LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

(1) Who was John Peter Zenger?
He was a German immigrant who created and published the New York Weekly Journal. He was placed on trial because of what some of the articles in the journal stated about their corrupt government, despite only being the publisher and not the one who actually wrote the material.




(2) What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense.
Zenger was said to have published negative things about the government, specifically the royal governor. Even though Zenger hadn't actually been the one writing the material, he published it and was held responsible. Zenger refused to give up the names of the people who wrote the articles and was brought to trial. Andrew Hamilton, the most famous attorney of the time, stated that Zenger was the one responsible for printing the articles about the government, but asked the prosecution to prove what was written wrong. He stated that Zenger shouldn't be imprisoned if what was published was actually true.


(3) What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?
It got the snowball rolling for people to being accepting the freedom of the press. Of course it would still be years before it actually became a real thing, but people began writing and publishing the truth about the government and politically powerful figureheads. Because of the  Zenger trial people felt safer being able to write the truth since it was what got Zenger out of his charges.


(4) What is the lasting significance of his trial? Explain.
As I said before, the trial became something bigger than Zenger had ever expected. It took the first step in freedom of the press where they wouldn't be charged and brought to trial every time they wrote a negative viewpoint on the government or powerful figures at the time. It wouldn't be years until freedom of the press became a real thing, but it started after the Zenger trial when writers and publishers began stating their viewpoints freely without as big a fear of persecution. It was a big trial at the time and so most of the colonists had heard about it and the verdict, spreading the news and the hope of there one day being such a thing as freedom of the press.