Act against Blasphemy. The court dismissed the third claim out of hand, saying that if unlimited freedom of the press was allowed, the article in question become a general license for scandal, calumny and falsehood against individuals, institutions and governments, in the form of publication ... but all incitation to treason, assassination, and all other crimes however atrocious, if conveyed in printed language, would be dispunishable. Kneeland was sentenced to sixty days in prison. Justice Morton did issue a dissent; in it, he argued that mere disavowal of God was not blasphemy, and punishable blasphemy was only attacking religion out of malice or intent to injure, a standard that was not met in this case. In Kneeland's support, a petition was put forward by for his pardon under grounds of free speech by William Ellery Channing, signed by various prominent people including Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Lloyd Garrison. However, a counter-petition was signed with even more signatures; Kneeland stayed in prison and served his entire term. See also Blasphemy law in the United States Charles Lee Smith, the last person in the US known to have been convicted on a blasphemy charge References External links Abner Kneeland Biography from the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society Church-State lawyer's page discussing the case, with quotes Massachusetts state case law 1838 in United States case law 1838 in Massachusetts 1838 in religion United States free exercise of religion case law Blasphemy law in North America