U.S. History: Alien and Sedition Acts Quiz

Who was Matthew Lyon and why did he face time in prison?

• A Federalist in the Republican stronghold of Vermont; for getting into a brawl with Representative Robert Griswold

• An ambassador sent by John Adams to France; for refusing to pay a bribe to French agents

• A Republican in the Federalist stronghold of Vermont; for expressing his low opinion of John Adams

• A member of the House who supported the Alien and Sedition Acts; for criticizing the French government

What was the XYZ Affair?

• An insult to the American representatives by French agents X, Y, and Z

• A meeting between American representatives and French Foreign Minister Talleyrand

• A negotiation between the American and French governments to avoid war

• A report sent by John Adams to Congress regarding the French government's actions

What was the purpose of the Alien Act passed in 1798?

• To increase the size of the army and navy

• To capture armed French merchant ships at sea

• To give the president power to deport undesirable aliens

• To extend the time before a person could become a citizen

What did the Sedition Act make a crime?

• Spreading contemptuous writing about the French government

• Spreading scandalous rumors about the British government

• Spreading malicious writing against the American government

• Spreading false information about the French government

How did the Sedition Act affect Matthew Lyon?

• He was acquitted of all charges

• He was deported from the country

• He was elected as the president of the United States

• He was sentenced to four months in jail and a $1,000 fine

Who were the secret authors of the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions protesting the Alien and Sedition Acts?

• James Madison and Thomas Jefferson

• John Jay and John Marshall

• George Washington and Benjamin Franklin

• John Adams and Alexander Hamilton

What was the outcome of the protests against the Alien and Sedition Acts?

• The size of the army and navy was increased

• The American representatives were allowed to talk with French Foreign Minister Talleyrand

• The Alien Act was repealed, and the Sedition Act expired

• The French government accepted new American diplomats with proper dignity

What did the Alien Act repeal?

• The Sedition Act

• The Jay Treaty

• The time before a person could become a citizen

• The French government's policy towards the United States

What was the mistake made by the French government in the XYZ Affair?

• Referring to the American representatives as X, Y, and Z

• Visiting the American representatives at night

• Refusing to approve the ambassador sent by John Adams

• Insulting the American representatives by demanding a bribe

What was the impact of the Sedition Act on the Federalists?

• It made them look like enemies of freedom

• It led to the capture of armed French merchant ships at sea

• It increased their popularity among the American people

• It silenced all criticism against the government