1. Who was John Peter Zenger? John Peter Zenger was a printer, publisher, and editor of the New York Gazette who spoke out to the onerous polices of colonial governor William Cosby who was newly appointed. Cosby then charged Zenger with seditious libel and was put in jail eight months awaiting his trial.
2.What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense. The controversy was all the people that hear about this case were on his side and in fact believed his accusations were not slanderous but they were true. Hamilton's defense argued that if what Zenger was saying was true that it would not be libelous because he is just saying what is what.
3.What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition? It changed the way the court looked at libel suits. After this case anything that people were saying, no matter how bad it is, was not considered libelous.
4. What is the lasting significance of his trial? Explain. This trial was the groundwork for the advancements towards freedom of the press. After this, Newspapers could print articles criticizing anything they wanted as long as they were true.
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