Compare these two websites then comment on the similarities and differences between the Alien and Sedition Acts of the 1790's and the Patriot Act of recent years. Was either necessary? What dangers faced each society and government? Could America survive without either?
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/sedition/
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/patriotact/patriotactprovisions.html
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21 comments:
These two documents are very much the same. they both infringe on natural rights, life liberty and the pursuit of land or something like that. [correct me if im wrong because im pretty sure i am haha] but anyway i think that the alien and sedation acts wouldnt be necessary today, but back then they might have been. yes they are prejudice against none americans, but after the war they just had maybe they felt it was necessary for the safety of the citizens. this rolls right into the necessity of the patriot acts, i think that after 9/11 and the terroritst acts on our country, our government is just taking steps to make us safe. yes they are taking away some of our rights, but to be honest i'd rather have a little less freedom and not have to worry about suicide bombers crashing into my country.
The documents are very similar. I agree that they both infringe on the natural rights and that they would not be necessary today. I don't think that the sedition acts were necessary, but the alien acts might have been. If the immigrants all came into the country it might have underran the government, and since the US was a new country, it might have changed the base values, so you can't tell.
I really don't agree with the patriot acts. I don't see how they will keep every terrorist from attacking us and this is how they wanted us to respond, fear. The terrorists will always find a way to get in and do what they want so why do we make them feel like they won. Also, this is taking away the rights of regular lawabiding citizens, and giving the government to much power over how we live our lives. If we don't want terrorism than why do we do things to make the rest of the world mad at us.
I think that these articles are very similar. they both seem to take away rights in a sneaky way. who wants to pass an act called the "lets spy on you and take away your rights" act? No lets pass the "patriot act". the NPR article is well balaned in the pros and cons. it shows how the acts are both used and how they could be missused. I'm not sure is either act was totally neccessary, but i guess both have helped in ways that they wouldn't be able to if they weren't passed.
Each document will be very similar. Each takes away our rights but for the "need" of security. The Alien and Sedition Acts were to stop any probable revolution against the government affectiong our freedom of speech. The Patriot Act is used to defend us against terrorism trying to ruin our government. Each of these documents are highly debated for they both affected our rights but each was made for the same purpose to purserve and protect our government. The alien acts are similar to our modern day discrimination of races and how they might be a terrorist. The many similarities are there and each only caused unrest among the people not solutions.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF!! That's all I'm gonna say, is HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, and here's the proof.
Both the Alien and Sedition acts of the 1790's and the Patriot acts of more recent years infringed greatly on the natural rights of Americans. In my opinion, the alien and sedition acts were not necessary, especially the sedition acts. If people wanted to speak out against the government, then let them. The alien act was more commendable in the fact that the government was trying to protect the new country from more devestation and revolt. These acts are similar in many ways to the patriot acts, which I feel were fully understandable in the months following 9/11. I agree with Jen entirely; I would rather have limited freedom and more security in times like these, but unfortunately the threat of terrorism will never cease, no matter how many acts are passed. It seems as though the government has gotten us in way over our heads, and unless drastic measures are taken to correct our mistakes, I fear that the situations can only get worse.
In the Constitution, the elastic clause states that the government has the power to create laws that are necessary and proper. In the late 1700s, the Alien and Sedition acts were probably necessary (in the short run). By upping the time for aliens to become citizens or by having the ability to detain or deport dangerous aliens, they were increasing the time before radical people (perhaps from France) had a say in government.
The Patriot Act, at the time was necessary too. With a tragedy such as 9/11 and the fear of terrorism skyrocketing, the public at large demanded action from the government. So the government passed laws similar to the Alien and Sedition acts. They boosted the power of the government to a point where Constitutionality was questionable. America could have survived without the laws, but without thme there would have been a lot more headaches with terrorism. If we had not stepped up security, as much as me hate it, there would have been much more terrorist attacks similar to 9/11.
Both the Alien and Sedition Acts of the 1790's and the Patriot Act of recent years were similar in that the governments of the past and present were on the careful look-out for enemies targeting our country. All of these acts were disputed over so some aspects were unnecessary. The acts probably charged innocent people with the crime of conspiring against the government and thought of as terrorists. Although the governments thought of the acts as being necessary to maintain a functioning country, they sometimes went above and beyond the extent to which they charged people. In recent years (resulting from the Patriot Act after 9/11) we have heard of many stories involving innocent people who people claimed to have "looked like a terrorist" and therefore, had not been able to board a plane or have been asked to leave the plane. The Patriot Act and presumably the past Alien and Sedition Acts made our country even more paranoid about people plotting against us. It seems the government has somewhat gone against the rights and freedoms of the U.S. The ideas of the acts may have been convincing but overall, America could probably survive without either.
It is astonishing how similar these two documents are. Both infringe on natural rights but more importantly they use a time of emergency to expand their power. This is the wrong way of going about it. When there there is a time that security needs to be expanded is should be a united effort and not a few people taking over the country. These acts did this. The patriot act and the alien and sedition acts have both created deep party lines that has divided our country in half. The federalist and the republicans and now the Democrats and Republicans.
Both of these documents are very similar. The fact that they both get all up into people's privacy and business is not right at all. Neither documents are really necessary, but the pros to each of them are not false. The alien and sedition acts would not prove useful today, because without our rights, there would be another revolution. The government should NOT have all the power, especially over the limited power the people have today. In order to protect our privacy we should be passing SMART acts in order to do the job right.
The documents are similar. They both put the rights of freedom and privacy under the guillotine and let the blade go. The alien and Sedition acts were unreasonable in the 1700's and the Patriot act is unreasonable now. John Adams, a framer of the constitution by which his country was formed, spat in the faces of all his fellow patriots who joined in writing that constitution by passing those acts. The very first amendment provides the right of free speech and protest and the sedition acts provide the right of shut up and sit down. THis country was founded on a revolution and not to condone violence but people should revolt peacefully, people should speak out against the injustices of our country and it's government. The 'Jens' scare me a little when they insist that they're somehow safer today because of the patriot act and how they would rather live with less freedom to be safer. Tell me what terrorists have we found with that act. Granted there are some we as the public wouldn't hear about. But what about the notorious ones? We still haven't found Osama Bin Laden and we stumbled over Sadam Hussein in a hole in the ground. I don't feel safer now. If anything I feel more scared. I can't get on a plane anymore with passing two security checkpoints and a half a dozen armed guards. Is that necessary? How many terrorists have we caught? Really? The Alien acts were unreasonable anyway. We seriously wanted to reduce the amount of immigrants by extending the time before they could become citizens? America was growing, expanding westward, we needed all the laborors, investors and people we could get. Live Free or Die is the motto of this state. Does that mean anything to anybody?
These documents, though decades apart, were scarily similar. Both dealt with our rights being taken away for the sake of security. Honestly, I think both acts were pretty unnecessary. Sure, they keep us “safer” but at what cost? As the government tries to keep America safer as time goes on, more of our rights will be taken away. The Patriot Act is a total infringement on our rights as Americans, and the Alien and Sedition Acts totally went against everything that we had fought for in the Revolutionary War. These two acts made America more secure, but it also angered people in the country to a point where we questioned our freedom and our rights. I think that the Alien and Sedition Acts discriminated against non-Americans, but honestly, everybody who lived in America’s ancestors came from a different country at one point. The Patriot Act is pretty unnecessary also. Personally, I’d rather be faced with the rare possibility that terrorists attack, than slowly lose all my rights for the sake of the country’s safety
I don't think that either of these acts were necessary. They did make America more secure, but they took away our rights. The Patriot Act came about because people were scared after 9/11. The intention of it was to combat terrorism, but terrorism will always exist. You can't eliminate terrorism, so personally I think it's stupid to compromise peoples' rights in an attempt to end terror. Also, since the government can get away with the Patriot Act, if there was another major attack or crisis of some kind, would security be tightened further?...Then we could lose even more of our rights. I think that our freedom and our rights are more important than trying to get rid of something that won't ever go away.
Sorry JKing, I would have to disagree, I think both acts are necessary. I think at the time they made perfect sense. There however was a price to pay, some personal rights had to be given up, in order to protect everything else that American's had. However, when the 'threat' goes away, and people begin to think confidently, and clearly, these ideas seem more infringing, then helpful. And maybe they are, but at the time, they were necessary, and welcomed. I don't know if anyone else remembers, but there was a college girl, returning from a trip in the middle east, and she only had one shoe(she left the other one behind) but she, and her parents were angree, because airport security held her for a couple of hours, in order to clear her. I would rather have a couple of innocent people held, on suspicions, then have a 'bad guy' slip through the cracks. I think if this college girl was closer to the 9/11 attacks, people would have said too bad, her fault. But because it was timed so far away, people were outraged!! What's wrong with this picture?? Is it just me who thinks that people go crazy not only in times of crisis, but after them too?
I think that these two documents are alike in that they were both created to try to protect our country and at the time they seemed appropriate. yes they invade the natural rights of the american people but governmental officials obviously saw that there needed to be a change made in order to protect our country. At the time of the Alien and Sedition Acts we were on the verge of going to war with France so the government did something to try and help us out. After 9/11 the government reacted to a serious attack on our country, so in both documents there are retaliations to things occuring or about to occur and at the time they seem appropriate. while i do not think that these acts are necessary today, they seemed to be at the time they were inacted. At times in our countries history i believe that it is necessary to have the government step in and try there best to see that the people are protected.
The two acts are extremely similar in my mind. Though they deal(ed) with slightly different subjects, they limit freedoms in similar ways. The ability of the government to detain and persecute is much easier under the patriot act, and is required under the alien and sedation acts. I believe neither was necessary to america's existance and they both seem like dangerous incisions in the peoples rights.
Both of the acts are an infringement upon the natural rights of man. "Life liberty and property"- John Locke. I think that the alien acts were warranted whereas the sedition act was not. It was a complete infringement on the 1st amendment. Similarly i believe that the patriot act is not necessary because it infringes on a person's privacy. Although it could possibly help save lives, it also takes away from the "liberty" of being in your own home. Someone could be falsely suspected or investigated with this act. I think that at the time it was necessary for America's survival that the alien acts be passed but not the sedition acts. Also I believe that the patriot act is not necessary for the US to function, it just causes a lot of controversy.
The Sedition Acts were unnecessary and unfair because it took away from the first amendemnt. The Alien acts however, had more of a right because they could protect the country in a time of war. The Patriot Act takes away liberty for the cause of security. I dont think people should be wire taped and have their conversations listened in on. Although it helping to protect our country.
the alien and sedition acts, as i believe were not necessary, although i can see why they were passed. They were passed to protect the country. the patriot acts were definately unnecessary because all it does is allow the government to invade your privacy, which is a natural right you have.
Both encroach on the first ammendment and were born from paranoia. One was triggered by an actual event (9/11), while the other came about as a way to preserve power. The Patriot Act does not include the sedition portion. Neither are necessary. America would certainly be quite different today if the A and S Acts never occured, but I wouldn't consider it necessary. As Andrew said, the Patriot Act just breeds fear, which is the goal of terrorists.
I agree with Danielle that both acts of 1790, and in recent years orginated from parnoia, one being of power and the other national security. I also believe in agreement to just about everyones post that both patriot acts and alien and sedition acts infringe upon peoples natural rights and liberty. I personally believe that the alien and sedition acts were not nesscarry due to the fact they were directed to inflict problems upon the opposing politcal force which is just not needed as opposed to these recent patriot acts which breach/sacrifice the written/given rights of the first amendement in order to provide securtity for the nation as a whole which I support more in favor then the previous acts of 1790 to a degree.
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