292 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



the United States was alarmed with the appre- 

 hension that the arrivaLof large numbers of emi* 

 grants from France, and other parts of Europe, 

 with the exertions of that part of their citizens 

 which appeared to be in favor of the French 

 principles and measures, would involve the 

 country in serious difficulties, and prove trouble- 

 some and dangerous to the government. To 

 guard against such evils they had passed an alieii 

 law, giving to the president of the United States 

 a power to direct aliens to leave the country, 

 ■whenever he apprehended their longer residence 

 in it would be dangerous to the public peace or 

 safety ; and a seditiori law, defining the crime 

 and punishment of reviling the chief magistrate, 

 or other officers of the federal government. To 

 both of these bills, those who were then called 

 democrats, declared their utmost abhorrence and 

 detestation ; as being both unconstitutional and 

 tyranical. 



It was known that some of the southern 

 states v/ere unfriendly to Mr. Adamses adminis- 

 tration, and it v/as believed that they were de- 

 sirous of finding ways and means to prevent his 

 re-election to the presidency. But whatever 

 was the design, the states of Virginia and Ken- 

 tacky passed a number of extraordinary reso- 

 lutions, condemning the proceeding's of Con- 

 gress in passing the alien and sedition bills -, 

 and going so far in opposition, as to make the 

 particular states the consititutional judges of the 

 legality of the acts of Congress, and of the obli- 

 gation that any state v/as under to yield obedi- 

 ence to them. These resolutions, by order of 

 their legislatures, were sent to each state m the 



