Popular Nullification, Fries' Rebellion, and the Waning of Radical Republicanism, 1798-1801 Robert H
Popular Nullification, Fries' Rebellion, and the Waning of Radical Republicanism, 1798-1801 Robert H. Churchill Rutgers University In May, 1798, a Republican writing under the pseudonym "Nestor" accused President John Adams of renouncing the principles for which Ameri- cans had fought the Revolution. Seizing on Adams' comment that Americans had fought for independence only out of necessity, Nestor accused Adams of misinterpreting the meaning of the Revolution: "Did America resist because she wished only to be independent? No! Mr. Adams' assertion to the contrary, she contended for freedom as well as independence." Nestor insisted that in belittling America's struggle for freedom, Adams had revealed his hitherto veiled hostility to liberty. "The real enemy," Nestor warned his readers, "is assaulting the citadel of your dearest privileges-Fleets, standing armies, debts and taxes are preparing for you." Though Nestor dearly twisted Adams' words to the President's discredit, his prediction was borne out over the summer months of 1798. Adams and the Federalist majority did indeed pass a program of legislation intended to prepare the country for an impending war with France. These measures in- cluded new internal taxes, a larger navy and a standing army, and the borrow- ing of large sums at eight-percent interest. Republicans denounced this pro- gram as unnecessary, burdensome, and despotic. The passage of the war pro- gram of 1798, which also included the Alien and Sedition Acts, initiated a political crisis that lasted for the next two years. The crisis brought into full focus the question that was central to debates over the meaning of the Revolu- tion: whether the people might resist oppressive acts undertaken by a govern- ment of their own creation.
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