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John Peter Zenger

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150: 44: 341:, with the public interest at fever-pitch. Rebuffed repeatedly by chief justice James DeLancey during the trial, Hamilton decided to plead his client's case directly to the jury. After the lawyers for both sides finished their arguments on August 5, 1735, the jury retired only to return in ten minutes with a verdict of not guilty, a famous example of 415:
A libel is not less the libel for being true...But this doctrine only holds true as to private and personal failings; and it is quite otherwise when the crimes of men come to affect the publick…Machiavel says, Calumny is pernicious, but accusation beneficial, to a state; and he shews instances where
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were published and republished for decades in Britain and were immensely popular in America." This article gave its readers a preview of the same argument attorneys Hamilton and Smith presented 18 months later in the government's libel case against Zenger – that truth is an absolute defense against
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states have suffered or perished for not having, or for neglecting, the power to accuse great men who were criminals, or thought to be so…surely it cannot be more pernicious to calumniate even good men, than not to be able to accuse ill ones.
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was Zenger's first counsel, but the court found him in contempt and disbarred him, removing him from the case. After more than eight months in prison, Zenger went to trial, defended by the Philadelphia lawyer
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The tryal of John Peter Zenger, of New-York, printer, who was lately try'd and acquitted for printing and publishing a libel against the government: with the pleadings and arguments on both sides
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In defending Zenger in this landmark case, Hamilton and Smith attempted to establish the precedent that a statement, even if defamatory, is not libelous if it can be proved, thus affirming
293:. On his arrival in New York City, Cosby had plunged into a rancorous quarrel with the colony council over his salary, trying to recoup half of the salary of the previous acting governor 531: 258:, though he returned to New York permanently by 1722. After a brief partnership with Bradford in 1725, Zenger set up as a commercial printer on Smith Street in New York City. 246:, and Nicolaus Zenger was one of those who died before settlement. The governor of New York had agreed to provide apprenticeships for all the children of immigrants from the 1435: 1362: 465:
A ten foot high limestone statue of John Peter Zenger is mounted on the brick wall of P.S. 18 in the Bronx in New York City. The sculpture was created by sculptor
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The Archives of the Reformed Church in America; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Collegiate Church, Ecclesiastical Records, Baptisms, Members, Marriages, 1639–1774.
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Presbyterian Historical Society; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Church Registers; Book Title: Church Register 1701–1746; Accession Number: V MI46 P477rr v.1.
1420: 230:. Most of the details of his early life are obscure. He was the son of Nicolaus Eberhard Zenger and his wife Johanna. His father was a school teacher in 198:, which voiced opinions critical of the colonial governor, William Cosby. On November 17, 1734, on Cosby's orders, the sheriff arrested Zenger. After a 374:. It was only the following year that the assembly, reacting to this verdict, passed a law that allowed truth as a defense against a charge of libel. 1171:
The Liberty Ships of World War II: A Record of the 2,710 Vessels and Their Builders, Operators and Namesakes, with a History of the Jeremiah O'Brien
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In 1733, Zenger printed copies of newspapers in New York to voice his disagreement with the actions of the newly appointed colonial governor
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John Peter Zenger; his press, his trial, and a bibliography of Zenger imprints ... also a reprint of the first edition of the trial
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Although this issue of Zenger's newspaper is dated 1733, the actual year was 1734. At the time, Britain and the colonies used a
406:(1723). Jeffery A. Smith writes that "Cato" was "The leading luminary of the 18th century libertarian press theory...Editions of 332: 207: 1312: 1102: 297:. Unable to control the colony's supreme court, which had ruled against Cosby in the dispute, Cosby removed Chief Justice 1105:
wherein January, February and part of March retained the preceding year's date. This system was eliminated in the 1750s.
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Zenger died in New York on July 28, 1746, at the age of 48 years old with his wife continuing his printing business.
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refused to indict him, the Attorney General Richard Bradley charged him with libel in August 1735. Zenger's lawyers,
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Levy, Leonard W. (January 1960). "Did the Zenger Case Really Matter? Freedom of the Press in Colonial New York".
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Levy, Leonard W. (January 1960). "Did the Zenger Case Really Matter? Freedom of the Press in Colonial New York".
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in the Collegiate Church, New York. He was the father of many children by his second wife, six of whom survived.
356:. This case is the groundwork of freedom of the press, not its legal precedent. As late as 1804, the journalist 328: 323: 203: 850: 393: 298: 397: 365: 266: 1410: 1405: 495: 349: 255: 186: 182: 94: 353: 247: 227: 68: 337: 941: 919: 899: 877: 706: 649: 609: 370: 630:"The Zenger Case Revisited: Satire, Sedition and Political Debate in Eighteenth Century America" 570:
Eldridge, Larry D. "Before Zenger: Truth and Seditious Speech in Colonial America, 1607–1700."
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in America; however, succeeding royal governors clamped down on freedom of the press until the
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National Park Service. "Intrigue on the Village Green: The Election of 1733 at St. Paul's."
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condemning the newspaper's "divers scandalous, virulent, false and seditious reflections."
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continued to publish articles critical of the royal governor. Finally, Cosby issued a
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in 1706. The Zenger family immigrated to New York in 1710 as part of a large group of
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Considering Zenger: Partisan Politics and the Legal Profession in Provincial New York
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Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present
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Covert, Cathy. "'Passion Is Ye Prevailing Motive': The Feud Behind the Zenger Case."
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Burrows, E. G., Wellace, M. (1998). "Chapter 11: Recession, Revival, and Rebellion".
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Freedom of the press from Zenger to Jefferson: early American libertarian theories
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libel. The words are reprinted from Cato's essay "Reflections Upon Libelling":
231: 199: 174: 60: 17: 389: 254:, the first printer in New York. By 1720, he was taking on printing work in 1370: 1019:
Keene, A. (2013, February 12). John Peter Zenger. Retrieved March 05, 2018
645: 163:(October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German printer and journalist in 828: 729:
by Livingston Rutherfurd, New York : Dodd, Mead & company, 1904
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Printers and Press Freedom: The Ideology of Early American Journalism
755: 667:. Charlottesville ; London : University Press of Virginia. 447: 1258: 702: 629: 605: 1350:"Peter Zenger and Freedom of the Press | Early American Bookmarks" 319: 276: 215: 148: 984:"The New York Weekly Journal and the Arrest of John Peter Zenger" 250:, and John Peter was bound for eight years as an apprentice to 48:
Andrew Hamilton defending John Peter Zenger in court, 1734–1735
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lost a series of prosecutions and appeals because truth was
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in 1701. The Zenger family had other children baptised in
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The trial, as imagined by an illustrator in the 1883 book
185:, but the jury acquitted Zenger, who became a symbol for 1222:"Zines and Things from the depths of the Sacred PO Box" 305:. Supported by members of the Popular Party, Zenger's 392:"Cato." This was a pen-name used by British writers 1416:
18th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
587:. Vol. XVI. St. Louis : Thomas Law Books. 133: 125: 117: 109: 101: 75: 53: 34: 261:On 28 May 1719, Zenger married Mary White in the 1241:"June 14, 1978: FBI and anti-abortion terrorism" 1204:"Hempsters demonstrate against the war on drugs" 1226:Holy Temple of Mass Consumption News, Issue #29 1042:Journalism in the United States, from 1690–1872 413: 565:Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 8: 455:that operated during the late 20th century. 265:. On 24 August 1722, widower Zenger married 1363:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography 364:a defense against libel, as decided by the 946:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( 904:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( 540:Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 513:Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site 301:, replacing him with the royalist justice 42: 31: 1436:German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 737:London : Printed for J. Wilford 1738 27:German printer and journalist (1697–1746) 1392:(1957 book, edited by Vincent Buranelli) 1121:. Oxford University Press. p. 25. 796:"Peter Zenger and Freedom of the Press" 790: 788: 747: 263:First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia 939: 897: 882:The Palatine Families of New York 1710 872: 870: 868: 640:(3). University of Maryland: 223–245. 501:Freedom of speech in the United States 479:Early American publishers and printers 388:is an opinion piece written under the 210:, successfully argued that truth is a 959: 957: 556:Copeland, David. "The Zenger Trial." 226:Peter Zenger was born in 1697 in the 7: 756:"7c. The Trial of John Peter Zenger" 1431:Printers from the Thirteen Colonies 926:. Universal City, CA. p. 381. 462:owned and operated by journalists. 1168:Williams, Greg H. (25 July 2014). 382:In the February 25, 1733 issue of 25: 1421:18th-century American journalists 572:American Journal of Legal History 400:, whose essays were published as 1446:People from SĂĽdliche WeinstraĂźe 1142:Gordon, Thomas (10 June 1721). 1077: 1053: 451:was a Madison, Wisconsin based 192:In 1733, Zenger began printing 1456:Journalists from New York City 1202:Getman, James (27 July 1996). 972:. German Historical Institute. 779: 691:The William and Mary Quarterly 594:The William and Mary Quarterly 581:Lawson, John Davidson (1914). 1: 1451:People from colonial New York 1089: 1065: 1144:"Reflections Upon Libelling" 855:"The Obstinate Dr. Heicklen" 624:(Irvington Publishers, 1966) 620:Levy, Leonard Williams, ed. 661:Pasley, Jeffrey L. (2003). 542:. Oxford University Press. 519:The New York Weekly Journal 385:The New York Weekly Journal 238:in 1697 and in 1703 and in 195:The New York Weekly Journal 170:The New York Weekly Journal 141:The New York Weekly Journal 1472: 1371:Works by John Peter Zenger 1357:"Zenger, John Peter"  1239:Masel, Ben (1 June 2009). 529: 1426:American male journalists 1384:The Trial of Peter Zenger 1315:First report of the trial 1044:. Forgotten Books. p. 82. 1040:Hudson, Frederic. (1873) 634:Early American Literature 433:During World War II, the 41: 990:. National Park Service. 443:was named in his honor. 331:and the New York lawyer 318:Zenger was charged with 181:, the royal governor of 1115:Smith, Jeffery (1990). 308:New-York Weekly Journal 283:New-York Weekly Journal 964:Keene, Ann T. (2013). 924:More Palatine Families 884:. Universal City, CA. 628:Olsen, Alison (2000). 418: 366:New York Supreme Court 286: 157: 155:Wall Street in History 1343:23 April 2020 at the 1265:. Z News Service, Inc 646:10.1353/eal.2000.0009 584:American state trials 567:(1973) 50#1 pp: 3–10. 558:Media Studies Journal 530:Further information: 453:underground newspaper 281:A page from Zenger's 280: 152: 853:(28 February 2011). 496:Freedom of the press 350:freedom of the press 187:freedom of the press 173:. He was accused of 95:Province of New York 1330:The Crown v. Zenger 966:"John Peter Zenger" 354:American Revolution 335:The case was now a 267:Anna Catharina Maul 214:against charges of 1148:Classical Liberals 920:Jones, Henry Z Jr. 878:Jones, Henry Z Jr. 831:on 3 December 2012 507:People v. Croswell 371:People v. Croswell 343:jury nullification 333:William Smith, Sr. 287: 208:William Smith, Sr. 161:John Peter Zenger 158: 69:Rhenish Palatinate 1389:Project Gutenberg 1324:John Peter Zenger 1289:Joseph Kiselewski 859:Harper's Magazine 574:(1995): 337-358. 560:14#2 (2000): 2–7. 549:978-0-19-511634-2 467:Joseph Kiselewski 458:Zenger News is a 429:Legacy and honors 228:German Palatinate 167:. Zenger printed 147: 146: 118:Years active 36:John Peter Zenger 16:(Redirected from 1463: 1441:German Palatines 1391: 1367: 1359: 1300: 1299: 1297: 1295: 1281: 1275: 1274: 1272: 1270: 1255: 1249: 1248: 1236: 1230: 1229: 1218: 1212: 1211: 1199: 1193: 1192: 1190: 1188: 1165: 1159: 1158: 1156: 1154: 1139: 1133: 1132: 1112: 1106: 1099: 1093: 1087: 1081: 1075: 1069: 1063: 1057: 1051: 1045: 1038: 1032: 1027: 1021: 1016: 1010: 1007: 1001: 998: 992: 991: 980: 974: 973: 961: 952: 951: 945: 937: 916: 910: 909: 903: 895: 874: 863: 862: 847: 841: 840: 838: 836: 827:. 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Retrieved 1288: 1279: 1267:. Retrieved 1262: 1253: 1244: 1234: 1225: 1216: 1208:Rally Report 1207: 1197: 1185:. Retrieved 1170: 1163: 1153:30 September 1151:. Retrieved 1147: 1137: 1117: 1110: 1097: 1085: 1078:Lawson, 1914 1073: 1061: 1054:Pasley, 2003 1049: 1036: 1025: 1014: 1005: 996: 988:Federal Hall 987: 978: 969: 923: 914: 881: 858: 845: 833:. Retrieved 829:the original 824: 815: 803:. Retrieved 799: 775: 763:. 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Index

Weekly Journal

Impflingen
Rumbach
Rhenish Palatinate
New York
Province of New York
The New York Weekly Journal

New York City
The New York Weekly Journal
libel
William Cosby
New York
freedom of the press
The New York Weekly Journal
grand jury
Andrew Hamilton
William Smith, Sr.
defense
libel
German Palatinate
Impflingen
Rumbach
Waldfischbach
German Palatines
Palatinate
William Bradford
Maryland
First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

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