Why were Tory magazines and books illegal to read in the late 1700s?
June 24th, 2009 | by magazines |
malenymag asked:
In the book My Brother Sam is Dead it talks about how reading Tory magazines and things of the sort was illegal. We were assigned to find out why they were illegal to read in those times(1775). Thanks.
DEWITT
In the book My Brother Sam is Dead it talks about how reading Tory magazines and things of the sort was illegal. We were assigned to find out why they were illegal to read in those times(1775). Thanks.
DEWITT
3 Responses to “Why were Tory magazines and books illegal to read in the late 1700s?”
By Dr. JackE on Jun 25, 2009 | Reply
i remember having to read that book in school!
i’m assuming that law was created by the Rebel Patriots. The Rebels were afraid that those who read british magazines and books would act as spies for them, and possibly give away rebel secrets. Also, the magazines and books may have persuaded some former patriots to join the british forces. Needless to say, the rebels didn’t want the soon-to-be-Americans helping or supporting their enemy.
By Cheshire Cat on Jun 26, 2009 | Reply
Remember that at that time, there were two basic political parties: The Tories (British Loyalists) and the Whigs (American Rebels). The term illegal is somewhat misleading when referring to that particular time period in American history because both parties were vying for power. The Tories still saw the Brits as the ruling government, therefore Tories viewed British law as binding. However, the British government was many miles away, while the various Whig governments were right next door, thus Whig rules tended to carry the day. The Whigs viewed Tory publications as seditious, disloyal, and unpatriotic. Thus, despite the eventual freedoms that the Whig Founding Fathers granted us, the Whigs of 1775 viewed Tory publications as a threat and banned them.
By sleepnix on Jun 26, 2009 | Reply
In the beginning of a revolution, the American government obviously wouldn’t want people reading anti-war, anti-USA propaganda that might encourage citizens to not support the war, or to join the British side.