“The Presidency of John Adams”
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Focus Question: How did problems with France intensify the split between the Federalists and Republicans?
John Adams, like Washington, struggled to reduce the divisions within the country and keep relations with foreign countries neutral.
Troubles with France
*The French were very angered by the lack of U.S. support after they helped us win the Revolutionary War.
*The French saw the U.S. treaty with England(Jay’s Treaty) as putting them on the "other" side. France snubbed a US diplomat and continued attacking US merchant ships.
The XYZ Affair
*1797 - Adams sent three men to France. French gov't agents demanded the U.S. pay a $250,000 bribe to speak with French officials. They also wanted a loan of several million dollars forFrance.
*The Americans refused to given in to the demands and were unable to meet with the French officials in what came to be known as the XYZ Affair because the names of the French agents were kept secret.
War Fever
*After the XYZ incident, many Federalists in the country began to call for war on France. As a result,President John Adams (Federalist) convinced Congress to increasethe size of the navy and army and to create a separatedepartment specifically for the navy.
*1798 – 1800 France and the U.S. fought an undeclared naval war for the next two years. Adams sent another mission to France to avoid war. It eventually ended with French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte of France agreeing to stop seizing American ships.
*Adams had avoided full scale war with France, but had angered other members of his own political party, especially pro-British Hamilton, which weakened his position.
The Alien and Sedition Acts
*The split between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans widened further as Federalist fear of revolutionary France turned into a fear of immigrants and immigrant ideas being brought into the U.S. Federalists worried that immigrants would back Democratic-Republicans so they passed laws in 1798 targeting immigrants and also laws to target their opponent Democratic-Republicans.
*The Alien (outsider from another country) Act increased the time that someone had to live in the U.S. before becoming a citizen from 5 to 14 years. The President could also deport/imprison any alien considered dangerous.
*The Sedition (activity designed to overthrow a gov't) Act made it a crime for anyone to write or say anything insulting or false about the President, Congress, or the gov't. This was the harshest law limiting free speech that was ever passed in the US. Most of the ten people convicted were Democratic-Republican editors and printers.
States' Rights
*The D-Rs denounced the Alien and Sedition Acts saying they violated the Constitution (1st Amend.). However, the ability of the Supreme Court to strike down a law as unconstitutional was not clearly established, so the opposition had to be done through the state legislatures.
*The campaign was led by D-Rs James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Resolutions written by these men attacking the acts were passed by both the Virginia andKentucky legislatures.
*The resolutions stated the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional and that the states had the right to declare laws passed by Congress unconstitutional (i.e., states’ rights).
*No other states supported Virginia and Kentucky so the resolutions had little impact. The Acts were not in force for long and expired in 1801 (Sedition) and 1802 (Alien). The waiting period for immigrants was restored to five years.
*The impact of the legislation was important. States could nullify (deprive of legal force; to cancel its influence) a law passed by Congress.
*The idea of states' rights (that the union binding the United States was an agreement between the states and therefore the states could overrule federal law) was established and in the future a number of states would refuse to obey certain federal laws.
Arguments for States’ Rights:
*The federal gov’t gets its power from rights given to it by the states.
*Since the states created the US, individual states have the power to nullify/cancel a federal law.
Arguments for Federal Power:
*The federal gov’t gets its power from rights given to it by the American people.
*States have no power to nullify federal laws.
*States cannot revoke/take back federal powers stated in the Constitution.
Section 8-4 Review Questions
How did Adams settle differences with France?
He compromised to avoid war.
What did the Alien and Sedition Acts do?
They limited immigration and free speech.
Why did the issue of states' rights arise at this time?
Republicans opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts, but Republican-backed state legislatures could do nothing to overturn federal law.