NYC Roots of the First Amendment

1735 was a pivotal year in New York. That year saw newspaper printer John Peter Zenger tried for seditious libel in New York's Supreme Court. At the time, the English government ran the only newspaper in the province. To make their own voices heard, opponents to the colonial government created their own newspaper, The New York Weekly Journal. When the newspaper accused the government of rigging elections, colonial Governor William Cosby did anything in his power to destroy it, including jailing the printer, John Peter Zenger, for seditious libel. Though freedom of the press would not become law until the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, Zenger's trial helped lay the groundwork of that fundamental American right. Join Untapped New York's expert guide Mandy Edgecombe on a journey of intrigue in storytelling that includes quarantine, Governors Island, and the sowing of seeds of liberty that helped lead to the revolution and a free press. For more events like this, become an Untapped New York Insider! https://untappedcities.com/become-a-member/