Freedom of the press in early America is associated with which printer?

Freedom of the press in early America is prominently associated with John Zenger due to his groundbreaking legal case in 1735. Zenger was a German-American printer and journalist who published a newspaper called the New-York Weekly Journal. He was arrested for seditious libel after publishing articles that criticized the colonial governor of New York, William Cosby.

The significance of Zenger's trial lies in the defense argument presented by his lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, who asserted that the truth should be a defense against libel charges. The jury ultimately acquitted Zenger, a decision that established an important precedent for the freedom of the press in America. This case is frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of press freedoms, leading to the eventual inclusion of rights related to the press in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Thus, Zenger's actions and trial laid the foundational groundwork for the principle that the press should be free to criticize government actions without fear of legal repercussions, marking a critical advancement in American democratic ideals.

While Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Paul Revere were also influential figures in early American history and contributed to the American Revolution through their writings and activism, it is Zenger's trial that directly relates