What’s the most unpopular piece of legislation in American history?

19 comments

1. The 18th amendment

2. The 18th constitutional amendment wasn’t very popular.

3. The Alien and Sedition Acts. No one liked them and it lead to John Adams losing the presidency

4. People started terrorist organizations due to them so I will go with reconstruction laws.

   The KKK are terrorists.

5. Probably the Revenue Act of 1861, and likewise the 16th Amendment. While in no doubt necessary, nobody likes paying their federal income taxes.

6. Whatever one allowed Congress members to commit insider trading.

7. I vote for the Articles of Confederation! A constitution so bad we threw it out and started over.

8. I nominate the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

9. 18th Amendment, but only because most people have forgotten about the Alien and Sedition Acts.

10. Prohibition. Constitutional ammendments are very hard to pass, and this one required a whole new one to wipe it out

11. The part that allowed ownership of human beings. I mean, we fought a really bloody war over it.

12. Dobbs.

13. The patriot act

14. Prohibition.

15. Depends on how you define it. People are making good points that for a bill to become a law at all (and I’m limiting this to bills that originate in Congress, not Constitutional amendments, court decisions, or executive orders), it has to have some level of public support.

    That said, there might be a bill that enjoys tepid 51% support and really vocal opposition from the other 49%.

    In recent years, some of Obama’s signature bills come to mind, like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act. The Recovery Act only had three Republican votes for it. The ACA was even worse: only one Republican voted for it. After a year of legislative sausage-making, the bill had become so watered-down and convoluted with amendments and carveouts that I think most of those who voted for it were probably lukewarm, while the opposition never wavered or tempered their hatred for it.

    I’ve never seen a summer legislative recess like that, before or since. Members of Congress came home to their districts for the summer break and held town halls that were just overrun with constituents angry and confused about the Affordable Care Act. Some of these town halls had to be shut down early because people just wouldn’t stop shouting about death panels or let their representative speak. The energy *against* the bill was off the charts, while support for it was pretty measured.

16. In recent history, the Affordable Care Act.

17. Volstead act

18. Umm….prohibition

19. probably not the worst but whatever law it was that started the whiskey rebellion was definitely not appreciated, maybe people were in a more *revolutionary* spirit in that era but still