Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act 1819
E43884
The Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act 1819 was a British law passed in the aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre to strengthen penalties for radical and dissenting publications deemed threatening to church or state.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
British statute → |
| aimedAt |
political agitators
→
radical publishers → religious dissenters → |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
England
→
Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom) → Wales → |
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
→
criminal law → press law → |
| associatedEvent |
Peterloo Massacre
→
|
| classification |
repressive press law
→
|
| concerns |
offences against religion
→
offences against the state → |
| country |
United Kingdom
→
|
| effect |
chilling effect on radical and dissenting press
→
increased maximum penalties for convicted publishers → strengthened powers of prosecution for libel → |
| enactedInResponseTo |
fear of revolutionary agitation
→
radical publications critical of church and state → |
| follows |
Peterloo Massacre
→
|
| historicalContext |
government reaction to radical reform movements
→
post-Napoleonic War political unrest in Britain → |
| impactOn |
British radical press
→
freedom of expression in the United Kingdom → |
| influencedBy |
conservative reaction to popular radicalism
→
|
| jurisdiction |
Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| legalStatus |
historical legislation
→
|
| legalSubject |
blasphemous libel
→
freedom of the press → seditious libel → |
| legislativeBody |
Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
|
| partOf |
Six Acts
→
|
| politicalAlignment |
Tory government policy
→
repressive legislation → |
| purpose |
to deter radical and dissenting publications
→
to protect the authority of the state → to protect the established Church of England → to strengthen penalties for blasphemous libel → to strengthen penalties for seditious libel → |
| relatedTo |
Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act 1819
→
Seditious Meetings Act 1819 → Treason Act 1817 → |
| subjectHeading |
blasphemy law in the United Kingdom
→
seditious libel in the United Kingdom → |
| timePeriod |
19th-century United Kingdom
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Seditious Meetings Act 1819
→
Seizure of Arms Act 1819 → |
relatedTo |
|
Six Acts
→
|
hasPart |