Final answer:
Jefferson and Madison responded to the Alien and Sedition Acts with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, advocating for nullification and states' rights to determine the constitutionality of federal laws. These resolutions faced rejection by other states but served as important political propaganda for the Democratic-Republicans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison attempted to counter the Alien and Sedition Acts with their Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. Jefferson and Madison advocated for the idea that states should have the right to judge the constitutionality of federal laws, a concept known as nullification. Each resolution posited that states could declare federal laws null and void within their borders if they were deemed unconstitutional.
Their approach was spurred by the belief that the Alien and Sedition Acts infringed upon the freedom of speech protected under the First Amendment and enlarged the powers of the national government at the expense of state sovereignty. The resolutions represented a direct response to what they perceived as the Federalist-party led government's overreach. However, these resolutions did not gain the anticipated support from other states at the time, with many northern legislatures rejecting the idea and suggesting that such determinations of constitutionality lay with the judiciary.
Despite their limited immediate impact, the resolutions served as propaganda for the Democratic-Republicans and would later be viewed as precedent by states' rights activists, playing a significant role in the ongoing debates over nullification and the principles of the Confederacy.