LAD/Blog #2 Peter Zenger

1.)    Who was Peter Zenger?

   Peter Zenger was a newspaper publisher for the New York Weekly journal who questioned the policies that the governor of New York, William Crosby, had and he published them. He was arrested and brought into court in 1734 for expressing his opinions, he was charged with seditious libel. 

2.)   What was the controversy over his charges?
The prosecution argued that Zenger publishing statements against the government was enough to convict him. They accused him of trying to start a rebellion against the government. Zenger's lawyer argued that the statements that he made were not libel, since the statements Zenger made were not false.

3.)   What influence did his case have on American governmental traditions?
Zenger's case heavily influenced American government because it shaped the way future journalists write, with freedom of speech. After the case, truth was now a defense against libel. If journalists made statements about government officials and it was true, they would not go to court for it.

4.)   What is the lasting significance of his trial?

The significance of his trial was that it was an important step for writers to make to have freedom of expression, and they can be able to have an opinion about government officials. Concern for going to trial for libel was no longer a problem.

John Peter Zenger 

American Revolution