San Juan Island League Co-president Susan Martin submitted an opinion piece to the San Juan Journal as part of the League’s partner project with the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.   

The project, “America’s 250th First Freedom: Celebrating the First Amendment,” asks local League members to submit letters to the editors of their local news outlet on a variety of topics exploring the link between democracy and free and robust press. Local presidents are being asked to send longer opinion page articles.  

The League’s “America’s 250th First Freedom” project is part of the Democracy Power-Up! effort to “train up, speak out and make change.” It is based on the LWVWA’s Local News & Democracy position, adopted by consensus by the state League in 2023 and the national League in 2024 by way of concurrence.  

Martin’s op-ed reports on actions Britain took against emboldened editors and publishers, like Benjamin Franklin’s older brother, James, who published The Current. The elder Franklin was arrested and jailed for his outspokenness. Britain also retaliated by passing the Stamp Act.