The Alien Act ( June 25, 1798 )

The excerpts below highlight the most controversial parts of the Alien Act and the Sedition Act. The Alien Act gave the president power to deport any non-citizen considered dangerous. The Sedition Act made it a criminal offense to publish "false, malicious, or scandalous" statements about the federal government and its officials. Two other acts were part of the four laws collectively known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Naturalization Act raised the age from five to fourteen the number of years an immigrant had to reside in the United States before he or she could become a citizen. The Alien Enemies Act allowed government officials to arrest and deport any citizen of a foreign nation at war with the United States.

An Act concerning Aliens.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted..., That it shall be lawful for...