Did you know? John Adams was the only president of the first five U.S. presidents not to be a slaveholder? He was the first president to live in the White House, he moved in before it was finished. - Adams died on the same day as his rival Thomas Jefferson on July 4th, 1826, the 50thanniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams’ Presidency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqAt8A0W204 Founding Father & Federalist- believed in strong central gov’t. 2nd president served from 1797-1801. Took office during growing tensions with France

XYZ AFFAIR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N88PyMoMW6g The French were seizing American ships and had broken diplomatic relations with the U.S. Adams sent diplomats to Paris to discuss the rights of neutral nations. The French Foreign minister sent 3 agents to offer the Americans a deal. He wanted $250,000 for himself and $10 million for France before he would talk to the Americans. The diplomats informed Adams of the offer. When Adams told Congress, he did not disclose the names of the French agents, he referred to them as X, Y, and Z.

RESULT OF XYZ AFFAIR Americans were outraged & it ignited a war fever. Like Washington, Adams wanted to keep America out of European affairs & refused to ask Congress to declare war. Adams had frigates (fast-sailing ships with many guns) built. This helped convince the French to stop attacking American ships.

Alien & Sedition Acts Name of the group of laws the Federalists pushed through Congress in 1798 during the crisis with France. Alien Act stated that the President could expel (kick out) any alien or foreigner thought to be dangerous to the country. Another law made it harder for immigrants to become citizens. Before 1798, white immigrants could become citizens after living in the United States for five years. The new law made immigrants wait 14 years. The Federalists passed this act because many recent immigrants supported Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans. The act would keep these immigrants from voting for years.

Alien & Sedition Acts Cont’d The Sedition Act  (Sedition means stirring up rebellion against a government) -under this law, citizens could be fined or jailed if they criticized or talked badly about the government or its officials. Democratic Republicans protested that the Sedition Act violated the the First Amendment, the freedom of speech.

Result of the Alien & Sedition Acts Jefferson argued that the states had the right to nullify, or cancel, a law passed by the federal government. In this way, states could resist the power of the federal government. Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions claimed that each state “has an equal right to judge for itself” whether a law is constitutional. If a state decides a law is unconstitutional, it has the power to nullify that law within its borders. Within a few years the Alien & Sedition Acts were changed or dropped.