Introduction by Qian Julie WangI. OpeningIf the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the shining pillars built of the brightest hopes of our great American project, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 form the dank, dark cellar that houses all the fears, anxieties, and prejudices that have weighed our nation down since its inception. The acts wasted no time in testing our ten-year-old Constitution, placing upon it the weight of a polarized young nation grappling for power and peace.
The acts comprised four separate laws: the Naturalization Act, the Alien Act, the Sedition Act, and the Alien Enemies Act. Although the first three were either quickly repealed or allowed to expire, the fourth remains alive and well to this day. Indeed, the Alien Enemies Act continues to birth some of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history, from the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to the Trump administration’s present-day detention and deportation of scores of individuals based on ethnicity and political beliefs.
It is easy to read the story of the Alien and Sedition Acts and fall into despair, for in so many ways the acts—the sentiment that birthed them and the ways they have been used since—stand against the foundational American principles of due process, free speech, and checks and balances. But that story also speaks to our power and agency, as a people, to resist, and to bend the long arc of history toward justice. We cannot forget that the book of America is still being written. And we become the scribes by virtue of our unrelenting belief in America and her ability to live up to our grandest ideals. Ultimately, the story of the Alien and Sedition Acts is a call to arms for each of us: to stand guard at the gates of justice; to speak truth in the face of attempts to stamp out dissent; and, above all, to protect the most vulnerable among us, for their safety is the bedrock upon which democracy rests.
Copyright © 2025 by Qian Julie Wang. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
