Then Again: Vermont’s seditious congressman

A portrait of Matthew Lyon hangs in the Vermont Statehouse. Courtesy of the Vermont State Curator’s OfficeEditor’s note: Mark Bushnell is a Vermont journalist and historian. He is the author of “Hidden History of Vermont” and “It Happened in Vermont.”The government braced for a military attack that seemed imminent. Congress, fearing any unrest would weaken the country, made it a crime even to criticize the president or the federal government. Critics bridled a