Topics: Laws and Proposed Laws, Pre-First Amendment

• Copyright Act of 1790 (1790)

  The first federal copyright law was passed in the First Congress in 1790 and predated the ratification of the First Amendment. Its purpose was to encourage...

• De Scandalis Magnatum

  Enacted in 13th century England, the series of laws known as De Scandalis Magnatum made it illegal knowingly to spread false rumors that cause public mischief...

• Detached Memoranda

  James Madison's “Detached Memoranda,” written after his presidency, reveals his increasing emphasis on First Amendment separation of church and state...

• Maryland Toleration Act of 1649

  Before the First Amendment was adopted, Maryland passed the Toleration Act of 1649, which was meant to ensure religious freedom for Christian settlers of...

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787

  The Northwest Ordinance primarily created the Northwest Territory in 1789 and presaged several provisions of the Constitution and the First Amendment...

• Old Deluder Satan Act of 1647 (1647)

  The Old Deluder Satan Act of 1647, laid the basis for public schools in America and also future First Amendment conflicts regarding religious acts in public...

• Printing Ordinance of 1643 (1643)

  The Constitution framers were familiar with press licensing controls such as England's Printing Ordinance of 1643 when they decided to protect press freedom in...

• Quebec Act of 1774 (1774)

  The Quebec Act of 1774, in which the British Parliament provided for religious freedom to its Canadian province, was a progenitor of religious freedoms in the...

• Speech and Debate Clause

  The speech and debate clause of the Constitution is more limited than the First Amendment. Only legislative speech by Congress members is protected from...

• Stamp Act of 1765 (1765)

  The violent aftermath of the Stamp Act, which taxed on colonial papers and official documents, influenced the Constitution framers to add safeguards like the...