Notes on the John Peter Zenger Trial

1. The vocabulary here is archaic, it was written in the 18th century, after all, but it isn’t as difficult a read as several other pieces here because it’s meant to be spoken.
2. When you excerpt this piece, focus on your research. Figure out which section supports the argument you’re making.
3. When you recite your excerpt, remember that this was a legal argument, so your voice should be formal, but passionate.
4. If you’re focusing on a court case, you can do a shorter excerpt from here, and then an excerpt from the ruling in the court case. Not the research around it, but the actual ruling.
5. Possible research ideas include biographies of any of the principal people involved, the development of the press in the colonies, cases about free press, libel, or slander.
6. Here is the Resource Collection. This is not an exhaustive collection of resources, but it does give you a place to start.