In the year 1794, war was going on between Britain and France over the expansions of their lands. not to get involved because American Federalists did 90 percent of their trading with Britain. They also admired the stability of British politics, so they sided with the British during the war against France. After defeating Native Americans in The Battle of Timbers, Britain wouldn't allow Americans to trade with anyone unless it was for the British mercantile system; the Federalists agreed to this. The French began invading American trade ships, and soon after, the two countries were fighting a war in the Caribbean. The Alien and Sedition Acts were enacted in 1798 by the Federalist controlled U.S. Congress, as a response to the actions of the French Revolutionary government, and to control the actions of foreigners in the U.S. during times of war. It was actually intended to destroy Thomas Jefferson's Republican party because of the sympathy it showed towards the French Revolutionaries.
The first of the four acts was The Naturalization Act, which was created mainly for the French and Irish immigrants that were active in Republican politics. It allowed those "aliens" who wanted to become citizens of the U.S., to remain residents for 14 years instead of only 5. It also stated that anyone who tried to go against the United States government, or any written laws, would be fined up to 5,000 dollars, or being imprisoned between 6 months, and five years. The second act, The Alien Act, allowed the government to expel any aliens from the U.S. that seemed to be of any threat during time of peace. It also said that anyone who wrote or printed something against U.S. government, Congress, or the President, would also be fined and/or put in jail. The third act was The Alien Enemies Act. It allowed any aliens who were considered to be dangerous during wartime, to be put in prison or expelled. Although it was never enforced, it caused many of the French to return back home.
