Episode 18 - Colonial Dissent: Blasphemy, Libel and Tolerance in 17th Century America

This Week In Free Speech with Jacob Mchangama

Americans are more supportive of free speech than any other people. 95 % of Americans think it’s “very important” to be able to criticize the government without censorship and 77% support the right to offend religious feelings. But in 17th Century colonial America, criticizing the government, officials or the laws was punishable as seditious libel and could result in the cropping of ears, whippings, boring of the tongue and jail time. Religious speech was also tightly controlled. Blasphemy was punishable by death in several colonies and religious dissenters such as Quakers were viciously persecuted in Puritan New England. Despite the harsh climate of the 17th century, the boundaries of political speech and religious tolerance were significantly expanded. In this episode we’ll explore:

• How the crime of seditious libel was exported to colonial America
• Why peddlers of “fake news” were seen as enemies of the state
• Why a Harvard student was whipped for blasphemy
• Why four Quakers were hanged in Boston and many more whipped, branded and jailed
• How colonies like Pennsylvania, Carolina and Maryland combined religious tolerance with laws against religious offense,
• How Roger Williams´ ”Rogue Island” and West New Jersey adopted polices of radical religious toleration
• The dangers of mixing alcohol and politics in Maryland
• How William Penn promoted religious tolerance and political intolerance
• How the colonies operated a strict licensing regime to suppress printing
• How John Wise protested taxation without representation and became “America’s First Great Democrat”

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