The Trial:
On Nov. 17, 1734, Zenger was arrested for printing seditious and libelous material. When Zenger was accused of libel and went to court, he never denied printing the articles. He also didn't give out the names of the authors who actually wrote the articles, so he was the only one who
was accused. During the trial Zenger was in jail for almost 10 months, which made Cosby happy, because he thought the papers would stop printing. This didn't happen though, because Zenger's wife took his place and continue to publish the journal. During the trial, Zenger had three lawyers; his main lawyer was Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton was the most famous lawyer in the colonies at that time. Because of this, the court and jury members were shocked that Hamilton actually wanted the case and were surprised to see him. The jury in this trial was mostly made up of people who were in favor of Cosby, and some suspected that they might have even been bribed by him. Hamilton told the jury that Zenger did print the articles on Cosby and asked the prosecution to prove that what Zenger printed was wrong. He then continued to ask the jury to let his client go. However, at this particular time English law protected the government more than the people, so they said that truth couldn't be used as a defense. Even so, when the jury left to make their decision, they came back with the verdict of not guilty.
On Nov. 17, 1734, Zenger was arrested for printing seditious and libelous material. When Zenger was accused of libel and went to court, he never denied printing the articles. He also didn't give out the names of the authors who actually wrote the articles, so he was the only one who
was accused. During the trial Zenger was in jail for almost 10 months, which made Cosby happy, because he thought the papers would stop printing. This didn't happen though, because Zenger's wife took his place and continue to publish the journal. During the trial, Zenger had three lawyers; his main lawyer was Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton was the most famous lawyer in the colonies at that time. Because of this, the court and jury members were shocked that Hamilton actually wanted the case and were surprised to see him. The jury in this trial was mostly made up of people who were in favor of Cosby, and some suspected that they might have even been bribed by him. Hamilton told the jury that Zenger did print the articles on Cosby and asked the prosecution to prove that what Zenger printed was wrong. He then continued to ask the jury to let his client go. However, at this particular time English law protected the government more than the people, so they said that truth couldn't be used as a defense. Even so, when the jury left to make their decision, they came back with the verdict of not guilty.
Life After the Trial:
After the Zenger trial, newspaper publishers and journalist felt free to print their honest views. Although, freedom of the press was not established directly after this trial, it did contribute to people thinking about and discussing the importance of it. Freedom of the press was not truly known until the First Amendment. This freedom has become a very important freedom for our country and the future.
After the Zenger trial, newspaper publishers and journalist felt free to print their honest views. Although, freedom of the press was not established directly after this trial, it did contribute to people thinking about and discussing the importance of it. Freedom of the press was not truly known until the First Amendment. This freedom has become a very important freedom for our country and the future.