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Articles and Products of History
18th Century Zeneger
Trial
Peter Zeneger came to America from Germany and started a newspaper. He
was a quiet man, who apprenticed under a local printer, and then started
his own printing business. The rumble started when Zeneger started voicing
his opposition to the policies of the royal colonial governor, William
Cosby.
It was said that Cosby got into an argument over his salary with the
Council of the Colony. When the council ruled against him, it is said
that Cosby had one of the judges removed and replaced him with a judge
from the royal party. Many people wanted this information made public,
but most papers were supported by Cosby, and they refused to print it.
These people financially backed Zeneger, and he reported the acts of
William Cosby in his paper, The Journal. William Cosby condemned Peter
Zeneger openly for his reports, and had him arrested on November 17, 1734.
Zeneger was charged with seditious libel. Zeneger was held in prison for
almost a year waiting to go to trial. When his court date approached,
he was defended by Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton argued that Zeneger could
not be held against the charges because what was reported was the truth,
and not a lie. Zeneger was found not guilty.
The 18th century trial of Peter Zeneger was simply a case of freedom
of the press. The details of this case were used for years in other lawsuits,
and it went a long way in proving that an individual, or paper, could
not be held libel for things that are true.
Further Reading
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