An act passed in 1798 that increased the amount of time necessary to become naturalized in the United States. Although it was passed under the guise of protecting national security, it was really intended to decrease the number of voters that disagreed with the Federalist political party. At the time, most immigrants supported the Democratic-Republicans, who disagreed with the Federalists.

Changes between the acts

The "NOTICE TIME" refers to how long they had to wait after declaring their intent to become a citizen. The "RESIDENCE PERIOD" refers to how long they had to live in the United States before they could become a citizen.

See also

Alien and Sedition Acts Naturalization Act of 1795 Federalist Democratic-Republicans naturalization