The arrest and trial of John Peter Zenger on charges of seditious libel brought about no judicial reform, for it set no legal precedent. The political factions involved won no lasting victories. But Zenger's counsel gave voice to the idea of a free and responsible press for a free and responsible people--and herein lies the greatest impact of the case on history. No longer could an oppressive administration wield the charge of libel capriciously to curb the uprisings of popular opinion. A generation later those uprisings culminated in the American Revolution: Gouverneur Morris, grandson of one of the principal players in the case said, "The trial of Zenger in 1735 was the germ of American freedom, the morning star of that liberty which subsequently revolutionized America."

Zenger was an independent printer in New York when he was swept up in the machinations of colonial politics and charged with seditions...