1. Please pick up a notes sheet from the side table
Warm Up (1/21)
Please pick up a notes sheet from the side table

2. 2nd President

3. Adams’ Administration

4. Foreign Issues X, Y, Z Affair -
Adams faced a crisis in foreign policy. French ships began to capture American ships in the West Indies. Adams hoped for a peaceful solution.
X, Y, Z Affair -
Who? – Charles de Talleyrand
What? – sent 3 secret agents to request bribes from U.S. ambassadors
Where? – France
Why? – to stop French impressment

5. X, Y, Z Affair

6. American Response
The XYZ Affair became public in 1798 and Americans were outraged!
The national slogan became:
“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”

7. American Response
Adams’ own Federalist party did not like the way he handled the French. Hamilton and others were outraged and wanted War!

8. Alien and Sedition Acts
The conflict with France made Adams and the Federalists popular with the public.
• The Democratic-Republicans were not happy with Adams and criticized him in their newspapers.
• Adams was angered by the criticism. Many immigrants were Democratic-Republicans and to silence them, Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts.

9. Alien Act -
allowed the President to expel any alien, foreigner, who he thought was dangerous to the country.

10. Sedition Act -
citizens could be fined or jailed if they criticized elected officials.

11. The D-Republicans argued the Alien and Sedition Act violated the Constitution. Jefferson called on the states to act! He argued states had a right to nullify, or cancel, a law passed by the federal government.

12. Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
The resolutions declared that each state “has an equal right or judge for itself” whether a law is constitutional or not. If a state declares a law unconstitutional, it can nullify that law within its borders. Nullification gave states a way to resist the growing power of the federal government.
Does not gain much popularity and Adams is not forced to respond