George Washington vs. John Adams

When reading the history book, it was funny to see how different George Washington and John Adams were as presidents. George Washington wanted the opinion of the people and made sure not to step on any toes, whereas John Adams seemed to go ahead and do what he wanted to. George Washington wanted to form a governement based on the ideals of checks and balances and no poltical party fervor. Adams created very controlling laws such as the Sedition Act. The Sedition Act went against what many Americans today are so proud and protective of, our freedom of speech. Why did John Adams assume he had the authority to write the Sedition Act, stating that no one could say or write anything malicious about the government or laws. That is all we do today. Could you imagine George Bush passing a similar law today and putting several Democrats in jail for their "malicious" words?