How did foreign policy during the Federalist Era deepen partisan divisions?

Transcription

1 How did foreign policy during the Federalist Era deepen partisan divisions?

2 First Party System- Who would you have supported? Federalist Platform Strong Centralized Govt Democratic-Republican Platform Federalism States Rights Mob Rule/Anarchy Fears Loose Construction Constitution Strict Construction Urban (Commerce) Support Base Rural Yes - encourage economic development Anglophiles (England should be our main trade partner/ally) Govt Involvement in Economy Foreign Policy Tyranny No Way Francophiles (supporters of the French Revolution)

3 1796 Election - reflects partisan tensions President: John Adams (Federalist) Vice President: Thomas Jefferson (Dem-Republican)

4 Foreign Policy Issues Leading to partisan divisions French Revolution (Washington) Jay Treaty (Washington) XYZ Affair (Adams) Quasi-War with France (undeclared naval war in Caribbean)(Adams)

5 ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS (1798) Alien Acts --naturalization period lengthened (from 5 to 14 years) --presidential power to detain aliens in wartime and deport anyone considered dangerous to national security Sedition Act --outlawed writing, printing or speaking out against US govt actions --outlawed conspiracies to prevent enforcement of federal law

6 Partisan Divisions over the Alien and Sedition Acts SUPPORT - Federalists There is a faction of people who are exploiting our 1st amendment rights to freedom of the press Spreading falsehoods and slander is creating disunity and putting our national security at risk during a time of crisis (Quasi-War with France) French-sympathizing immigrants posed a threat to the security of the US potential subversive spies OPPOSE - Republicans Passed in a climate of fear (of invasion by France), the Alien and Sedition Acts are being used by Federalists as a tool to silence the oppositional party, perpetuate their authority and preserve their present places Made citizenship more difficult for ethnic minorities who would become DRs Unconstitutional - Abuse of federal powers (not a delegated pwr) Unconstitutional - violates our 1st amendment rights Any effort to prevent a free circulation of ideas is deceptive, manipulative and undemocratic

7 USA PATRIOT Act, 2001: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act Dramatically reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, communications, medical, financial, and other records broadened the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts Also expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism, thus enlarging the number of activities to which the USA PATRIOT Act s expanded law enforcement powers could be applied

8 Partisan Divisions over the USA Patriot Act SUPPORT (initially more Republicans) National security compromised after 9/11 Government needs expanded powers to detect breaches in national security and to locate terrorist activity If you are doing nothing wrong, there is nothing to be afraid of OPPOSE (initially more Democrats) Opportunistically passed by Republicans in a climate of fear after 9/11 attacks Anti-Democratic - ie. Immigrants (and to some extent American citizens) can be indefinitely detained (without trial) if deemed by the Attorney General to be a threat to the US FBI searches of s, phone calls, and other records w/o a search warrant is a violation of privacy Creates a climate of fear that is detrimental to democracy and leads to complacency Ideological war (in part) - when does it end? Who gets to define terrorism?!

9 Republicans fight the Alien and Sedition Acts (anonymously) Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (penned by Jefferson and Madison anonymously due to fear of Sedition Act!) A&S Acts were a violation of delegated Constitutional powers AND of the 1st amendment Argued the concept of state nullification (based on compact theory) Based on the notion that states are in a better position to protect the people (state govts are closer to the people)

10 Significance of Alien and Sedition Acts Though they were less significant by 1800 (Jeff becomes pres)... Reflected the continued conflict b/w federalism and states rights Showed how unsettled politics still were Unpopularity led to the decline of the Federalist party Matthew Lyon (after being beaten on the Senate floor for criticizing Adams), won re-election from his jail cell! More importantly, helped the Democratic-Republicans win the 1800 election (the Federalists would not win another election)

11 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATON ACT (2012) huge budget increases toward national defense authorized military detention of terrorist suspects, including US citizens, who can be detained indefinitely