The Printer's Trial: The Case of John Peter Zenger and the Fight for a Free Press

The foundation for America’s freedom of the press was laid on an August day in 1735 in colonial New York. In a hot, crowded courtroom, a jury found newspaper printer John Peter Zenger innocent of the charge of seditious libel against the British royal governor. Through a combination of narrative and quotes from primary sources, The Printer’s Trial tells the dramatic story of Zenger’s arrest, imprisonment, and trial.