> It is perhaps telling that had Jefferson made such comments in the media of today where anybody could actually read it, he would likely be actively censored -

> It is perhaps telling that had Jefferson made such comments in the media of today where anybody could actually read it, he would likely be actively censored - his comments and his person alongside. And his receiving a visit from men in black would not be a surprise either, especially if he somehow managed to still keep communicating with society at large in spite of the censorship efforts. Possibly. The government of the time was fundamentally different from the modern one. At the time, Adams administration and that Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, granting broad authority to punish treasonous speech. Jefferson and Madison responded by spearheading laws in Virginia to basically say those Acts were void. Of course, then there was a civil war and states don't have that authority anymore (with good reason). https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/alien-and-sedition-acts https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/alien-and-sedition-a...