Lynda Everman

Resisting Tyranny

“As an American History major, I certainly remember reading about the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts, but I don’t recall reading about Matthew Lyon, the first American tried, fined, and imprisoned under these very acts for speaking out against the then President John Adams. Matthew Lyon’s life was dedicated to securing these ideals for himself and for others, and in so doing, he became our country’s first martyr for freedom of speech and the press.”