Final answer:
The Sedition Act was meant to silence critics of the government by criminalizing the publication of 'false, scandalous, and malicious writing' against the government or certain officials. It was enacted in 1798 and primarily targeted the minority party, which was the Democratic-Republican Party at the time. The best answer in this context would be D.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sedition Act was enacted in 1798 part of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and it was primarily designed to silence critics of the government. Specifically, it made it a crime to publish 'false, scandalous, and malicious writing' against the government or certain officials. It was signed into law by President John Adams and primarily targeted members of the Democratic-Republican Party, the political rivals of Adams and his Federalist Party. Hence, it can also be interpreted as an act against the minority party. However, in the context of this question, the closest answer would be D. Those who published articles in disagreement with the government.
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