Zenger Trial Questions What was seditious libel? What defense did Hamilton provide for Zenger against the charge of seditious libel? Why do historians find the John Peter Zenger case to be a landmark event in the colonial period before the Revolutionary War broke out against England? Some contemporary commentators suggest that in time of war or other immediate threat, the government should be able to limit the right of the press to criticize the government because it empowers our country’s enemies. Is this a valid argument in your opinion? Should the press be viewed as a dangerous thing to be controlled? In your opinion, did the jurors make the right decision based on the law? If you lived during this time period, would you have supported Zenger or Cosby? Explain.

Zenger Comic Strip

Link for Homework http://www.c- span.org/video/?296410-1/french- indian-war