The man in the meme is Joseph Howe, a Nova Scotian newspaper publisher charged with seditious libel in 1835 after printing allegations of corruption among Halifax officials. Howe defended himself before the jury for more than six hours, arguing that Canadians should leave an “unshackled press” to their children. Despite the judge urging conviction, the jury acquitted him within ten minutes. The trial became a landmark in the development of press freedom in Canada.