History glossary
Alien and Sedition Acts
1798 Federalist laws that restricted immigrants and punished criticism of the federal government.
- Category
- Law
- Region
- United States
- Date range
- 1798
What it means
The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Federalists in 1798 amid fear of war with France and domestic opposition. They made it harder for immigrants to become citizens and criminalized some criticism of the federal government, sparking a fierce constitutional backlash.
