"Vivid storytelling built on exacting research." —Bill Keller, New York Times Book Review In 1735, struggling printer John Peter Zenger scandalized colonial New York by launching a small newspaper, the New-York Weekly Journal. The newspaper was assailed by the new British governor as corrupt and arrogant, and as being a direct challenge against the prevailing law that criminalized any criticism of the royal government. Zenger was thrown in jail for nine months before his landmark one-day trial on August 4, 1735, in which he was brilliantly defended by Andrew Hamilton. In Indelible Ink, Pulitzer Prize–winning social historian Richard Kluger has fashioned the first book-length narrative of the Zenger case, rendering with colorful detail its setting in old New York and the vibrant personalities of its leading participants, whose virtues and shortcomings are assessed with fresh scrutiny often at variance with earlier accounts.

In a hot, crowded courtroom in colonial New York, on an August day in 1735, a jury found printer John Peter Zenger innocent of the charge of seditious libel against the British royal governor. The verdict established the political precedent for the right of people to criticize their government in print and helped shape the Bill of Rights more than fifty years later. Combining narrative with voices from primary sources, the book shows the conflict between characters that led to this momentous trial in American history.--From publisher description.

A Brief Narrative of the Case and Tryal of John Peter Zenger is one of the most significant publications of colonial America and represents a major turning point in the history of freedom of the press and the political development of colonial America and the early republic. The book, published by Zenger in 1736, recounts his 1735 trial on charges of seditious libel and contains groundbreaking arguments by Zenger’s attorney, Andrew Hamilton. In this volume — which reprints the text of the Narrative as well as other contemporary documents, including excerpts from Zenger’s newspaper — Paul Finkelman provides a thorough and lively overview of the issues, events, and political intrigue surrounding the Zenger trial and offers a broad perspective on the trial’s long-term impact. Finkelman’s introduction and headnotes to the documents provide historical context and analysis, which make the documents accessible to students. Other useful pedagogical aids include a chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography.

This book provides an account of the famous trial of John Peter Zenger, who was accused of printing a libel against the government of New York. The trial was a landmark case in the development of freedom of the press in America, and is an important moment in American legal and political history. An essential read for those interested in the legal and political history of the United States. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A fascinating historical account of the celebrated libel trial of John Peter Zenger, a New York journalist whose publications critical of the colonial governor led to his arrest and subsequent legal defense. Rutherfurd provides valuable insights into the political, cultural, and legal climate of colonial America, and sheds light on the origins of press freedom in the United States. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.