On this day in 1798, the Congress passed and President John Adams signed the Sedition Act, curtailing freedom of speech under the First Amendment, leading to prosecution of journalists and political critics, including a sitting member of Congress.
Repealed under Thomas Jefferson, this Sedition Act remains a black mark on American history as the first violation by the US government against the First Amendment, unfortunately followed by other such violations, including the Sedition Act of 1918 under President Woodrow Wilson, and the USA Patriot Act under President George W. Bush in 2001.
This does not include other violations of civil liberties under numerous Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War, Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Second World War, and Harry Truman in the Cold War era, among others.
This anniversary is a reminder that the battle for the First Amendment remains one that must be continually fought!