In Chapter 3 of The Idea of a Free Press, Copeland traces some of the historical developments that led to a free press in England. Based on your reading of the chapter, identify and explain the significance of one important historical event or incident that moved the English press closer to a system of free expression. Because this chapter is concerned with the growth of news, select an event or incident that involves news.
Write your post in the comments section below. For this post, write about 100 words (about seven or eight sentences). To do this well, cite specific details from Copeland and explain why your development is important in the growth of a free press in England. Originality is important too. It is bad form to repeat or rewrite what another student has already posted.
Also: Be prepared to discuss and defend your historical development in class. See you Monday.
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7 comments:
Zak Patterson
In 1644 and 1679 England experienced controversy in the political arena, an this naturally spawned opposing viewpoints between different people. People had an easier time publishing newsheets beause Parliament was somewhat in disarray, and therefore had a harder time managing their control This led to more partisanship in public opinion and opposing newspapers presumably presented ther own opinions and attacked the opposers. This is significant toward free expression, because unlike previous newsheets who just stated the news from foreign areas, these newsheets invlolved opinion. While these newsheets were often shot down, the interest they garneded in the public sphere "demonstrated beyond all possible doubt the popular demand for more news." More demand for news created more newspapers.
Barrett Hunter
From our readings thus far I can see an obvious connection between religious toleration and the spread of free expression and press. When James II took the throne in 1685 Copeland says,“ England was more concerned with the direction the nation would steer in terms of religion than in what newspapers have to say.” Even after his reign ended with the “Glorious Revolution” the ideas of religious toleration and free press continued to spread through England and by 1689 religious toleration was the law of England. Five years later parliament did not renew the Licensing Act and “no publication needed to be licensed to be published legally.” So adding on to my previous notions of a strict law on religious tolerance leading to the deterioration of free expression, religious tolerance would lead to the spread of free flowing ideas and opinions.
Kristina Merkle
While doing the reading, I realized that there was so much controversy when it came to being able to express oneself freely. It mentions in the book that in 1647, the openness of the press was ordered to end. Then in 1649, the Act of Treason enforced a new rule stating that everything that was published had to be licensed. This caused a stir in England and dozens of britons would no longer sit by and let this happen. In the book it states that they spoke out in support of the right to publish their thoughts. "To speak what I thinke, my minde gives me". John Lilburne said that when it came to his opinion about his religious beliefs. This Act of Treason is what seemed to make people want to take a stand and get their right to have freedom of speech. Without this act, people may not have stood up for what they believed in.
Michael Thomas
I believe the most influential, and possibly inspirational, event in the 17th century to bring about a refreshed sense of free expression would be the death of Oliver Cromwell. Upon his death, his son Richard took over the position of lord protector. Fortunately for the press, Richard failed horribly and soon after his father’s death, printed news was back on the streets. The reason why I find this a major point is because, much like terrorism and Osama Bin Laden, we have a very symbol oriented mentality. Everything restrictive and coercive during the time of Oliver Cromwell’s reign as the lord protector fell with him during 1658. (found on page 68)
Andrus Rodriguez
One historical incident that took place in England that moved the English press closer to a system of "Free Expression" was when John Wolfe did not let legalities stop him from printing news which added controversy to Queen Elizabeth's realm. Even though he was banned from printing, he protested and gained others that were unlicensed printers to do the same. "I am that one man, that must and will reforme the government in this trade," Wolfe. Copeland goes on to mention that after Wolfe's protest, he became a "member of the privileged class of printers and ended his protests" and began printing the majority of Enlgands news.
Maggie Tracy
I was really surprised when reading this chapter how open news publishing was becoming. It seemed, and I believe was true, in the first two chapters that there was a real fight and struggled to acquire freedom of speech and press. Though freedom of press began with religious dissenters it eventually became in demand for actual news, people wanting to know what was going on in general. Chapter three mentions, on page 57, “News meant a news publication, and the term was used repeatedly in contemporary literature in that way”. The following page mentions during the Elizabethan period that publishing had escaped “the censor’s touch” which clearly is a big milestone historic event because news pieces were able to be published about the scandal that was Henry dumping the Catholic Church and forming the Church of England. Finally, the most surprising thing to me in the chapter was on page 61 when it mentions there were “at least twelve papers competed for readers in London, each with a circulation of between 250 and 1,000”. The lax rules that came with new religion and new government definitely helped to form the freedom of expression.
The idea of "free press" was not an issue in England when press first began. The people that were printing were not printing objectable pieces of news or things that would upset the government. In the 1620's it became a problem when Henry separated from the Catholic church to form a new sector. New news began to run and the people started receiving conflicting news stories from the different outlets. This created a "vaccuum" of power in England with two separtae sides being represented in the press; they were on the brink of an era of civil war. It took 125 years for the partisan press of colonial America to demand the right for free press.
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