What did the Virginia Resolutions argue?

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The Virginia Resolutions argued that states had the authority to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional. This resolution was a response to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which many, particularly in Virginia, considered to infringe upon individual liberties and state rights. The authors of the Virginia Resolutions, including James Madison, believed that the federal government had exceeded its constitutional powers, and therefore states had the right to refuse to enforce such laws. This notion of nullification became a significant part of the debate on states' rights versus federal authority, influencing political discourse in the years that followed.

The other options do not accurately reflect the main argument of the Virginia Resolutions. The belief was not that states could solely create their own laws or that they were obligated to obey all federal laws without question. Instead, the resolutions emphasized the importance of the states' roles in safeguarding liberties against perceived federal overreach.

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