Affidavit of Jonathan Brown

This is the affidavit from Jonathan Brown’s testimony in the trial against Jedidiah Peck, a member of the New York State Legislature. Peck had distributed articles objecting to the Alien and Sedition Acts, which increased the residency requirement for American citizenship from 5 to 14 years, authorized the President to imprison or deport aliens considered “dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States,” and restricted speech critical of the government.