The Free Press Crisis of 1800: Thomas Cooper's Trial for Seditious Libel (Landmark Law Cases & American Society)
Description
The far-reaching Sedition Act of 1798 was introduced by Federalists to suppress Republican support of French revolutionaries and imposed fines and imprisonment "if any person shall write, print, utter or publish . . . scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States." Such a broadly and loosely defined offense challenged the freedom of the American press and gave the government the power to drag offending newspaper editors into court. The trial of Thomas Cooper in particular became an important showcase for debating the dangers and limits of...
ISBN(s)
0700617655, 9780700617654
