DIRECTIONS-- READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER THE BELOW QUESTION BASED ON YOUR ANALYSIS
John Adams' Presidency
Even as Washington was writing his Farewell Address, political parties were working to gain majorities in the two houses of Congress and to line up enough electors from the various states to elect the next president. The vice president, John Adams, was the Federalists' candidate, while former secretary of state Thomas Jefferson was the choice of the Democratic-Republicans.
Adams won by three electoral votes. Jefferson became vice-president, since the original Constitution gave that office to the candidate receiving the second highest number of electoral votes. (Since the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the president and vice-president have run as a team.
The XYZ Affair
Troubles abroad related to the French Revolution presented Adams with the first major challenge of his presidency. Americans were angered by reports that U.S. merchant ships were being seized by French warships and privateers. Seek ing a peaceful settlement, Adams sent a delegation to Paris to negotiate with the French government. Certain French ministers, known only as X, Y, and Z because their names were never revealed, requested bribes as the basis for enter ing into negotiations. The American delegates indignantly refused. Newspaper reports of the demands made by X, Y, and Z infuriated many Americans, who now clamored for war against France. "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute" became the slogan of the hour. One faction of the Federalist party, led by Alexander Hamilton, hoped that by going to war the United States could gain French and Spanish lands in North America.
President Adams, on the other hand, resisted the popular sentiment for war. Recognizing that the U.S. Army and Navy were not yet strong enough to fight a major power, the president avoided war and sent new ministers to Paris.
The Alien and Sedition Acts
Anger against France strengthened the Federalists in the congressional elec tions of 1798 enough to win a majority in both houses. The Federalists took advantage of their victory by enacting laws to restrict their political opponents, the Democratic-Republicans. For example, since most immigrants voted Democratic-Republican, the Federalists passed the Naturalization Act, which increased from 5 to 14 the years required for immigrants to qualify for U.S. citizenship. They also passed the Alien Acts, which authorized the president to deport aliens considered dangerous and to detain enemy aliens in time of war. Most seriously, they passed the Sedition Act, which made it illegal for news paper editors to criticize either the president or Congress and imposed fines or imprisonment for editors who violated the law.
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Democratic-Republicans argued that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated rights guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. In 1799, however, the Supreme Court had not yet established the principle of judicial review (see Chapter 7). Democratic-Republican leaders challenged the legislation of the Federalist Congress by enacting nullifying laws of their own in the state legis latures. The Kentucky legislature adopted a resolution that had been written by Thomas Jefferson, and the Virginia legislature adopted a resolution introduced by James Madison. Both resolutions declared that the states had entered into a "compact" in forming the national government, and, therefore, if any act of the federal government broke the compact, a state could nullify the federal law. Although only Kentucky and Virginia adopted nullifying resolutions in 1799, they set forth an argument and rationale that would be widely used in the nullification controversy of the 1830s.
The immediate crisis over the Alien and Sedition Acts faded when the Federalists lost their majority in Congress after the election of 1800, and the new Democratic-Republican majority allowed the acts to expire or repealed them. In addition, the Supreme Court under John Marshall asserted its power in deciding whether a certain federal law was constitutional.
WAS KING GEORGE III RIGHT OR WRONG IN THINKING ADAMS WOULD “BE EATEN ALIVE AND TORN APART”? EXPLAIN.
Based on the information provided in the text, it can be inferred that King George III might have been wrong in thinking Adams would be "eaten alive and torn apart." The text mentions that Adams resisted popular sentiment for war during the XYZ Affair and sent new ministers to Paris instead. This suggests that Adams displayed restraint and diplomacy in dealing with the French government, instead of rushing into a war. Additionally, Adams avoided conflict with France and prioritized avoiding war due to the limited strength of the U.S. Army and Navy. This indicates that Adams was able to handle the challenges of his presidency in a measured and controlled manner. Therefore, King George III's prediction of Adams being "eaten alive and torn apart" might have been inaccurate.
Based on the information provided in the text, it can be inferred that King George III may have believed that Adams would be "eaten alive and torn apart" due to the political challenges and controversies he faced during his presidency.
One major challenge during Adams' presidency was the XYZ Affair, where American merchant ships were being seized by French warships and privateers. This situation angered many Americans and led to a clamor for war against France. However, Adams resisted the popular sentiment for war and instead sent new ministers to Paris. This decision may have been seen as weak or indecisive, leading to the belief that Adams would not be able to successfully handle such challenges.
Additionally, Adams faced opposition and criticism from the Democratic-Republicans. The Federalist Congress, during their majority, passed laws such as the Alien and Sedition Acts, which restricted the rights of political opponents and newspaper editors. This could have further fueled the belief that Adams would be unable to handle opposition and criticism, as he was not able to prevent these controversial laws from being enacted.
Overall, King George III's belief that Adams would be "eaten alive and torn apart" may have been based on the challenges and controversies Adams faced during his presidency, suggesting a perception of weakness or inability to effectively handle political opposition.
To determine whether King George III was right or wrong in thinking Adams would "be eaten alive and torn apart," we need to analyze the information provided in the text.
Based on the given text, there are several factors that can be considered to assess King George III's statement:
1. Political Parties: The text mentions that political parties were actively working to gain majorities in Congress and elect the next president. Adams belonged to the Federalists, while Thomas Jefferson, his vice-presidential opponent, was with the Democratic-Republicans. This implies that there was a strong opposition to Adams and his policies.
2. The XYZ Affair: The text describes the troubles Adams faced in dealing with the French Revolution. Adams sent a delegation to negotiate with the French government, but certain French ministers known as X, Y, and Z demanded bribes, which the American delegates refused. This incident angered many Americans and led to a clamor for war against France. Adams, however, resisted the popular sentiment for war and instead sent new ministers to Paris. This suggests that Adams took a different approach than what the public desired, potentially leading to criticism and opposition.
3. The Alien and Sedition Acts: The Federalists, who supported Adams, took advantage of their victory in the congressional elections of 1798 to enact laws that restricted their political opponents, the Democratic-Republicans. The passage of these acts, including the Sedition Act, which made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize the president or Congress, could have contributed to the negative perception of Adams' presidency.
4. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions: In response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Democratic-Republicans argued that these acts violated the rights guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. They enacted nullifying laws in their state legislatures, asserting that states could nullify federal laws if they deemed them unconstitutional. While only Kentucky and Virginia adopted such resolutions, it indicates that there was significant opposition and dissatisfaction with the acts promoted by Adams' Federalist party.
Based on these factors, it can be argued that King George III's statement about Adams being "eaten alive and torn apart" was quite plausible. The presence of strong political opposition, conflicts with France, controversial legislation, and the potential for nullification of federal laws all suggest that Adams faced significant challenges and criticism during his presidency.