Read the article, then post a response to these questions:
1. Why was Zenger found not guilty of libel?
2. Describe the impact of the Zenger trial on the American ideal of freedom of the press. If Zenger had lost his case, how might the press, and for that matter, the American public, be different than it is today?
You may also refer to pages 40-41 of your textbook in addition to the article below. Remember to reference the article and/or your textbook, or additional sources as needed.
ZENGER, John Peter
(1697-1746), German-American printer and journalist, born in the Upper Palatinate (now in Bavaria, Germany). He immigrated to America in 1710, and from 1711 to 1719 was an apprentice to William Bradford, royal printer for the colony of New York. They became partners in 1725, and the following year Zenger opened his own printing establishment. In 1730 he printed the first arithmetic textbook published in the colonies.
Three years later, Zenger founded the New York Weekly Journal, a newspaper backed by a group of influential local figures. Zenger printed his backers' articles criticizing the colonial governor of New York, and on Nov. 17, 1734, he was arrested and imprisoned on charges of seditious libel. The Scottish-American lawyer Andrew Hamilton defended Zenger during the trial, which took place in 1735. Hamilton eloquently argued that the anti-administration allegations printed in the Journal were true and therefore not libelous. Despite the contrary opinion of the judge, the jury accepted Hamilton's thesis and declared Zenger not guilty. This verdict is considered the first milestone in the history of American freedom of the press. Zenger was appointed public printer for the colony of New York in 1737 and of New Jersey in 1738.
1)
ReplyDeleteJohn Peter Zenger was brought to trial on August 4, 1735. His supporters were able to hire a amazing lawyer named Andrew Hamilton from Philadelphia who argued:
“The question before the Court and you gentlemen of the jury...is not the cause of a poor printer, nor of New York alone...No! It may in its consequence affect every freeman that lives under a British government on the main of America. It is the best cause. It is the cause of liberty.”
The jury took this into consideration and found Zenger not guilty because everything he wrote and printed was true.
Cite:
"Zenger Trial." Zenger Trial. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
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ReplyDelete2)
ReplyDeleteWithout Zenger we wouldn't be able to communicate with the world and the society we live in the way we do now. Also the news wouldn't have been created. We would have no idea about things happening around us. without Zenger's’ trial. We also wouldn't be able to have such a high education either because writing levels would decrease because of how much it wouldn't be used. If this right was taken away from us no one would be able to know the truth about anything.
1. Zenger was fortunate to have a lawyer like Andrew Hamilton to defend his case. During his court case, Hamilton readily accepted the fact that Zenger had published the articles denouncing the governor of New York, William Cosby. Cosby was shown in a negative light in Zenger’s articles. But, Hamilton argued that since the claim was true, Zenger could not be accused of libel. Additionally, Hamilton stressed on the responsibility of the press to inform citizens of the truth, and the rights of citizens to be well-informed. The jury was impressed and convinced with Hamilton’s arguments, and they decided that Zenger wasn’t guilty. This case was a turning point in the history of American freedom of press.
ReplyDelete2. The high profile Zenger court case turned things around. Citizens now felt they had every right to be informed about the truth. Likewise, the press felt they were responsible to inform citizens about the truth. The Zenger case established an important principle, a democracy depends on well-informed citizens. Today, freedom of the press is considered one of the most important American liberties. Our media publishes many thing about other countries, celebrities, or the government. The press has the freedom to print facts that are believed to be accurate. On the contrary, in some nations, for example, North Korea, the government allows no liberties. Freedom of the Press isn’t allowed there as the government creates the television channels. They have never seen the open world, and they don’t know anything except what the government informs them. We are very fortunate to be part of a democracy that allows its citizens to be well informed.
Works Cited:
Delete"A Tradition of Liberty." America. History of Our Nation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. 38-41. Print.
1) Zenger was not found guilty of libel because he was telling the truth. He had a lawyer named Andrew Hamilton, who had helped Zenger with his case. Hamilton agreed that Zenger had published those articles but said that what he was claiming was the actual truth.
ReplyDelete2) If Zenger had not won his case, things would be very different. In daily life, citizens feel like they need the right to have the knowledge of the truth. Without Zenger, the news wouldn't have ever existed. Zenger had done many things, so if he had never been here, things would have been completely different.
Works Cited:
Delete-Discovery Education Video
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ReplyDeletenice details rizq
ReplyDelete1) John Peter Zenger was a person who put most of his thoughts on the daily newspaper. However, one day he commented on the current governor and jotted down bad information about the governor. Because of this Zenger had to attend court and his future would be decided there. The court said that his act is an act of libel and he will be charged for that, luckily for Zenger he had a great lawyer on his side. His lawyer's name was Andrew Hamilton, what Hamilton said was that Zenger wrote information about the Governor that was accurate, so he had done nothing wrong. From that day forward the court had seen that people should have the freedom of the press.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to cite your sources, everyone. Keep the interesting information coming, but just make sure your readers know from where you located the information.
ReplyDelete1) John Peter Zenger was a German immigrant who printed a publication called the New York Weekly Journal. This publication harshly pointed out the actions of the governor, William Cosby. It stated that the government was rigging elections and accused the governor of an assortment of crimes. As these articles were printed, he was sent to jail and accused of Libel. A libel means a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation. Although it was damaging the governor’s reputation, it was a rather true statement. The judge declared him not guilty since he was revealing the truth of the governor with some cold, hard facts.
ReplyDelete2) Zenger’s court case changed many things. The immigrant’s case established a principle; a democracy depends on well informed citizens. It had a huge impact on the colonists who saw the importance of a free press to hold the government power in check. Hamilton was praised by New York colonial leaders for his successful defense of Zenger. Nonetheless, individuals would continue to be punished for publishing information harmful to the government until state constitutions and later the US Constitution in the Bill of Rights would guarantee a free press. If John Peter Zenger did not win that case then the Bill of Rights would have not secured that right. Also people would be afraid to state the facts because they know they will get in trouble.
ReplyDeleteworks cited:
ReplyDelete"Zenger Trial." Zenger Trial. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.
textbook pages 40-41
2) If John Peter Zenger had lost his case then the world would be an extremely different place. Many people in this world like expressing their thoughts and opinions on what they believe. For example, reporters like making their opinions on the government and other material. So if Zenger never won his case many people wouldn't be able to send out their opinion.
ReplyDelete"Zenger Trial." Zenger Trial. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
ReplyDeletetextbook pages 40-41
1) John Peter Zenger was a German journalist who immigrated to America. Years after he came, he founded the New York weekly journal. It criticized the governor's ways. Because of this, the governor accused Zenger of libel. Fortunately, Zenger was able to hire a great lawyer from Philadelphia, Andrew Hamilton. Andrew was able to defend Zenger, because he was telling the truth. Therefore, Zenger was not convicted of libel.
ReplyDelete2) If Zenger had been convicted of libel, then there would not be freedom of the press. The press would be censored, and it would not be true.
Works Cited: Textbook pages 40-41.
1) John Peter Zenger, a German immigrant, was the printer of the New York Weekly Journal. He was the first to invent the idea of ‘freedom of the press’. In one of his articles, Zenger very harshly criticized William Cosby, a governor. He accused Cosby of many things, and gave him a very bad reputation in front of his people. In Zenger’s time, libel meant to do something opposed to the government. Nowadays, libel simply means to do something that gives another person a bad reputation. Zenger was put to trial for his “crime”. If it wasn’t for his lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, Zenger would not have won the trial. Hamilton stated that although many of the things that Zenger had written did give the governor a bad reputation, all of it was true. So, Zenger was simply stating the facts.
ReplyDeleteSource:
"The Trial of John Peter Zenger." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
2) We are lucky that someone like Zenger stood up for himself. If he didn’t, there would be no such thing as freedom of the press. People wouldn’t be able to write many things that they write today if Zenger did not point out that he was innocent. People need to know the truth, and the truth may not always benefit everyone. If there was no such thing as freedom as the press, people would barely know half the truth and much of the news would not be true. We should be very grateful that Peter Zenger and his lawyer were brave men that stood up for themselves.
Both of the paragraphs were very interesting and they were both meaningful.
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ReplyDeleteJohn Peter Zenger was a German immigrant who printed a news paper called The New York Weekly Journal. This news paper pointed out the faults and bad things about governor William Cosby (no, not Bill Cosby).Although Zenger just printed the articles, he was jailed and accused of libel. The real authors were never known. The first jury used in America was for Zenger's trial. When the trial began and Zenger's new attorney began his defense. The most famous lawyer in the colonies, Andrew Hamilton (no, not Alexander Hamilton) was the lawyer assigned to defend Zenger. Hamilton admitted that Zenger printed the charges and demanded the prosecution to prove them false. In a stirring appeal to the jury, Hamilton pleaded for his new client's release. "It is not the cause of one poor printer," he claimed, "but the cause of liberty." The judge ordered the jury to convict Zenger if they believed he printed the stories. But the jury returned in less than ten minutes with a verdict of not guilty. Although true freedom of the press was not really there until the First Amendment, newspaper publishers felt the freedom to print their opinions As the American Revolution approached, this freedom would become ever more and more important.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited: http://www.ushistory.org/us/7c.asp
1. Why was Zenger found not guilty of libel?
ReplyDeletethe answer to that is because you can not be accused of libel if you state the truth. that would be exactly what Peter Zenger did. he stated how he thought about William Cosby and was put in prison for eight months. later a goodly lawyer named Andrew Hamilton convinced the jury that what Zenger stated was not libel.
2. Describe the impact of the Zenger trial on the American ideal of freedom of the press. If Zenger had lost his case, how might the press, and for that matter, the American public, be different than it is today?
The Zenger trial made it possible for people to express what they thought about any thing unless found untrue. the possibility that Zenger would have lost is very bad. it would have decided who would be president and what people say about the government. it would also help us Muslims because the news would not be able to say bad things about us that is untrue and very offensive.
from book
DeleteJohn Peter Zenger, German born journalist and publisher of The New York Weekly Journal, was accused of publishing libel in one of his articles in the year 1733. The article discussed how William Cosby had fired Chief Justice Lewis Morris after an argument over Cosby's salary. After being imprisoned for several months his lawyers, Andrew Hamilton and William Smith SR, argued that what was published was not libel on the basis that the truth is a defense against libel and everything published in that article was true. After the jury had retired they returned with the verdict not guilty.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that history would be greatly affected by the absence of the Zenger Trials because the freedom to express oneself is a basic right of all humans and one way or the the other we would have freedom of the press. in addition a country that is founded on the principle of freedom cannot exist without freedom of press.
"John Peter Zenger." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.
1. Peter Zenger, a New York printer, was accused of libel because he printed an issue of the New York Weekly Journal which criticized Bill Cosby, the governor of New York. He went to court and Andrew Hamilton, a lawyer from Pennsylvania, was defending him. He was found not guilty because technically what he published was not libel. Libel is a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation. Although, that wasn’t the case for Peter Hamilton, he simply stated the truth.
ReplyDelete2. Peter Zenger’s trial, influenced the attitudes of future generations of colonial Americans. After independence from Great Britain was won, the first United States Congress included guarantees of freedom of press in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. One of the Constitution's main drafters, Governor Morris, wrote of the Zenger case: "The trial of Zenger in 1735 was the germ of American freedom, the morning star of that liberty which subsequently revolutionized America." If he didn’t win the case, then we probably wouldn’t have the freedom of press at all or it would have been postponed. Also, we probably wouldn’t have been well informed, which wouldn’t enable us to stand up for what we think is right. Furthermore, I don’t think we would have freedom of speech, because both associated one way or another.
Work Cited:
"Peter Zenger and Freedom of the Press." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.
"The Trial of John Peter Zenger." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
"Zenger Trial." Zenger Trial. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014
1) Zenger was the printer of the New York weekly journal. In one of his prints, Zenger wrote harshly about William Cosby, the governor. At those times, people,would be accused of libel when giving the government a bad reputation in any way. In this case, Zenger was accusing Cosby of various things, and earned Cosby a bad reputation in front of his people. Zenger was later put to trial. He wouldn't have won if it weren't for his lawyer who defended him by saying that all of Zenger's information was the truth.
ReplyDelete2) If Zenger would have lost that trial, i don't think people would have the freedom to express their thoughts freely. There would be no such thing as the freedom of press. Thanks to Zenger, we can always stand up to our selves.
"John Peter Zenger and Freedom of the Press." IWOSC: Writer's Group for Writers in Southern California. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014. .
ReplyDelete1)Peter Zenger, a New York journalist, decided to write an article which criticized William Cosby, the governor at that time. Zenger was taken to court charged of libel, but Andrew Hamilton, Zenger's lawyer, fought that it was not libel. Libel is the false accusation of someone that damages one's reputation, but everything the writer said was true. The court decided that Peter Zenger was free from charge, which was the birth of the Freedom of Press.
ReplyDelete2) America is known worldwide for the freedom the government gives to the people. This includes Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Freedom of Press. The development of these rights began from Peter Zenger's article against the governor. If he had not won the case, America would be another country. Without the Freedom of Press, any social networking systems are not allowed because one can post things the government won't allow. No magazines, newspapers, news channels, morning talk shows; in other words America would not be what it is today.
During his court case, Hamilton accepted the fact that Zenger had published the articles denouncing the governor of New York, William Cosby. Cosby was shown in a negative light in Zenger’s articles. But, Hamilton argued that since the claim was true, Zenger could not be accused of libel. In Addition, Hamilton stressed on the responsibility of the press to inform citizens of the truth, and the rights of citizens to be well-informed. The jury agreed and was convinced with Hamilton’s arguments, and they decided that Zenger wasn’t guilty. This case was a turning point in the history of American freedom of press. Zenger’s court case turned things around. Citizens now felt they had every right to be informed about the truth. Also, the press felt they were responsible to inform citizens about the truth. The Zenger case established an important principle that democracy depends on well-informed citizens. Today, freedom of the press is considered one of the most important American liberties. Our media publishes many thing about other countries, celebrities, or the government. The press has the freedom to print facts that are believed to be accurate. However, in some nations, for example, North Korea, the government allows no liberties. Freedom of the Press isn’t allowed there and the government creates the television channels. They have never seen the open world, and they don’t know anything except what the government informs them. We are very fortunate to be part of a democracy that allows its citizens to be well informed.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited: http://www.ushistory.org/us/7c.asp, book
Delete1) Peter Zenger was a New York printer from Germany who was accused of libel for printing an article in the New York Weekly Journal that criticized the governor William Cosby. Peter was jailed for a short period of time, and he then had a trial on August 4, 1735 in the New York City Hall. His lawyer, Andrew Hamilton said that what Zenger had published was the truth, so he could not be accused for libel.
ReplyDelete2) Without Zenger’s case, there would be no freedom of press. Many people wouldn’t be able to express their opinions. We would feel like we don’t know the truth and the government is hiding everything from us. Thanks to Zenger’s case, we have Freedom of the Press.
United States. National Park Service. "The Trial of John Peter Zenger." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 02 Oct. 2014. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.
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