Question

The first major dispute over free speech occurred with the passage of the?

1) Missouri Compromise of 1820
2) Emancipation Proclamation of 1863
3) Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798
4) Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Answer 1

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 sparked the first major dispute over free speech in the United States, as they were utilized to suppress critics of the Federalist government.

Step-by-step explanation:

The first major dispute over free speech occurred with the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. These acts included provisions that made it a crime to make 'false and malicious criticisms' of the government. Notably, the Sedition Act was used by the Federalist Party to arrest and imprison many of their Republican critics. The Democratic-Republicans, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, argued that these acts violated the Constitutionally protected freedoms of speech and the press. They organized opposition through the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which asserted that the acts were illegal and introduced the concept of nullification of federal laws by states. While these particular resolutions did not gain widespread support, they signified the seriousness of the dispute over federal power and civil liberties.