| 5th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
4th ← → 6th | |
 Congress Hall (2007) | |
March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1799 | |
| Members | 32 senators 106 representatives |
| Senate majority | Federalist |
| Senate President | Thomas Jefferson (DR) |
| House majority | Federalist |
| House Speaker | Jonathan Dayton (F) |
| Sessions | |
| Special[a]: March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1797 1st: May 15, 1797 – July 10, 1797 2nd: November 13, 1797 – July 16, 1798 Special[b]: July 17, 1798 – July 19, 1798 3rd: December 3, 1798 – March 3, 1799 | |
The 5th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 4, 1797, to March 4, 1799, during the first two years of John Adams' presidency. In the context of the Quasi-War with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress. The Acts were overwhelmingly supported by the Federalists and mostly opposed by the Democratic-Republicans. Some Democratic-Republicans, such as Timothy Bloodworth, said they would support formally going to war against France but they opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts which Bloodworth and others believed were unconstitutional.[1]
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1790 United States census. Both chambers had a Federalist majority.
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- ^ The Presidency of John Adams by Ralph A. Brown, University Press of Kansas, 1975