Blog #2: Peter Zenger

Blog #2: Peter Zenger

1.) Who was Peter Zenger?
John Peter Zenger was a newspaper printer for the New-York Weekly Journal. Zenger came under legal fire from Governor Cosby as a result of the conflict ignited when William Bradford voiced his opinion against Cosby, in Cosby v. Van Dam. Zenger, caught in the middle of the feud between Bradford and Cosby, was targeted because Governor Cosby sought to take out the New-York Weekly Journal. Cosby was refused a burning order of the paper by the popularly-elected assembly and thus sought to take down the paper by prosecuting their printer: John Peter Zenger.

2.) What was the controversy over his charges?
Zenger was charged with seditious libel. This charge was controversial because Governor Cosby had been halted with his resolve to have issues of the newspaper burned, so he turned to the paper's printer. This attack tried to extend libel law to place the blame on the printer of the paper as well as the author behind the paper. Additionally, by accusing Zenger of seditious libel and challenging the truth of the paper, it brought freedom of the press and the ability to publish something that is not factual into question. Andrew Hamilton expanded on these points by stating that the course case, at its core, was challenging liberty and how the outcome of the case could potentially effect everyone living under the British Government.

3.) What influence did his case have on American governmental traditions?
The end of Crown v. Zenger brought no precedents or laws concerning freedom of the press or seditious libel. However, the result of the case had a large influence on the importance of these two subjects as well as affected the way in which people thought about them. The Zenger decision had a large impact on the U.S government as it later led to the protections of freedom of speech and press outlined in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

4.) What is the lasting significance of his trial?
As the world becomes more diverse, both in national agendas and personal beliefs, freedom of speech and press have become even more important. The ability to speak out against the government or publish what you believe is a privilege that many countries do not have. The Zenger trial revealed how important free speech was in building a successful and thriving nation. The reason such significance is placed on this amendment is because through history, the anger that swells from feeling powerless or unable to speak up is a driving factor in the creation of revolutions; very much like how the colonists had no say against the British government and then revolted for their freedom.

5.) Brown v. Board of Education was another court ruling in history that had a significant impact of the country. The ruling that state laws that allowed racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional was a major victory for the black population in american as well as the abolitionists.