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| | Alien and Sedition Acts, Lesson Plans, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson |
 | | The U.S. Sedition Act first outlawed conspiracies "to oppose any measure or measures of the government." Going further, the act made it illegal for anyone to express "any false, scandalous and malicious writing" against Congress or the president. |
 | | The act also left it to the jury to decide if a defendant had "bad intent." Penalties for different provisions of the law ranged from six months to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 (more than $100,000 in today's dollars). |
 | | In October 1798, a Vermont Republican congressman, Matthew Lyon, became the first person to be put on trial under the Sedition Act. |
| www.crf-usa.org /terror/alien_sedition_acts.htm (2092 words) |
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