What was the Federalists point of view on the Alien and Sedition acts of 1798?
The Federalists created them. They were unconstitutional acts to stop the outrageous mud-slinging campaigns against them from the Democratic-Republican Party (now called Democratic Party but it was true-liberal then, not socialist like today — See below). The alien part was to restrict immigrants from voting for fourteen years. Most immigrants flowing in were farmers and tradesmen, and those favored the Democratic-Republicans. Bankers and Merchants favored the Federalists. Liberalism advocates: individual freedom, weak government, and free markets. Conservatism advocates: moral responsibility, strong government, and protected markets. Socialism advocates: social responsibility, omnipotent government, and controlled markets.
