In present day America, there is still great concern for the preservation of the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. Recent controversial incidents include the incarceration of journalist Judith Miller for refusing to reveal the identities of anonymous sources, as well as the revelation of a U.S. attempt to track the finances of terror groups in the pages of the NY Times in 2006. Both of these examples illustrate the continuing rift between the U.S. government and the American media.
There seems to be a pervasive belief that we live in a country with a rich heritage of respecting the freedom of the press. In fact, a thorny relationship has existed between press and state since the founding of America. Just a decade after the ratification of the Constitution, President John Adams signed into law the Sedition Act, making it a crime to publish material that was overly critical of the president or either house of Congress. From its very beginning, America has experienced incidents such as the Sedition Act that have threatened the freedom of speech, and in particular, the right of the press to freely express itself.
Among the most notable episodes in the history of the American press was the Lincoln
Administration.s treatment of the anti-war Northern newspapers during the Civil War. Father
Abraham, as his most admiring supporters refer to him, is widely considered to be one of our
greatest presidents. His extraordinary popularity is likely the reason that many of his
administration.s controversial actions are seemingly glossed over. These questionable measures
include excluding newspapers from the public mail, the confiscation of newspapers, the arrests
of publishers and editors, and the censorship of ...
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...ikely a difference in political beliefs. Those who do not mind or
even favor a stronger and more centralized government in Washington will probably be less
perturbed by the suppression of the anti-war press than those who lament the collapse of the
voluntary union of states. It is doubtful that this issue will ever be settled, but it is nonetheless
vital for the American public to remain aware of the periods in our history when the freedom of
the press was not absolute in order for us not to take our rights for granted.
Works Cited
DiLorenzo, Thomas. The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002.
Randall, James G. Constitutional Problems Under Lincoln. New York: D. Appleton and
Company, 1926.
Sprague, Dean. Freedom Under Lincoln. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.
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