“…or of the press” extends the same idea to newspapers, pamphlets, books, and other publishers. In 1791 “the press” meant the printing press: the tool that let ordinary people spread ideas farther than a speech on a street corner. The government cannot require a license to print, shut a paper for criticizing the president, or decide in advance which stories may be published. Libel and fraud laws still exist.
KatNap Fever! 