In British history, acts of Parliament passed
1819 by Lord Liverpool's Tory administration
to curtail political radicalism in the
aftermath of the Peterloo massacre and during
a period of agitation for reform when habeas
corpus was suspended and the powers of
magistrates extended. The acts curtailed the
rights of the accused by stipulating trial
within a year; increased the penalties for
seditious libel; imposed a newspaper stamp
duty on all pamphlets and circulars
containing news; specified strict limitations
on public meetings; banned training with guns
and other arms and empowered magistrates to
search and seize arms.