ABSTRACT
The late eighteenth century was a time of changing political order and legal contention in Britain. The fi nal decades of the century saw the American colonies’ rebellion and establishment as the new United States, various slave revolts in the West Indian colonies, and of course the revolution across the channel in France. In Britain, growing and vocal movements advocated for abolishing the slave trade or more radically slavery itself; related reformers demanded signifi cant changes in parliamentary elections and representation. These social movements as well as several high-profi le legal trials including the impeachment of Warren Hastings (former GovernorGeneral of India), trials of reformers for sedition in 1793, and the trials of members of the London Corresponding Society for treason in 1794 all raised popular consciousness about political and legal order. At the same time, the expansion of public print media brought trial transcripts, popularized accounts of both trials and parliamentary debates, and satirical prints documenting or mocking these events to an increasingly wide audience.
