9. The New Nation Takes Form, 1789

Quiz for Analyzing Historical Evidence: The Crisis of 1798: Sedition

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

1. What incident spurred the Federalists in Congress to pass the Sedition Act of 1798, which made “sedition with malicious intent” a federal crime?

A citizen from Vermont threatened to overthrow President John Adams.

Citizens debated whether the Constitution should include a Bill of Rights.

Republican newspapers printed intense criticism of President John Adams.

Editor Benjamin Bache organized a massive rally against the Republican party.

2. Congressman Matthew Lyon argued that President John Adams was attempting to do which of the following objectionable actions?

Compel Congress into violating the constitution

Gain more power for himself at the people’s expense

Violate Lyon’s right to free exercise of religion

Slander Lyon in Federalist newspapers

3. The Virginia Resolution of 1798 argued that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional because these Acts

gave the federal government powers which were not delegated by the Constitution.

violated the right of individuals to freely immigrate to the United States.

were not being applied equally to citizens who supported different political parties.

constituted cruel and unusual punishment against American citizens.

4. Republicans likely understood the Sedition Acts to be a violation of the Constitution’s protection of the right to

freedom of religion.

a speedy and public trial.

keep and bear arms.

freedom of speech.

5. This essay supports which of the following historical arguments?

James Madison’s concept of the state’s right to “interpose” became extremely influential in early-nineteenth-century politics.

The sedition crisis tested many of the principles on which the United States had been so recently founded.

The conflict between the Federalists and Republicans in 1798 was as grave a threat to national unity as the Civil War of the 1860s.

The Sedition Act of 1798 represented the greatest expansion of federal power in the United States since its founding.