Commentary
The U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789. Nine years later, in a fit of frenzy over enemies domestic and foreign, the U.S. Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Sedition Act in particular imposed nationwide censorship edicts that made it illegal to criticize the government or its officials. The public was so furious about the obvious attack on the First Amendment that Thomas Jefferson was swept into the White House in the election of 1800, with a specific mandate to end the outrage. The offending laws were promptly repealed.
The significance of the events was to demonstrate to an entire generation that eternal vigilance would be necessary if the United States was to remain what it set out to be. Even with a Constitution, government is a threat to human rights….