LAD #2: Peter Zenger

1) Who was John Peter Zenger?

A printer and journalist who printed the New York Weekly Journal. His case established the first major victory for freedom of the press.

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

Zenger adamantly attacked Governor Cosby in his newspaper and he was jailed for libel. Hamilton's defense rested almost solely on the fact that everything Zenger had said in the paper was true, it wasn't like he made things up to make the governor look bad.

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

This case affected American government tradition in many ways. For one, Zenger was represented by Alexander Hamilton who kept using this case to demonstrate his beliefs on personal freedom. This case also took place before the declaration was signed so it influenced the future of America in regards to "freedom of the press."

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

This trial is pertinent even in today's society because articles in the newspaper or news on TV is constantly called into question. This trial was one of the first major victories for freedom of the press and freedom of speech. It also effected the way that libel cases are tried because now a big deciding factor on whether or not the defendant should be indited is whether or not the information published was true or untrue- a precedent set by the Zenger trial.




The Pentagon Papers was another case in American history that was a milestone for free speech and free press. It also dealt with a paper that had published information that the government did not necessarily want readily available to the public. The government tried to get the newspaper in legal trouble (as in the Zenger case) and although the judge originally ruled in favor of the government, the ruling was later reversed in an appeals court. (In the Zenger trial, the ruling was changed by a jury but not in an appeals court).