ABSTRACT
The development of the law of free speech and press in the United States, like most American law, has its roots in England. The British model was imported to the colonies and included a tradition that supports punishment for the publication of seditious libel. Prohibition against seditious libel began in 1275 with the enactment of De Scandalis Magnatum, which provided for imprisonment of anyone who disseminated false statements about the king that caused discord between the king and his subjects.
