J'accuse!

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J'accuse!

Letter

By: Émile Zola

Date: January 13, 1898

Source: Zola, Émile. "J'accuse!"

About the Author: Émile Zola (1840–1902) was a prominent French writer who helped popularize naturalism, a literary school that desired to reflect everyday realities in writing. An activist for liberalizing reforms, Zola was also active in French politics. He published his letter, "J'acccuse!" (I accuse!) in the Parisian daily publication, L'Aurore (The Dawn).

INTRODUCTION

In 1894, the French government tried and convicted military officer Alfred Dreyfus with treason. Dreyfus was convicted of passing intelligence secrets to German officials at the German Embassy in Paris. At the time of his trial, Dreyfus was the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the French Army. As the case against Dreyfus progressed, French authorities realized they had scant evidence that implicated Dreyfus in the espionage plot. The realizations came too late, as other officials feared public outrage if the trail were to be withdrawn. Dreyfus's trial continued. Suspicious and secretive evidence in the form of a sealed dossier was provided to prosecutors, but not the defense. Other errors of evidence and investigation also marred the case.

Dreyfus was convicted and stripped of his commission and all military honors. Friends and family of Dreyfus waged a campaign to exhonorate him, citing anti-Semitism as a leading factor in the the government's prosecution of Dreyfus. Dreyfus was sentenced to life in prison on the infamous penal colony on Devil's Island. He remained in prison until 1899 when he agreed to a plea bargain of a tacit admission of guilt in exchange for relaease.

Dreyfus was exhonorated of all charges in 1906. He chose to rejoin the army when his commission was reinstated and later served in World War I.

PRIMARY SOURCE

J'ACCUSE!

See primary source image.

SIGNIFICANCE

French writer Émile Zola helped bring the Dreyfus Affair into the public spotlight. Zola believed that Dreyfus was the victim of growing anti-Semitism in both French government and society. Zola risked his liberty to speak publically on behalf of Dreyfus. On January 13, 1898, Zola published his rebuke of the government's handling of the Dreyfus case in the form of an open letter to French President, Félix Faure.

Zola titled the letter "I accuse!" In the piece, he accused the french government of hiding the truth, lying about key evidence, and forming a conspiracy to frame Dreyfus. "We are horrified by the terrible light the Dreyfus affair has cast upon it all, this human sacrifice of an unfortunate man, 'a dirty Jew.' Ah, what a cesspool of folly and foolishness, what preposterous fantasies, what corrupt police tactics, what inquisitorial, tyrannical practices! What petty whims of a few higher-ups trampling the nation under their boots, ramming back down their throats the people's cries for truth and justice, with the travesty of state security as a pretext," Zola wrote. While the letter called attention to Dreyfus's plight, helping to turn public opinion in his favor, Zola was convicted of libel mere weeks after its publication. Zola then fled to England to avoid inprisonment. He continued to campaign for Dreyfus's freedom.