Study Questions
1. What were the principal issues leading to party formation in the 1790s? How did the “expectation of unity” worsen party divisions?
2. The political rhetoric of both parties was especially heated in the 1790s. Give examples of extreme statements by Federalists and Republicans.
3. Why were some Americans hostile to France in 1798? Why did other Americans support France?
4. How did Federalists justify the Alien and Sedition Acts, and on what basis did Republicans oppose them?
5. What is the significance of the Federalist toast: “One and but one party in the United States”?
6. Why does freedom of speech tend to be curtailed in wartime? Were the Alien and Sedition Acts needed to strengthen America in the face of war, or were they brought on by hysteria and paranoia?
7. The doctrine of nullification, first suggested in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves, has never been an accepted constitutional principle in the United States. Why not?
8. Why was Matthew Lyon singled out as the only congressman imprisoned under the Alien and Sedition Acts?
9. How did the persecution of Matthew Lyon, Luther Baldwin, and other Republicans ultimately strengthen the American tradition of free speech?
1. What were the principal issues leading to party formation in the 1790s? How did the “expectation of unity” worsen party divisions?
2. The political rhetoric of both parties was especially heated in the 1790s. Give examples of extreme statements by Federalists and Republicans.
3. Why were some Americans hostile to France in 1798? Why did other Americans support France?
4. How did Federalists justify the Alien and Sedition Acts, and on what basis did Republicans oppose them?
5. What is the significance of the Federalist toast: “One and but one party in the United States”?
6. Why does freedom of speech tend to be curtailed in wartime? Were the Alien and Sedition Acts needed to strengthen America in the face of war, or were they brought on by hysteria and paranoia?
7. The doctrine of nullification, first suggested in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves, has never been an accepted constitutional principle in the United States. Why not?
8. Why was Matthew Lyon singled out as the only congressman imprisoned under the Alien and Sedition Acts?
9. How did the persecution of Matthew Lyon, Luther Baldwin, and other Republicans ultimately strengthen the American tradition of free speech?
