At that time the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed the nation was practically in self-defense mode. Large groups of Europeans were moving to the U.S. to look for a better life. In 1798 which is when the Alien and Sedition Act was passed tensions with France were high and war was a vivid thought. So the government had to protect the nation and French immigrants were not being treated well by nativist or Americans who did not like foreigners and the French also did not support the government. So the law was used to suppress voices of immigrants but also to protect the nation from spies and war. So Congress saw the acts has necessary to prevent a greater evil.
The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of four laws passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798 amid widespread fear that war with France was imminent. The four laws–which remain controversial to this day–restricted the activities of foreign residents in the country and limited freedom of speech and of the press.
