Final answer:
Historians criticize the Alien and Sedition Acts for challenging First Amendment principles by suppressing free speech and targeting political opponents; thus, enhancing federal power at the expense of individual and states' rights. The correct option is b.
Step-by-step explanation:
Historians criticize John Adams' administration for passing the Alien and Sedition Acts primarily because these acts challenged the principles of the First Amendment, specifically freedom of speech and the press.
A key criticism of the acts was that they were used to suppress opposition to the Federalist Party, effectively reducing the constitutional protections meant to safeguard American liberties. The Sedition Act targeted Republican journalists, while the Alien Acts extended the residency requirement for citizenship and granted the President the power to deport non-citizens deemed dangerous.
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, written in response by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, proposed that states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional and further pronounce federal overreach and weakened individual and states' rights.
Hence, Option b is correct.