The Prosecutions under the Sedition Acts

In 1798, there was turmoil in the young United States of America. There was intense party politics between the Federalists and the Democratic- Republicans, and there was a looming war with former ally France following diplomatic failures. Due to these uncertainties, Congress would pass the Sedition acts. The Sedition Acts, passed in the summer of 1798, criminalized seditious libel against the federal government, in any form of writing or speech such as newspapers, published works, or verbal utterance.¹ This meant that any negative comment made against the President or Congress, even if true, could be prosecuted and punished with prison time. This bill directly contradicts the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which allows Americans to have the right to free speech and press. Even though this was a violation of the Bill of Rights, prosecutions proceeded, and many men were sentenced to prison as a result of criticizing the government. Matthew Lyon, Thomas Cooper, and James Callendar all spoke against the government, and were prosecuted under the Sedition Act. These trials were paid close attention by the American public, and the defendants in these trials became martyrs for the fight against the Sedition Act. The previous actions, trials, and writings of Matthew Lyon, Thomas Cooper, and James Callendar made them effective martyrs of the Sedition Act, especially in their defenses of the First Amendment. These trials and their defendants' martyrdom strengthened the First Amendment, due to their influential nature in the American political landscape.

¹ "Laws of the United States: The Sedition Act." Columbian Centinel, 8 Aug. 1798 [Boston, Massachusetts] , p. 1.