Some Republicans were so upset by the Alien and Sedition Acts that they concluded that the states had the power to nullify acts of Congress.

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Some Republicans, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, believed that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional and violated the principle of free speech. They argued that the states had the power to nullify federal laws that exceeded the powers granted by the Constitution. This idea of nullification would later be used by states in the South to justify their secession from the Union prior to the Civil War.

Some Republicans Were So Upset by the Alien and Sedition