On Thomas Jefferson's Ideas Of The Freedom Of The Press

This dissertation discusses mainly the background of Thomas Jefferson on freedom of the press, and its main elements, the relevant legislation and its practice. And it also explores the reasons why Jefferson could combine the theory, legislation with practice closely.The popular of the democratic theory in North American and the development of the press made the formation of Jefferson on freedom of the press possible, and it is an indispensable part of Jefferson's ideology for democracy. As discussed in the dissertation, his ideas on the freedom of the press are composed of three parts. The first one is" God-given freedom of the press " concept, namely that the freedom of the press is inherent, inalienable natural rights that cannot be violated by any government; The second one is "the fourth power " concept,which defines freedom of the press as the "fourth power" besides the power of justice, legislative and executive . "The fourth power" can be used to monitor and check on the government, in order to prevent the tyranny of government; The last part is that "fourth power" and other powers must be checked and balanced to prevent abuse and to protect the basic rights of individuals.For protect the freedom of the press and individuals rights, Jefferson promoted The Bill of Rights. In addition, when he became the president of the United States, he put his ideas into practice thoroughly. Jefferson personally had a firm belief in democracy and he dedicated himself into the theory making of freedom of the press. Meanwhile, the special historical and cultural conditions of the United States at that time were conducive to. implementing his theory as well. All these made him to combine the theory of freedom of the press, relevant legislation and practice of the theory closely.The contribution of Jefferson on freedom of the press influenced the libertarian theory of the press and historical development of American press deeply. Jefferson himself was also considered as the main founder of the freedom of the press of the United States.