Alien and Sedition Acts: James Madison, Virginia Resolution

    Alien and Sedition Acts: James Madison, Virginia Resolution

      The Virginia Resolution is a lot like the Kentucky Resolution, and it made a bunch of the same arguments.

      It was published in 1798 and was written by Jefferson's closest political ally, so that's probably why. The primary difference is that the Virginia Resolution lacked the idea of nullification. It's likely that Madison, who was intimately involved in writing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (Jefferson was overseas at the time), knew what kind of chaos nullification could cause.

      What kind of chaos? We're glad you asked. The best example is when half of the states decided the other half was up to no good and left to form their own government. The result—the Civil War—lasted for five years and killed vast numbers of people.