XYZ Affair & Alien and Sedition Affair questions & responses

How did the XYZ affair increase tension between France and America?

- The XYZ affair caused a fair amount of tension between France and America seeing as the French acted as though they were above the Americans refusing to speak to them in person. They only accepted talking to them in document form. Also, the French insisted upon the Americans paying them a 250,000 dollar bribe as well as a provide France with a 12 million dollar loan, all of which they expected before even starting to negotiate. This made the Americans feel as though they were considered below the French which cause the Americans to get angry. With John Adams new in the presidency dealing with an unhappy alliance was nothing something he wanted to get into however prepared his country for the worst. Building a far stronger army and creating a navy, this luckily was not used for that affair.

Were the Federalists justified in passing the Alien and Sedition Acts or were they a violation of the Constitution?

- The federalists who created the acts clearly were not justified. What they did was basically created and then passed an act allowing them to judge people. What gives them the right to go around judging people from their appearance? The federalist when bringing the acts to congress said they were to “promote national security”. However all passing these laws did was make local jails more crowded and towns emptier, seeing as everyone considered an alien or stuck someone as “odd” was either thrown in jail or was deported.

Were Kentucky and Virginia justified in their response to the Alien and Sedition Acts?

- Kentucky and Virginia illustrated proper acts of justice when responding to the Alien and Sedition Acts, seeing as they rejected the acts which were unjustified. After the acts had passed congress many people did not agree with what the acts represented nor did they approve of what they were doing to other innocent people living in their communities. Forcing them to move from the republican side to Thomas Jefferson’s Republican Party. In response to these acts being passed, Jefferson and Madison wrote their own acts against the acts, sending their resolutions to all the states. Kentucky and Virginia being two that had very positive responses.

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