Will Trump's "enemy of the people" campaign backfire on him?
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Earlier today
Trump continues to demonize journalists as enemies of the people and paint immigrants as invaders. He should be careful. History shows that such tactics can backfire. https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/45NEYP4P7P
In the 1790s, President John Adams mounted an assault on immigration and the freedom of the press as a way to maintain his supremacy. Sound familiar? https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/VonMOTK0fh
The Federalist Party’s attacks focused on French and Irish migrants. Why? These newcomers gravitated toward the political opposition: Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans Party https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/qeEMOA4yso
1790s: For every reputable immigrant, “we receive three or four discontented, factious men … the convicts, fugitives of justice, hirelings of France" -- Noah Webster
2018: Haiti and African nations are "shithole countries" -- Donald J. Trump https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/elqlKQ83NN
How did Federalists make life more difficult for immigrants? - Amended the Naturalization Act - Forced new arrivals to wait 14 years to apply for citizenship - Passed the Alien Acts, which allowed the president to imprison and deport foreigners https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/VbMyieEvTW
Federalists, like today’s Republicans, had little faith in their ability to maintain their grip on power. That's why they attacked newspapers. It was a strange target: Three-quarters of the nation’s publications in 1795 had a Federalist bias https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/EEkXFlIRHz
The more vocal Federalist papers rivaled Fox News, describing the Democratic Republicans as “frog-eating, man-eating, blood-drinking cannibals.” That insult makes Sean Hannity look like a measured and respectable journalist. https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/UVdZApR3r5
In 1798, the Federalists passed the Sedition Act, which made uttering "false scandalous and malicious writing" about the government a crime: - Publishers were arrested - 30 people were prosecuted - The number of opposition papers soared https://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf pic.twitter.com/O2lGKlViqn
At the height of its power, when the Federalist Party controlled virtually everything in the country, they unnecessarily and viciously targeted both immigrants and the press. The disastrous outcome should give today’s Republicans food for thoughthttps://bloom.bg/2DCW6tf
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