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Domestic Policy

Kentucky Resolutions adopted by Kentucky legislature

On November 16, 1798, the Kentucky legislature adopted the Kentucky Resolutions—drafted by Thomas Jefferson—asserting that states could interpose against and refuse enforcement of unconstitutional federal laws, specifically condemning the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Kentucky Resolutions adopted by Kentucky legislature

The resolutions constituted a formal state-level repudiation of policies enacted during John Adams's administration and articulated an influential states'‑rights/nullification doctrine that shaped later constitutional and sectional debates.

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