John Adams Life and Legacy / Alien and Sedition Acts

He was the most deserving person ever to become president, and he may have been the most personally unsuited for the job. John Adams had a miserable presidency. It began on a gloomy march day in Philadelphia, 1797 at his inauguration. Everybody is very moved to see the great hero, George Washington, leave the stage. And John Adams writes that Washington gave him a look as if to say, well, I'm leaving now you're coming in, see if you enjoy the job. Number two John Adams, federalist, 1797 to 1801. 61 years old from Massachusetts. If you think about following George Washington, how does one follow a person who is the American cincinnatus? Oh my God. Can you imagine? How poor John Adams must have felt. On succeeding to the presidency, to follow this man. He was Harvard educated, yet insecure. Enormously ambitious, yet oddly humble. Adams is a wonderful character. I mean, you've got to love him. He's erratic. One day he's up one day he's down. I think there may have been a little imbalance there in his system. He craved fame and power, but he always pulled himself back and said, no, I must make sacrifices for my country. Some days he thought he was on top of the world and other days he thought he was just the lowest failure on earth. John Adams is a figure who was in many ways racked with self doubt. At the same time, enormously ambitious. Adams personality was not suited to the presidency. John Adams certainly had the political pedigree to be president. He was a signer of the declaration, a member of the Continental Congress, minister to France and England, and America's first vice president. And yet, as a leader of men, John Adams management style was problematic at best. During his administration, Adams is heavily criticized. For his pretentiousness, as a man who was kingly in a way that judge Washington never was. He was a very, very opinionated man, and he was sure that he was right. And did not accept counsel as well as other presidents have. Adams was also prone to fits of anger, which he unleashed on subordinates. This is just not the way an effective executive deals with the people under him. Two issues defined Adam's presidency. The XYZ affair and the alien and sedition act. Both were caused by a crisis in foreign affairs. The escalating war between England and France. By the time John Adams comes into office, the French are being particularly obnoxious. They are going through a period of seizing our shipping. Because they don't want us trading with her enemy Britain. Hoping to quell the crisis, Adams sent a diplomatic team to Paris. That delegation was met with the demand for a bribe. This was reported back to the American Congress. Instead of referring to the French man who demanded the bribe by their correct names, they were simply referred to as X, Y, and Z and so this became known as the X, Y, Z affair. American public opinion raged against the French. Hawks screamed for war. Adams is not crazy about the French anyway. And so to be snubbed by the French like this, to be treated in effect like country bumpkins. Must have offended Adams tremendously. But instead of acting impulsively, Adams kept his cool and sent a second piece delegation to Paris. For this, the warmongers in Congress vilified him. Adams had the courage to stand against these men. Indeed, he stood against most of the men in his own party, the Federalist Party. But he was firm and adamant in seeking a peaceful solution. Adams would reach his peaceful solution in 1800 when France and the United States signed the treaty of mort fontaine. But this wouldn't happen before Adams made the worst decision of his presidency. In the midst of our difficulties with France, there were a great many dissident voices within America. Men, newspaper editors, some politicians who were voicing their distress with the policies of the atoms, government. Acutely sensitive to criticism, Adams decided that the verbal attacks were seditious and dangerous to national security. So in 1798, Adam signed the alien and sedition acts, making it a crime to falsely speak out or write against certain federal officeholders, including the president. It stands out as the single greatest blemish. On this otherwise extraordinary career. It fed into this image of Adams as the aristocrat as Adams having this tinge of royalty of arrogance. The alien sedition acts simply underscored what his enemies were already saying about this man. Sadly, Adams support of the alien and sedition acts overshadowed the treaty with France. But the importance of his diplomacy can not be forgotten. It was a monumental achievement, and one of those great turning points. For I had we not made peace with France. Had Adams succumbed to the pressure to go to war. The history of America would have been very, very different. Significantly, the threat of war with France was the impetus for the one legacy of Adams presidency. John Adams is the father of the American navy. It was Adams that understood that if America was to defend her assures, that it was necessary to have a navy. By creating the Department of the Navy, Adams became the first U.S. president to add a secretary to his cabinet. But even the U.S. Navy could not save John Adams from himself. He had alienated many members of Congress and men of his own party. In November 1800, just after becoming the first president to live in The White House, Adams lost his bid for a second term to Thomas Jefferson. It was a bitter defeat. Adams is not gracious. In defeat. The image we have today of the election of a new president, the former president bids him welcome to The White House, et cetera, et cetera. Oh no. Not at all. Adams leaves Washington in the midst of the night. When he left office, he was certainly the most unhappy man in the country because he believed he left office disgraced and unappreciated. During his own life, John Adams presidency was regarded as the low point of his remarkable political career. It would take nearly 200 years for historians to reassess his contribution to the office. Two presidents signed the Declaration of Independence, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing. President Adams was unfortunate to have to succeed president Washington. There was no way he could be as popular as Washington. In his inaugural address, to a benevolent human mind, there can be no spectacle presented by any nation more pleasing, more noble, majestic or August than an assembly like that, which has so often been seen in this and the other chamber of Congress of a government in which the executive authority as well as that of all the branches of the legislature are exercised by citizens selected at regular periods by their neighbors to make and execute laws for the general good. The major issue that dominated the Adams presidency was inherited from the Washington presidency, and that was the ongoing war between France and England. American commerce was being attacked, the U.S. tried to negotiate a settlement, especially with its old ally, France, to stop the attacks, but when American negotiators arrived in France, they were told that they would have to pay a bribe in order to reach an agreement. This became known as the infamous XYZ affair and brought the U.S. close to declaring war on France. Even without an actual declared war, the United States and France engaged in almost open warfare at sea. It was called the quasi war. As a result of the war, Adams also introduced the alien and sedition act. To many it violated the First Amendment right of freedom of speech, by the time Adams first term ended, he was not very popular, and the party he headed, the Federalist Party, was in disarray. Adams was the first president to live in The White House. Adams returned to Boston from Europe on June 17th, 1788. The 43 year old Abigail believed that she and her husband would finally settle into a quiet life with their children and grandchildren. Much had changed while they were away. The young country had adopted a new constitution based on John's Massachusetts constitution and was preparing for its first presidential election. The Revolutionary War hero George Washington was elected president in February 1789. John Adams was named his second in command. The inauguration took place in New York City on April 30th. Abigail wasn't there to see it. Her health was poor, and she couldn't make the trip. Besides, unlike her husband, Abigail preferred to stay out of the spotlight. As Adams began his term, his primary job was to preside over the Senate. He was not supposed to debate, but Adams couldn't keep silent. He quickly became the laughingstock of Congress. The following year, the federal government moved to Philadelphia, which served as the nation's capital, while a permanent site was being built in southern Maryland. Washington and Adams were reelected in December 1792. At the end of that term, in 1796, Washington announced that he was stepping down. The 60 year old Adams had a difficult choice to make. Abigail knew there was no getting in the way of her husband and success. John Adams decided to run and so did his old friend, Thomas Jefferson. Adams won the election by just three electoral votes, while Jefferson, the runner up, became vice president. Adams bull headed style, which had served him so well during the fight for independence, didn't work in everyday politics. He didn't understand that you had to make deals, and he wasn't good at it. He was too forthright and too steadfast in what he believed. And he thought other people should believe the same way. Adams most pressing issue was how to handle the country's strained relationship with France. The former ally had begun attacking U.S. ships. Some members of Congress wanted to declare war on France. Others, including vice president Thomas Jefferson, wanted to preserve the country's friendship with France. Adams Independent Spirit upset both sides. He took a lot of political heat in the United States for not encouraging ourselves to get into a war with France. But I think he showed a good deal of political courage and standing up and being sure that we didn't make an enemy out of France. It was Congress that took action, passing the alien and sedition acts in 1798. While the acts were targeted at French spies working inside the U.S., it also placed tight restrictions on the American press. A blatant attack on the freedom of speech. All the new legislation required was Adam's signature. The controversial law became a black mark on Adam's presidency. He quickly realized there would be no second term. One month later, Adams lost the presidential election to Thomas Jefferson. Their political differences had driven a wedge between the old friends, and by the end of John's term they rarely spoke. Now after 35 years in public service, Adams was forced to retire. That spring John returned to Abigail and Massachusetts for good. The legacy of John Adams is so much more than the accomplishments and failings of his presidency. Before Adams was president of the United States, before he was vice president, he was one of the driving forces behind the revolution. Adams fiery and quite blunt passion as a patriot was of unquestionable importance. He was a mentor to Thomas Jefferson, although they became major political rivals. He knew, or at least was advised by his wife Abigail, to temper his direct and abrasive style. By utilizing the skills of others, such as Jefferson, for tasks which required an eloquence he did not possess. In this lesson, we'll look at the most lasting actions of Adam's presidency. His handling of the XYZ affair, the alien and sedition acts, and the midnight appointments. The signing of the Jay treaty that averted war with England and settled issues with the tree of Paris, which had entered the Revolutionary War, actually angered a lot of Americans and Europeans. Many Americans saw the treaty as a humiliating surrender to the British. French leaders saw it as a step toward the U.S. allying with the British, which was a breach of the 1778 treaty between France and the U.S.. John Adams took office in 1797, and he walked into dealing with several issues left by president Washington, including difficult dealings with France, our most important ally. Because of the Jay treaty with England, French forces began attacking American ships. In an attempt to set things right with France and make the scene safe again for American ships, president Adams sent three commissioners to France. Charles pickney, who was the United States minister to France and had negotiated the tree of San Lorenzo with Spain. John Marshall, a lawyer from Virginia, and future Supreme Court Justice, and elbridge Gary, future vice president under James Madison. When the three commissioners arrived in France, they weren't exactly welcomed through the official channels to begin negotiations. Instead, they were met by three agents of the foreign minister talleyrand. Instead of giving their names and their official report, the commissioners labeled these men, X, Y, and Z hence the scandal's name. The agents demanded a $250,000 bribe to meet with talleyrand, and a $12 million loan. At the time, bribes and politics were normal. But this was ridiculous. Pygmies response to the men was no no not a sixpence. The commissioner's report to Congress was made public, and Americans were irate. Even the democratic Republicans who had staunchly supported the French were supporting the rallying crime, millions for defense but not one cent for tribute. Many people wanted war, especially Adams fellow federalists, but president Adams refused to declare war. Instead, he emphasized the importance of building up the military. Congress stopped trade with France, dropped the alliance with France, triple the size of the army, and commissioned the building of 40 ships for the newly created Department of the Navy. The newly built up military needed strong leadership. So president Adams got president Washington to come out of retirement to lead the American military once again. The newly created navy, along with some American privateers. Went ahead and made shipping a nightmare for the French. In 1798 and 1799, American seized almost 90 ships. The XYZ affair shows Adams at his finest. It shows his willingness to do what he felt was right for the country. Instead of merely what was more important for his party. Alexander Hamilton was leading the federalists push to war, but president Adams stuck to his guns and did not succumb to his party's pressure. He was convinced that war with France would lead to a Civil War for the states. And it turned out war wasn't necessary. What has been called the quasi war had been enough, and talleyrand was ready to talk. He invited the U.S. back to negotiate. However, by the time the Americans arrived to negotiate, Napoleon had come to power in France, he immediately cut ties with the U.S. to focus on his own agenda. Had president Adams not held the state's back from war, it is quite possible that the Louisiana Purchase would not have come to be in 1803. For every finest hour, there has to be a darkest. The alien and sedition acts following the French Revolution and the state's quasi war with France. Parson tensions were high. The federalists were in control of Congress and Adams was president. Democratic Republicans in some states were refusing to enforce federal laws. There were even some calls for secession. Some began to fear something like the French Revolution spreading to the states. Some federalists feared anarchy. Others feared losing power. But it led to the federalist controlled Congress passing the alien and sedition acts, which were signed into law by president Adams. Many federalists saw this, all is having been caused by French and French sympathizing immigrants. The acts were meant to guard against this threat of anarchy. The alien and sedition acts were a group of four bills passed. The naturalization act, which extended the amount of time a person had to reside in the states before they could become a citizen from 5 to 14 years. The alien act, which authorized the president to deport any resident alien considered dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States. This act had a two year expiration date. The alien enemies act, which authorized the president to apprehend and deport resident aliens if their home countries were at war with the United States of America. At the time, war was considered likely between the U.S. and France. The act is actually still technically intact today as U.S. code 50, sections 21 24. Lastly, the sedition act, which made it a crime to publish false scandalous and malicious writing against the government or certain officials. It had an expiration date of March 3rd, 1801, which happened to coincide with the day before president Adams term was to end. Obviously, just a couple of decades earlier, the people of the United States had fought a war in the name of freedom and the rights of individuals. These acts were an affront to everything the revolution was about. Even though there were real fears to be defended against, this was unacceptable in the U.S.. The alien and sedition acts are one of the major factors in president Adams not winning a second term. And are a stain on his legacy. If it weren't for the alien and sedition hacks, maybe Adams would have a monument like Jefferson's in D.C.. After all, Adams was Jefferson's mentor. Before he became his political rival. Adams lasting legacy. The lasting legacy of his presidency is the midnight appointments. The power of the federalists was annihilated in the election of 1800. They lost both houses of Congress, and Thomas Jefferson, a democratic Republican, won the presidency. During the lame duck phase from the time of the election until the new government is sworn in, president Adams and the federalist Congress passed the judiciary act of 1801. It is the same legislation that Adams had proposed early in his term. Adams used his authority under this act to pack the courts with federalist judicial appointments. During the final two months and up to the last days of his administration. These appointments would lead to the use of judicial review in the American political process, and many other important advents of the development of the judicial system. Presidents today still use their final time in office to push through last minute agendas that may, or may not be popular. Especially if they have a friendly Congress. What I mean is a Congress that will pass their legislation up to them and allow them to sign it quickly at the very end. In recap of Adam's presidency, we covered three important parts of American history. In the XYZ affair, Adams showed his dedication to doing what he truly believed right for the country. By averting war with France. On his grave, it does not say president. It says here lies John Adams, who took upon himself the responsibility of peace with France in the year 1800. The alien and sedition acts were a blight on Adam's legacy. Signing these acts into law ignored the rights, the U.S. held so dear. In the name of defense in order. Lastly, the midnight appointments assured that federalist ideas would have a legacy in the American government and set the U.S. judiciary on its future path.