Politics have been a part of human life ever since Thog thought all the cavemen should move to one cave, and Grog thought they should stay in the same cave. And once a cave bear got everyone, people still said, "Don't blame me, I voted for Thog."
Because it's so far back and American culture tends to elevate the Founders above the status of mortal men, it's easy to think they never had petty political squabbles. They totally did. The Alien and Sedition Acts weren't entirely because of politics, but politics played a huge role in their inception.
Adams was concerned about Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans making trouble. To make matters worse, Adams was far from the consensus leader of his party. He tried to cut down on support for the other side by going after their base, which was immigrants, predominantly from France.
Questions About Politics
- Is politics an inherently destructive force? Can it ever be used for greater good? Has it ever been used that way in the past?
- Are politics ever valuable in defeating an enemy that might be harder to deal with because of prevailing attitudes of the time? Or are they always petty?
- Did politics make the Alien and Sedition Acts possible, or were they inevitable?
- In the struggle between Adams and Jefferson did both men have a point, or was one right and one wrong? Where were they right and wrong, and why?
Chew on This
The Alien and Sedition Acts were more the result of an ideological disagreement between Adams and Jefferson that manifested itself as political maneuvering.
The Alien and Sedition Acts are the birthplace of the rancor that exists between the two political parties of the US. Though they're different parties now, the disagreements in the acts are fundamental to American politics.