does the patriot act abridge essential freedom

#Does the patriot act abridge essential freedom free

Passed on May 16, 1918, the Sedition Act made it a crime to criticize the government or the war effort. 18Īll four of the laws were repealed or allowed to expire by 1802, and President Thomas Jefferson, elected in 1800, pardoned those imprisoned under the Sedition Act. But the Sedition Act was widely enforced against American citizens, all of them … political opponents of President Adams and his administration's policies. No alien was ever deported or incarcerated, and a few years later the … residence requirement for citizenship reverted to five years. The war with France never came, and the fear of the French subsided. To the contrary, American citizens and their rights were the only casualties. The Alien and Sedition Acts identified no traitors and made no Americans safer. As Ira Glasser, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), writes, The Alien and Sedition Acts stand out as blotches on John Adams's presidency. Prominent supporters of the Republican Party, many of them journalists, were arrested for criticizing the Federalists in power.

#Does the patriot act abridge essential freedom free

The term sedition refers to the incitement of rebellion against a government, but the 1798 Sedition Act broadly prohibited all criticism of the government, outlawing 'any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States.' The broad terms of the law basically nullified the First Amendment's protection of free speech and freedom of the press. The most controversial of the four laws, however, was the Sedition Act. Together, the alien acts foreshadowed the government's tendency to enact anti-immigrant measures in times of war. The Alien Act gave the president the power to deport aliens thought to present a danger to the government, and the Alien Enemies Act authorized the imprisonment and deportation of immigrants during wartime. Because many immigrants tended to vote Republican, this law greatly undermined the Republican Party. One of the four laws was the Naturalization Act, which postponed citizenship and voting privileges for immigrants from five years to fourteen years. Known as the Alien and Sedition Acts, they targeted immigrants and made it a crime to criticize the government. The Federalists also controlled Congress and-partly because of hysteria over possible war with France, and partly to secure Federalist power against the Republicans-the legislature passed four laws. John Adams, a Federalist, was president at the time. In addition, many French refugees had immigrated to the United States, and most of them supported the Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson. In 1798 the French Revolution was still raging, and hostile French diplomaticĪctions had many Americans convinced that war with France was imminent.

To be more safe, they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free.' 17 In 1798, little more than a decade after the framing of the Constitution and only seven years after the Bill of Rights was ratified, Hamilton's fears were proved correct. In 1787, during the debates over the framing of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton predicted that when faced with war or other threats, America would 'resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. The nation's founders, well aware of the tension between security and freedom, were concerned that Americans would be tempted to curtail civil liberties in times of war.

In waging the war on terrorism, one of the many challenges facing the United States is to avoid the civil liberties mistakes of the past. 'Since the nation's founding, Americans have relied on basic legal protections spelled out by the Bill of Rights,' writes reporter Angie Cannon, 'but during past wartimes, civil liberties have been curbed dramatically.' 16 From the Sedition Act of 1798-which made it a crime to criticize the government-to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, during times of crisis the United States has often curtailed civil liberties in ways that Americans later regretted. History shows that curtailment of civil liberties-including the right to free speech, the right to a fair trial, and the right to equal protection under the law-has often followed national crises, particularly the outbreak of war. A History of Civil Liberties During Wartime