America's First Free Speech Crisis (1798)

Seven years after guaranteeing freedom of speech in the First Amendment, the same founding fathers who wrote it passed a law making it illegal to criticize the government. In 1798, President John Adams—once an eloquent champion of free speech—signed the Sedition Act, effectively criminalizing dissent and arresting journalists who dared to challenge his administration.

This wasn't a story of tyrannical villains. These were the revolutionary heroes who'd fought for liberty against British oppression. But when they became "the man" with targets on their backs, they buckled under relentless criticism from opposition newspapers. The result was America's first great test of its commitment to the Bill of Rights—and a constitutional crisis that would reshape American politics for generations.

Author Charles Slack joins us to discuss his book "Liberty's First Crisis," revealing how this forgotten moment in early American history holds urgent lessons for our own era. Because the battle for free speech never ends—and the threats often come from our own side.

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In This Episode:

• How the founding fathers criminalized free speech just 7 years after guaranteeing it
• President John Adams's tragic betrayal of his own principles under political pressure
• Benjamin Franklin's grandson and the vicious newspaper war that sparked the crisis
• Why every prosecution under the Sedition Act targeted political opponents only
• How public outrage turned arrested journalists into martyrs and destroyed the Federalist Party
• The surprising parallels between 1798 and today's free speech debates

Key Figures:

• John Adams - Second U.S. President who signed the Sedition Act despite being a free speech champion
• Charles Slack - Author of "Liberty's First Crisis" and our guest
• Benjamin Franklin Bache - Journalist grandson of Benjamin Franklin targeted under the Act
• Thomas Jefferson - Republican leader who opposed the Act and won the 1800 election
• Alexander Hamilton - Federalist leader who supported silencing opposition press

Timeline:

• 1791: Bill of Rights ratified, guaranteeing free speech in First Amendment
• 1798: Sedition Act passed, criminalizing criticism of government
• 1798-1800: Multiple journalists prosecuted and jailed for opposition speech
• 1800: John Adams loses presidency to Jefferson in landslide
• January 1801: Sedition Act sunsets at end of Adams's term

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