Freedom to Libel? Samuel Marsden v Philo Free

Description This collection of essays explores the two libel cases (criminal and civil) prosecuted by Rev. Samuel Marsden against John Thomas Campbell in 1817, following the publication of the Philo Free letter. The event is examined in the various contexts of Imperial and Australasian Colonial History, Marsden historiography and biography, Australian legal history, South Seas missions history, the history of Australian indigenous missions, the freedom of the press, and normative ethics. Marsden's concern for Christian mission was not only one of the reasons Marsden was libelled, but it was also a key motivation for him to utilise and champion such freedoms to defend his own reputation and that of Christian mission. The issues raised by this even 200 years ago—such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to practice one's religion and persuade others to do the same—have clear implications for those in contemporary Australasia who wish to preserve such freedoms. Table of contents Peter G. Bolt: The Letter signed Philo Free David B. Pettett: Marsden in the Hands of Australasian Historians Joel Atwood: 'So important in its nature, so difficult in its execution, and so doubtful in its result'. The Mission to the South Seas from 1786 to 1830 Greg Anderson: The early colonial mission context of Philo Free Craig Schwarze: A Secret Enemy. The turbulent relationship between Marsden and Macquarie Malcolm Falloon: Mission Trading In The South Pacific By The Active (1814-1822) and The Accusations Of Philo Free Peter G. Bolt: The failure of the Philanthropic Society Jane M. Tooher: A Friendship Revealed. The Marsden & Stokes Family Correspondence David B. Pettett: Marsden's Supportive Circle. Friendship in Controversy Elizabeth G. Moll: Unmasking A Shielded Secret Enemy. John Thomas Campbell and the Philo Free Trials Michael Gladwin: The Bigge Picture: Colonial Manners, Mission, and the Imperial Context of Australia's First Libel Case Caitlin Hurley: Freedom of Speech and of the Press in Colonial NSW Alexander C. Bolt, Paul R. Cerotti, & Konrad Peszynski: Normative Ethics In Early Colonial Australia And The Country's First Libel Case Malcolm Falloon: The Breaking of the Storm: Marsden and the Missionary Cause Bibliography About the authors Peter Bolt is the Director of Academic Strategy at the Australian University College of Divinity. Malcolm Falloon is a New Zealand Anglican minister and the Associate National Diretor of the NZ Christian Network.