Freedom of the press is one of the five major freedoms represented in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The constitution was ratified in 1791 giving full development to freedom of the press. Many cases have since evolved with this freedom, and freedom has played a role in the development of future amendments and technologies in the present day. Freedom of the press had a history even before its ratification, it helped resolve many court cases and is used throughout modern times. First of all, this is the definition of freedom of the press from lawbrain.com. Freedom of the press guarantees the right “to gather, publish, and distribute information and ideas without government restriction or restriction.” Furthermore, it is guaranteed that Congress will not enact any law restricting the freedom of the press. This means that you can publish your opinions in a newspaper or magazine and it doesn't matter what the story is, unless it follows libel, obscenity or sedition laws that it is legal to publish. There have been many critics who have said that there is no difference between freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It was a key issue and was not resolved until the late 20th century. According to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in 1978, there is no difference between freedom of speech and freedom of the press unless; “the courts or the government determine who or what the press is and what activities fall under its special protection” (Burger). The history of freedom of the press dates back to the mid-18th century, in particular to the Stamp Act of 1865 and the events that followed. Samuel Adams, a radical, used the colonial press to resist the Stamp Act and repeal it. He succeeded, and soon after the Stamp Act was repealed. After... middle of the paper... beginning, court cases, articles, history - LawBrain." Legal community | LawBrain - Making laws accessible and interactive. Web. 01 June 2011. .Dictionary.com | Find the meanings and definitions of on Dictionary.com Web. 01 June 2011. .Branzburg v. Hayes/ New York Times v. United States/ Schenck v. United States http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/ 1971/1971_70_85 / / http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1918/1918_437. "First Amendment Resources: History of the Freedom of the Press," Web on the First Amendment and Constitution Day "Act of Sedition of 1798." Web Index 2011. .