Family Theater: Peter Zenger

Family Theater presents Pat O'Brien and Raymond Burr. From Hollywood, the mutual network in cooperation with Family Theater presents Raymond Burr as Andrew Hamilton in the story of Peter Zanger. To introduce the drama, your host and narrator Pat O'Brien.

Thank you Tony Lefrano. Family Theater's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives. If we were to win peace for ourselves, Peace for our families and peace for the world.

Family theater urges you to pray. Pray together as a family. John Peter Zanger is a name unfamiliar to most of us. Yet by historians he's considered the man who struck the first blow in America's struggle for freedom.

For it was Peter Zanger who fought and won the battle for a free press. Who was Peter Zanger? Well, let us imagine ourselves in the British Crown Colony of New York back in the year 1733.

The place? A small printing shop on Broad Street. Anna, where are you? What is it? Why are you so... Anna, this time Governor Cosby's gone too far. Now what has he done? He's removed Louis Morris as Chief Justice.

Oh, no. Aren't there regulations or rules or something that prohibit such actions? Because we make his own rules, and the legislature's afraid to oppose him. Justice Morris tempered his decisions with justice and wisdom, and for that he's removed from office. And worse, nothing will be done about it.

But surely something can be done about it. What? Bring the facts to the people. And just how? My dear, why don't you publish a newspaper that's not dependent upon the governor's patronage? What? Peter, accepting you William Bradford is the only other printer in the colony.