden agenda. It was a personification of the tension that had mounted in the previous decade, and it led to the opposition of political parties that would later shape the nation, although it seemed unlikely at the time.