ABSTRACT
In 1735, the printer john peter zenger stood before the judges of New York's Supreme Court to answer charges of seditious libel brought against him by Gov. William Cosby. The trial of John Peter Zenger had little to do with freedom of the press in colonial America. It had much to do with political control and partisanship in New York. Zenger's trial lawyer, Philadelphia attorney Andrew Hamilton, however, based his defense of the German immigrant printer on the idea that truth negated a charge of libel—even though British law stated that truth made no difference and, indeed, made the libel worse because it could not be refuted. Zenger's paper offended not just the governor but his supporters. One of Cosby's staunchest devotees on the provincial council, Francis Harison, threatened to beat Zenger if he caught him on the streets. Zenger took the threat seriously and began to wear a sword in public.
