Alien and Sedition Acts

The Alien and Sedition Acts were signed into law by President John Adams in 1798 on the heels of the Quasi-War with France. The acts allowed the president to imprison or deport aliens considered “dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States” at any time and any male citizen of a hostile nation during times of war. The Alien and Sedition Acts would later be used to justify FDR’s actions during WWII.

Chinese Exclusion Laws

Passed into law in 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, this law prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was a vital test for the power of the Federal Government to restrict immigration. It was upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1889 case of Chae Chan Ping v. United States. In the opinion of the court, Justice Stephen Johnson Field wrote, “The power of the government…