LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

http://www.nycourts.gov/history/legal-history-new-york/legal-history-eras-01/image-crown-zenger-tryal-page.jpg
http://www.kuyperian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/patrick-henry1.jpg

I believe that Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death speech" relates to the Zenger Trials because Henry was advocating for free speech against the government much like Zenger.



1. Who was John Peter Zenger?

John Peter Zenger was a New York printer who immigrated from Germany and he printed a publication called the New York Weekly Journal which was in opposition of governor William S. Cosby and the government.


2. What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense.

The controversy over his charges was that he was simply just the printer of the articles and that the truth or falsity of said articles was supposedly irrelevant to whether he was guilty or not. Andrew Hamilton stepped in as his lawyer and defended Zenger by saying that "it is not the cause of one poor printer, but the cause of liberty". Hamilton's defense helped Zenger be given with the verdict of not guilty by the jury.

3. What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?

Zenger's case greatly influenced the American governmental tradition as it set the precedent of not being able to be found guilty for simply printing articles that opposed the government. 

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

The lasting significance of Zenger's trial is that it led to the First Amendment in the bill of rights of freedom of the press as well as helping to make America an independent country by sparking thoughts of rebellion. The first amendment made it so that we would always have freedom of the press to be able to freely oppose the government without getting in legal trouble for doing so. Also with the precedent he set for his time, led to to other printers to be able to do similar things which helped to eventually spark the American Revolution for our independence.