John Peter Zenger

Alison Olson (The University of Maryland)

Ed. by Nick Selby, University of East Anglia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.1: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Colonial Period, 1604-1783.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Scott Slawinski (Western Michigan University)

Dates

Born 26 Oct 1697
Died 28 Jul 1746
Activity 1717-1746

Places

Born in United States
Active in United States

Activities

Primary

Editor
Historian / Chronicler
Journalist
Printer

Resources

Zenger's Works

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John Peter Zenger, a German immigrant to New York, was employed in 1734 to begin the printing of a newspaper opposed to the imperial governor. Through a number of satirical articles contributed by political leaders, the paper helped develop a strong popular resistance to the governor, who then accused Zenger of printing seditious libels. In the trial Zenger's lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, argued that satire could not be construed as libelous if it was based on truth, and that its truthfulness should be determined by a jury, not the governor's hand-picked judges. The jury agreed and acquitted the printer. Because of its striking argument and procedure, the trial's importance has been controversial ever since: did it represent a victory for a narrow opposition faction or a true victory for a…

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3093 words

Citation: Olson, Alison. "John Peter Zenger". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 March 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4848, accessed 22 November 2024.]