Answer:
C
Explanation:
The Alien and Sedition Acts, which John Adams had signed into law in 1798, were another point of contention. The acts made it more difficult for immigrants to become US citizens, and included a provision criminalizing false statements critical of the federal government. This provision was squarely aimed at the Democratic-Republican opposition, which had been sharply critical of Adams and the Federalists. Critics of the Alien and Sedition Acts, many of them Democratic-Republicans, charged that they were unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment right to free speech.^3
3
cubed
While the Democratic-Republicans were well-organized and effective, the Federalist party suffered from a split between John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton penned a 54-page letter denouncing Adams, and it hurt the Federalist cause when it was published after falling into the hands of a Democratic-Republican. The campaigns were bitter and divisive, with both sides launching heated accusations, vilifying each other, and engaging in slander and character assassination. Adams and Jefferson, former friends and compatriots, had become bitter enemies.
