John Adams’ Presidency John Adams

- 2nd President (1797-1801) Federalist

- Thomas Jefferson Vice- President Democratic-Republican

XYZ Affair (1797)

- French agents (X,Y,Z) asked for a bribe to discuss stopping attacks on American ships

- Congress cancelled treaties w/ France & seized French ships

- Congress began expanding army & navy

Alien & Sedition Acts (1798)- Increased waiting time to be U. S. citizen from 5 to 14 yrs

- arrest disloyal aliens & deport during wartime

- outlawed sedition (can’t say or write false or harmful things about gov’t)

- wanted to get rid of immigrants who usually sided w/ Democratic Republicans

Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions (1798)

- declared Alien & Sedition Acts unconstitutional

- states’ rights theory – states have the right to judge when the federal government had passed an unconstitutional law

- Acts repealed or expired (1800-1802)

Peace w/ France

- Convention of 1800 stopped naval attacks

- Avoided war w/ France

- Lost election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson