90-1020: Newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts Not to be confused with the Boston Chronicle , another early American newspaper also published in Boston. [REDACTED] The Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advertiser (Boston: 1798) The Independent Chronicle (1776–1840) was a newspaper in Boston , Massachusetts . It originated in 1768 as The Essex Gazette , founded by Samuel Hall (v.1–7) in Salem , and The New-England Chronicle (v.7–9) in Cambridge , before settling in 1776 in Boston as The Independent Chronicle . Publishers also included Edward E. Powars , Nathaniel Willis , and Adams & Rhoades; Capt. Thomas Adams (ca.1757–1799)
180-508: A Presbyterian , who for a time became a Deist , then a non-denominational Protestant Christian, realized the value of printing and promoting overall religious values as a means of strengthening the social fabric and as a means of uniting the colonies in their opposition to British rule. Franklin ultimately published more religious works than any other eighteenth-century American printers. Thomas Dobson , who arrived in Philadelphia in 1754
270-613: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Early American publishers and printers Early American publishers and printers played a central role in the social, religious, political and commercial development of the Thirteen Colonies in British America prior to and during the American Revolution and the ensuing American Revolutionary War that established American independence. The first printing press in
360-431: A "noticeable reluctance". Newspapers in colonial America served to disseminate vital political, social and religious information that explicitly appealed to the colonist's growing sense of independence and unity with other Americans. This was a cause of great concern to the royal colonial governments among the colonies who feared that the mass dissemination of news and opinion undermined their authority. Colonial Boston
450-455: A Boston imprint, making eastern Massachusetts the literary and typographic center of colonial America. Colonial newspapers played an active role during the Christian revivalist controversy that occurred in the early 1740s. The controversy started in and centered around Boston, where Thomas Fleet was one of the most visible critics, using his Boston Evening Post to publish criticism against
540-630: A business partner and made him manager in charge of the Gazette , allowing Franklin the time to pursue his scientific and other interests. Upon the proposal of the Stamp Act, Hall warned Franklin that subscribers to their newspaper were already canceling their accounts in anticipation of the unpopular tax — not over an increase in the cost it would place on the newspaper, but on principle. After buying out Franklin in May 1766, Hall took on another partner and established
630-405: A government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." In the beginning of the 18th century, there were twice as many printers in Boston as there were for in all the other colonies combined. There were only six American newspapers, where four of them were published in Boston. The majority of the books and pamphlets of the period bore
720-569: A journalist for the newspaper Columbian Centinel Early American publishers and printers Bibliography of early American publishers and printers References [ edit ] [REDACTED] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Independent Chronicle (Boston, Massachusetts) . ^ Retrieved 2018-12-08 ^ Boston News-Letter. Feb. 4, 1826; p.82 ^ Boston News-Letter. Sept. 23, 1826; p.133 ^ Retrieved 2010-06-04 ^ Retrieved 2010-06-04 ^ "About The New-England chronicle, or,
810-641: A new firm of Hall and Sellers , which printed the Continental paper currency issued by Congress during the American Revolutionary War . James Davis came to the North Carolina province in 1749, answering a call by their Assembly for an official printer to print their laws, legal journals and paper currency. He became the first printer to establish a print shop in that colony and in the process, founded and printed North Carolina's first newspaper,
900-452: A pamphlet from the offices of Samuel Adams ' newspaper, The Independent Advertiser . The bill was derided as the " Monitor of Monitors," claiming that the Legislature was tartly handled. Immediately after the publication of Mayhew's sermon, it became the cause for alarm and consternation among the colonial authorities. David Fowle, the printer, brother of Zechariah Fowle , also a printer,
990-510: A prohibition against any exports to England. The articles in this Association were met with mixed reactions from the colonists, and from various American and British individuals in Britain, with letters for and against the measure appearing in colonial newspapers, with criticisms coming mostly from moderate or loyalist presses. On April 22, 1775, three days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord ,
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#17328558830181080-399: Is on Wikidata Boston Chronicle The Boston Chronicle was an American colonial newspaper published briefly from December 21, 1767, until 1770 in Boston , Massachusetts . The publishers, John Mein and John Fleeming , were both from Scotland . The Chronicle was a Loyalist paper in the time before the American Revolution . In its second year, Mein printed names in
1170-641: The Boston Gazette and The Providence Gazette were among the most visible in publishing literature that fostered the idea of American independence, which now was receiving popular support among the colonies. The first magazine that appeared in American colonies, The American Monthly Magazine , was printed by Andrew Bradford in February 1741, edited by John Webbe. The first religious periodical published in America,
1260-671: The North-Carolina Gazette . In 1755 Benjamin Franklin appointed Davis as the first postmaster of North Carolina. The first newspaper established in Connecticut was The Connecticut Gazette in New Haven, on April 12, 1755, a weekly newspaper issued every Friday, by James Parker , in New Haven . As the premier newspaper in that colony, it functioned as a military record in reporting
1350-655: The American Revenue Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765, the Boston Massacre , the Tea Act and other such issues that were widely considered impositions and injustices towards the colonies. With the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765, which imposed a tax on newspapers and advertisements, deeds, wills, claims, indentures, contracts and other such legal documents, printers began publishing highly polemic accounts challenging
1440-560: The Boston Chronicle return thanks to the gentlemen, who have so long favored them with their subscriptions, and now inform them that, as the Chronicle , in the present state of affairs, cannot be cafrried on, either for their entertainment or the emolument of the Printers, it will be discontinued for some time." (printed June 25, 1770) This article about a Massachusetts newspaper is
1530-594: The Court approval and licensing had been repealed, but upon Johnson's return they were reinstated with Johnson specifically in mind. After several failed appeals to the Court, they finally conceded to his wishes, with a few restrictions in place, allowing Johnson in 1674 to become the first printer in the American colonies to operate his own press. Unfortunately Johnson died shortly thereafter that same year and never fulfilled that dream. John Foster bought Johnson's equipment and became
1620-589: The English Reformation fled England to the European continent or to the new world to escape religious and political prosecution under the reigns of King Henry VIII and Queen Mary I , both Catholics who were trying, unsuccessfully, to reverse the Reformation movement during their reigns. John Daye , who was printing and distributing Protestant literature and pamphlets, was a definitive example of this advent. At
1710-583: The Freeman's Oath , published in January 1639. It was at this press that printers got their training, and their books, pamphlets and broadsides helped to promote and sustain the enlightenment movement in New England. Printing presses, books and newspapers were primarily found in the northern colonies, as the southern colonies were either royal or proprietary and were not allowed to govern themselves as much as those in
1800-667: The French and Indian War , when the Parliament began imposing heavy taxes on the colonies for the debts Britain incurred during that war. By 1774, the idea for an independent union was not yet one of complete separation from the mother country in England and had assumed that the colonies would still be an essential component of the British Empire and still under the authority of the King and Parliament. By
1890-470: The Gazette Franklin announced that he had just printed and published the first edition of The Poor Richard , (better known as Poor Richard's Alamanack ) by Richard Saunders, Philomath. The almanack proved to be a huge success with a printing run that lasted more than twenty-five years. On June 19, 1744, Franklin took on David Hall , introduced by William Strahan while Franklin was in England, as
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#17328558830181980-661: The Virginia Gazette reported that a large quantity of gunpowder in Williamsburg had been stolen during the night by order of Lord Dunmore . The news traveled quickly and was repeated in The Pennsylvania Evening Post . The news reports subsequently prompted Dunmore to pay for the gunpowder and for a time averted armed conflict in Virginia. The New-England Courant made its appearance on Monday, August 7, 1721, as
2070-546: The 1690s. Despite the fact that the alleged cases almost always involved the truth, they were clearly on the rise in the colonies. Historian Larry D. Eldridge notes that there were 1,244 seditious speech prosecutions before the Zenger case, and has drawn from the court records of every colony that existed before 1700. During this time many writers accordingly felt it necessary to write under an assumed name for fear of prosecution and confiscation of their printing presses. As printing
2160-2832: The American Advertiser (1778–1786) American Herald (1784–1790) Herald of Freedom (1788–1791) Columbian Centinel (1790–1840) American Apollo (1792–1794) Constitutional Telegraphe (1799–1802) New-England Repertory (1804–1820) Boston Patriot (1809–?) Boston Weekly Messenger (1811–1861) Boston Daily Advertiser (1813–1929) Boston Courier (1824–1915) Boston Evening Transcript (1830–1941) Boston Investigator (1831–1904) The Boston Post (1831–1956) Boston Atlas (1832–1857) The Universalist and Ladies' Repository (1832–1873) The Boston Journal (1833–1917) Boston Evening Traveller (1845–1967) The Flag of Our Union (1846–?) The Heathen Woman's Friend (1869–1940) The Morning Star (c. 1874–c. 1911) The Boston Record (1884–?) New Nation (1891–1894) Boston Guardian (1901–c. 1950) The Jewish Advocate (1902–2020) Boston American (1904–1961) Dielli (1909–2006) The Revolutionary Age (1918–1919) The Phoenix (1966–2013) Avatar (1967–1968) Fag Rag (1971–c. 1987) Gay Community News (1973–1992) In Newsweekly (1991–2008) The Boston Courant (1995–2016) BostonNOW (2007–2008) Cambridge Cambridge Chronicle (1846–2022) The Cambridge Tribune (1878–1966) MIT Tech Talk (1957–2009) Old Mole (1968–1970) The Real Paper (1972–1981) Fitchburg Voice of Industry (1845–1848) Raivaaja (1905–2009) Liberté de Fitchburg (1909–?) Holyoke Holyoke Transcript-Telegram (1849–1993) Neu England Rundschau (1883–1942) La Justice (1903–1964) Gwiazda (1923–1956) Nantucket The Nantucket Beacon (1989–1998) Nantucket Independent (2003–2010) Newburyport Newburyport Herald (1797–1915) New-England Repertory (1803–1804) Salem Salem Register (1800–c. 1911) Salem Observer (1823–1919) Worcester Worcester Spy (1770–?) Eteenpäin (1922–1931) Others North Adams Transcript (1843–2014) The Daily News Tribune (1863–2010) The Daily News Transcript (1870–2009) Somerville Journal (1870–2022) Malden Evening News (1880–2017) Medford Daily Mercury (1880–2017) Enterprise-Sun (1889–1995) Springfield Daily News (1911–1987) Editorial Humor (1989–2003) The Taunton Call (?–2008) Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Independent_Chronicle&oldid=1164084096 " Categories : 1776 establishments in
2250-663: The Boston Tea Party, the British responded with the Intolerable Acts that, among other things, closed down the busy port of Boston. Word of this incursion quickly spread in newspapers and broadsides and in response the various colonies, in support of Massachusetts whose trade had largely been halted, sent representatives to Philadelphia and formed the First Continental Congress . To assert pressure on England to repeal
2340-494: The British colonies was established in Cambridge, Massachusetts by owner Elizabeth Glover and printer Stephen Daye . Here, the first colonial broadside , almanack, and book were published. Printing and publishing in the colonies first emerged as a result of religious enthusiasm and over the scarcity and subsequent great demand for bibles and other religious literature. By the mid-18th century, printing took on new proportions with
2430-557: The Crown considered to be sedition. While in England, Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette had its publication suspended on October 31, 1765, in protest of the Stamp Act, after which Franklin's partner, David Hall, began printing the paper on un-stamped paper, without the masthead , so as to avoid any prosecution. The Sons of Liberty took an active role by intimidating those royal officials charged with its operation and collection of taxes. As newspapers continued to openly criticize
2520-609: The Daughters of Zion , written for the benefit of young women on appropriate dress and behavior. He became a controversial figure for his involvement in the events surrounding the Salem witch trials of 1692–1693. Jonas Green , a protégé of Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia, and member of the Green family, had been engaged in operating the presses of the Puritan colonies. For twenty-eight years Green
2610-666: The Essex gazette. (Cambridge [Mass.]) 1775–1776 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress" . Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov . Retrieved 2014-04-26 . ^ "About The New-England chronicle. (Boston [Mass.]) 1776-1776 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress" . Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov . Retrieved 2014-04-26 . ^ "About The independent chronicle. (Boston [Mass.]) 1776-1776 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress" . Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov . Retrieved 2014-04-26 . ^ "About The Independent chronicle and
2700-584: The Peace for the County of Suffolk ..." On October 2, 1729, Samuel Keimer , the owner of The Pennsylvania Gazette in Philadelphia, who failed to make a success out of this newspaper, fell into debt and before fleeing to Barbados sold the Gazette to Benjamin Franklin and his partner Hugh Meredith . Under Franklin The Gazette became the most successful newspaper in the colonies. On December 28, 1732, through
2790-757: The Province of Massachusetts Bay Newspapers published in Boston Defunct newspapers published in Massachusetts 19th century in Boston 18th century in Boston Publications established in 1776 Publications disestablished in 1840 1840 disestablishments in Massachusetts Newspapers of colonial America Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Commons category link
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2880-571: The Rights of British America in 1774, two years before he drafted the Declaration of Independence. Also in 1774, the Virginia Gazette reprinted the articles of the Continental Association , calling for a boycott on British goods, drafted and signed by members of the First Continental Congress , in response to the Intolerable Acts , which united the colonies in a boycott of British goods and
2970-727: The Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. These copies came to be known as the Dunlap broadsides . John Hancock sent a copy to General Washington and his Continental Army , who were in New York, with instructions that the Declaration be read aloud to Continental Army troops. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was a newspaper published by Benjamin Towne from 1775 to 1783 during the Revolutionary War. The Pennsylvania Evening Post
3060-535: The Stamp Act the often violent protests spread, causing many tax collecting commissioners throughout the colonies to quit their jobs. Benjamin Franklin, while serving as colonial agent in London, had warned the Parliament that the act would only serve to create animosity between the colonies and the British Crown. After much protest the act was repealed in 1766. Newspaper coverage of the Stamp Act, and public protests, marked
3150-477: The United States, though there is some debate on that status. Before the Stamp Act of 1765 there were twenty-four newspapers among the colonies, save New Jersey, whose news came from newspapers in neighboring Philadelphia and New York. By 1787 Thomas Jefferson expressed the sentiment now shared by many printers over the idea of freedom of the press when he said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have
3240-441: The Universal Advertiser : Vol. 9, no. 429 (Nov. 7, 1776)-v. 33, no. 2162 (Dec. 14–17, 1801) The Independent Chronicle : Vol. 33, no. 2163 (Dec. 21, 1801)-v. 49, no. 3768 (May 29, 1817) Independent Chronicle & Boston Patriot : Vol. 49, no. 3769 (June 4, 1817)-v. 77, no. 6166 (May 23, 1840) Image gallery [ edit ] [REDACTED] Ad for " millinary , consisting of caps, hatts, chapeaux, ruffles and cloaks of
3330-656: The acts, they formed the Continental Association , which called for a colony wide boycott of British goods. Considered by many historians as the first significant step towards colonial independence, this only served to infuriate King George III . Within months, he sent British troops to Boston, where they participated in the Lexington and Concord in April 1775, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War . The war caused many printers to flee Massachusetts and relocate their shops elsewhere or otherwise close down. Newspapers such as
3420-410: The attention of colonial printers and royal colonial officials alike. Other examples included The Halifax Gazette , which also published a highly critical account, proclaiming that "The people of the province were disgusted with the stamp act." The damning paragraph gave great offense to the royal government of that province, and its publisher, Anthony Henry , was called to account for printing what
3510-407: The colonies' second newspaper, The Boston News-Letter , appeared. Printed by Bartholomew Green for John Campbell, proprietor and Postmaster in Boston, this newspaper was also published in Boston, but had government approval and remained in operation for 74 years until 1776, when the British occupied Boston. The Hartford Courant is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in
3600-501: The colonists who relied on them for information prior to the revolution, and who considered the printed distribution of materials an essential means in keeping the overall community informed, while promoting the ideals of freedom they embraced. Newspapers would also play an important role in outlining public debates while the Constitution was being ratified in 1787–1788. The idea of an independent American union began to emerge after
3690-483: The colonists. As the British Parliament continued imposing additional taxes, especially in 1765 with the Stamp Act , several colonial newspapers and pamphlets began openly editorializing against British policies and supporting the aims of the American Revolution . The most notable printers of the time included Benjamin Franklin , William Goddard , William Bradford and others, who were politically involved in
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3780-406: The common colonist, whose only knowledge of these things was usually passed on by word of mouth from colonial officials or traveling couriers, or by means of a simple post in a town square . Religious literature was also scarce, and while many colonists possessed bibles, usually brought over from England, they were generally in short supply, while religious literature overall was in great demand among
3870-512: The complete control and censoring of any religious, political or other literature they deemed seditious or otherwise questionable. Among other regulations, it forbade any literature that criticized the Church of England , the State, or the government. The decree bore hard upon all minority parties, but with special severity upon Catholics, Puritans, and separatists. The provisions also gave the authority for
3960-467: The context of each colony, or only lends itself to the mechanics of printing presses and typography, as does Lawrence Wroth in The Colonial Printer . According to Wroth, however, the overall subject of early American printing and publishing as it affected political and social issues in the colonies and how it ultimately led to a revolution, which is the focus of this article, has been pursued with
4050-497: The controversy with the British Crown over taxation, freedom of the press and other such rights. A number of printers, including Goddard and Bradford, belonged to the Sons of Liberty and used their printing presses as a means of promoting colonial opposition to the Stamp Act and other royal legislation they deemed unfair to them as colonial Englishmen who lacked representation in the Parliament. The open criticism of such advents coming from
4140-649: The course of forty years, attracted some eleven hundred Indians to the Christian faith, and established fourteen reservations, or "praying towns" for his followers. Along with other religious works, he published what came to be known as the Eliot Indian Bible . Printed by Samuel Green it was the first Bible published in British-American colonies in an effort to introduce Christianity to the Indian peoples. Eliot's Bible
4230-426: The crown. His newspaper was welcomed and received enthusiastically by the colonists, however, it was not approved or well regarded by the colonial governor, especially since it had no official printing license, required by British law at that time. i.e."no person [was to] keep any printing-press for printing, nor [was] any book, pamphlet or other matter whatsoever" without "especial leave and license first obtained" from
4320-443: The edges, and often included articles that strongly derided the Stamp Act. Some newspapers printed a death's head with skull and bones where a royal stamp was supposed to appear. The passage of the act also caused many printers to suspend their publications rather than to pay what they strongly felt was an unfair tax and an imposition on their livelihood, subsequently uniting them in their opposition to its legislation. Newspapers were
4410-631: The end of 1773, after the Boston Tea Party , the idea of a colonial independent union with its own government began appearing and promoted in various newspaper articles and essays, most often written by anonymously newspaper editors for fear of reprisal and prosecution. They promoted the idea that there was a need for an “American Congress” that would speak on behalf of the Americans, and in no uncertain terms insisted that an independent American congress should have equal status with British authority. After
4500-471: The established Clergy, along with the newspaper of Thomas Prince , The Christian History . Among the dozens of newspapers that existed before and during the American Revolution , many of them proved to be exceptionally noteworthy in terms of criticizing colonial government, promoting freedom of the press, and other freedoms, and furthering the cause for American independence. Newspapers easily accomplished these ends as they had already become indispensable to
4590-427: The events of the French and Indian War . Parker's partner was Benjamin Franklin who often helped printers in getting started. That year Parker also published 10 religious pamphlets, five almanacs and two New York newspapers. He rarely visited New Haven and left his junior partner, John Holt , as the editor of the newspaper. The Gazette had, for a time, a large circulation throughout the Connecticut Colony . The Gazette
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#17328558830184680-412: The first printer to produce a woodcut (of Richard Mather ) in the American colonies and began to produce work on a privately operated press. Before 1660, prosecutions involving seditious news accounts were virtually unknown in the colonies, but a pattern of change became evident in the latter 1600s. Prosecutions involving sedition climbed from a low of only 0.7 percent in the 1660s to 15.1 percent by
4770-406: The governor. As one historian put it, "the first newspaper published in America became the first to be suppressed by the authorities." In 1695, Harris returned to England where he was arrested for publishing his newspaper. The first successful newspaper in America was The Boston News-Letter , which appeared in 1704, and until 1719 it was the only newspaper published in the colonies. In 1704,
4860-436: The identity of the author. After being released, James resumed his printing practice. Franklin's newspaper had been current for only four months when it was ordered shut down, where he was "... strictly forbidden by this Court to print or publish the New-England Courant , or any other pamphlet or paper of the like nature, except it be first supervised by the Secretary of this Province; and the Justices of His Majesty's Sessions of
4950-442: The later 17th-century and into the 18th-century, and were mostly found in Puritan writings and publications, often resulting in charges of libel and sedition levied by the British Crown. The Puritans already had a history for being persecuted for printing and distributing their views in England, openly criticizing the Church of England . In 1637 King Charles passed a Star Chamber decree outlining 33 regulations that provided for
5040-417: The morality of the Act – an effort that often invited charges of sedition and libel from royal colonial authorities. Newspaper printers and publishers felt the new tax would greatly increase the costs of their newspapers and other publications, and would likely cause much of their readership to drop their subscriptions. Many newspaper editors protested the Stamp Act by printing editions with black boarders along
5130-547: The most visible and outspoken opponents of colonial taxation, whose voices were echoed in numerous colonial newspapers and pamphlets. Boston was at the center of rebellion before the revolution broke out into armed conflict. The Boston Gazette , established April 7, 1755, by Edes and Gill, was considered the "pet of the patriots". Its pages featured New England's editorial battles for American freedom and voiced opinion from men such as Samuel Adams , Joseph Warren , John Adams , Thomas Cushing , Samuel Cooper and others, over
5220-561: The newest fashion-- just imported from Paris," Feb. 1782 [REDACTED] Advertisement for Phillip Woods' Market Museum , 1804 [REDACTED] "Badges. Portraits of La Fayette on satin ribbon, by Hoogland , may be obtained at Doggett's 16 Market-street. Portraits on ribbons by Bowen , and Annin & Smith , are also for sale at the book stores in the city," August 1824 [REDACTED] Advertisement for sponge boots for horses' feet, James Boyd, Merchants Row , Boston, 1825 See also [ edit ] Abijah Adams ,
5310-403: The newspapers that began to emerge, especially in Boston . When the British Crown began imposing new taxes, many of these newspapers became highly critical and outspoken about the British colonial government, which was widely considered unfair among the colonists. In the early years of colonial settlement, communication between the various colonies, which were often hundreds of miles apart,
5400-414: The north during their early histories. In 1752 Jonathan Mayhew , the founder of Unitarian Church in America, openly criticized the colonial government in Massachusetts. One of Mayhew's sermons, during an election, strongly promoted the Republican form of government. His sermon was published just after the colonial Assembly passed a bill imposing various custom duties. The bill was strongly attacked in
5490-647: The paper continued as the Boston Semi-weekly Advertiser published by Nathan Hale . Variant titles [ edit ] Volumes 1–9 The Essex Gazette (Salem): Vol. 1, no. 1 (Aug. 2, 1768)-v. 7, no. 353 (Apr. 25 – May 2, 1775) The New-England Chronicle, or, the Essex Gazette (Cambridge): Vol. 7, no. 354 (May 2–12, 1775)-v. 8, no. 400 (Mar. 28-Apr. 4, 1776) The New-England Chronicle (Boston): Vol. 8, no. 401 (Apr. 25, 1776)-v. 9, no. 411 [i.e. 421] (Sept. 12, 1776) Volumes 9–77 The Independent Chronicle : Vol. 9, no. 422 (Sept. 19, 1776)-v. 9, no. 428 (Oct. 31, 1776) The Independent Chronicle and
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#17328558830185580-435: The paper that accused some colonial merchants of breaking a British nonimportation agreement. In response, Mein's name appeared on a list of merchants who violated the trade agreement. Mein retaliated by accusing the Merchants' Committee of using the nonimportation agreement for illegal profiteering. The irritated readership ransacked the offices of the Chronicle , and ultimately, it ceased operations in 1770. "The Printers of
5670-407: The press often brought accusations of printing libelous and seditious material. The plentiful historical accounts of the colonial period still have brought little investigation into how printers affected the religious, social and political growth in the colonies. Most scholarship on printers and publishing in the colonies confines itself to either an account of individuals such as Isaiah Thomas in
5760-459: The presses in the New England colonies, sometimes in an effort to counter the attacks made on Puritans by George Keith and others. Between 1724 and 1728 he printed sixty-three titles on colonial presses. He is noted for his Magnalia Christi Americana , published in 1702, which outlines the religious development of Massachusetts, and other nearby colonies in New England from 1620 to 1698. In an effort to promote Puritan ethics, he wrote, Ornaments for
5850-473: The printing was conducted as privately as possible and bore the London imprint from which it was copied, to avoid prosecution and detection of the unauthorized printing. In the process Kneeland was printing the first Bible ever produced from the Boston Press. Cotton Mather was a Puritan minister in New England and a prolific author of books and pamphlets and is considered one of the most important intellectual figures in colonial America. Mather made free use of
5940-550: The punishment of unlawful publications in the colonies where such impositions were employed in an effort to silence the Puritans. Archbishop William Laud in particular was the most persistent in preventing and punishing unauthorized printing of religious, political and other material. By 1730, however, enforcing these provisions, in the colonies, which included the licensing of printing presses, prior approval of literature slated for publication, etc., became increasingly difficult. In 1663, English Puritan missionary John Eliot over
6030-454: The same time there was a need for the General Assembly to establish a press and appoint an official printer to perform the printing of legislative acts in the colonies. With the invention of the printing press a powerful tool was given to the common class who naturally was inclined to publicly challenge monarchial authority. In relatively little time the potential influence of the printing press became evident in many countries and increased with
6120-499: The technology of printing saw little change from the middle of the seventeenth century to the end of the eighteenth, its usefulness broadened considerably during this time. The first printing press arrived in the colonies in 1638. It belonged to Elizabeth Glover and was operated by Stephen Daye and was part of the founding of Harvard University . This press was established to allow the printing of religious works without fear of interference from Parliament . Its first printing turned out
6210-601: The third newspaper to appear in Boston and the fourth in the colonies. Founded in Boston by James Franklin , Benjamin Franklin's older brother, who was started in retaliation for losing his printing job at the Boston Gazette when its ownership changed hands and the printing was given to Samuel Kneeland. Writing under the assumed name of Silence Dogood , Benjamin Franklin wrote more than a dozen articles. One such article led to James Franklin's month long imprisonment in 1726 by British colonial authorities for printing what they considered seditious articles after he refused to reveal
6300-541: The time the only newspaper in Providence , was first published October 20, 1762, by William Goddard , and later with his sister Mary Katherine Goddard . The Providence Gazette was published weekly and passionately defended the rights of the colonies before the revolution and ably supported the cause of the country during the war. After American independence was established following the war it continued to promote federal republican principles . The Pennsylvania Chronicle , published by William Goddard, whose first edition
6390-442: The trial of John Peter Zenger who was tried for libel in New York in 1735 for allegedly libeling Governor William Cosby , but was freed on the basis that Zenger's account was true. The now landmark case proved to be an importance step toward establishing freedom of the press in the colonies. The British government subsequently felt that the printing and publishing trade as practiced in the colonies undermined their authority. While
6480-466: The trial of Thomas Maule in 1696, when he publicly criticized the conduct of Puritans during one of the Salem Witch Trials . For publishing his work, Truth Held Forth and Maintained , he was arraigned as the first person in the province to be prosecuted for the crime of libel. Maule was sentenced to receive ten lashings for saying that Rev. John Higginson "preached lies, and that his instruction
6570-4656: The universal advertiser. (Boston, Mass.) 1776–1801 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress" . Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov . Retrieved 2014-04-26 . ^ "About The independent chronicle. (Boston [Mass.]) 1801–1817 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress" . Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov . Retrieved 2014-04-26 . ^ "About Independent chronicle & Boston patriot. (Boston [Mass.]) 1817–1840 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress" . Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov . Retrieved 2014-04-26 . Further reading [ edit ] Boston Newspapers. Boston News-Letter . Sept. 23, 1826; p. 133+ v t e Massachusetts newspapers Current Barnstable County The Barnstable Patriot (1830–) Cape Cod Times (1936–) Berkshire County The Berkshire Eagle (1892–) Bristol County Taunton Daily Gazette (1848–) The Standard-Times (1850–) The Herald News (1892–) The Sun Chronicle (1971–) The Advocate (1979–) Dukes County Vineyard Gazette (1846–) The Martha's Vineyard Times (1984–) Essex County North Andover Haverhill Gazette (1821–) The Eagle-Tribune (1868–) Others Salem Gazette (1790–) The Daily Item (1876–) The Salem News (1880–) The Daily News of Newburyport (1887–) Gloucester Daily Times (1888–) The Jewish Journal (1976–) Rumbo (1996–) Franklin County The Recorder (1792–) Hampden County The Republican (1824–) The Westfield News Hampshire County Amherst The Massachusetts Daily Collegian (1890–) El Sol Latino (2004–) Others Daily Hampshire Gazette (1786–) Middlesex County Cambridge The Harvard Crimson (1873–) The Tech (1881–) Spare Change News (1992–) Watertown Hairenik (1899–) Baikar (1922–) The Armenian Mirror-Spectator (1939–) Armenian Weekly (1969–) Others Stoneham Independent (1870–) The Sun (1878–) The Wakefield Daily Item (1894–) The MetroWest Daily News (1897–) Daily Times Chronicle (1901–) The Tufts Daily (1980–) Nantucket County The Inquirer and Mirror (1821–) Norfolk County The Pilot (1829–) The Patriot Ledger (1837–) The Wellesley Townsman (1906–) The Medfield Press (1922–) The Westwood Press (1987–) Plymouth County Old Colony Memorial (1822–) Middleboro Gazette (1852–) The Enterprise (1881–) The Wanderer (1992–) Suffolk County Boston Boston Herald (1846–) The Boston Globe (1872–) The Christian Science Monitor (1908–) The Huntington News (1926–) The Suffolk Journal (1936–) The Berkeley Beacon (1947–) Bay State Banner (1965–) The Daily Free Press (1970–) Sampan (1972–) World Journal (1976–) Boston Business Journal (1981–) Bay Windows (1983–) Dorchester Reporter (1983–) West Ender Newsletter (1985–) Metro (1995–) DigBoston (1999–) El Planeta (2004–) Others Revere Journal (1881–) Winthrop Sun Transcript (1956–) Worcester County Milford The Milford Daily News (1887–) The Country Gazette (1981–) Others Sentinel & Enterprise (1838–) Telegram & Gazette (1866–) The Gardner News (1869–) Southbridge Evening News (1923–) Athol Daily News (1934–) Fifty Plus Advocate (1975–) Blackstone Valley Tribune (2008–) Defunct Boston The Boston News-Letter (1704–1776) Boston Gazette (1719–1798) The New-England Courant (1721–1726) The Weekly Rehearsal (1731–1735) Boston Post-Boy (1734–1754) Boston Evening-Post (1735–1775) American Magazine and Historical Chronicle (1743–1746) The Independent Advertiser (1748–?) Boston Weekly Advertiser (1757–1775) Boston Chronicle (1767–1770) Independent Chronicle (1768–1840) Massachusetts Spy (1770–1776) Independent Ledger and
6660-418: The vehicle that asserted the greatest social and political pressure on the Stamp Act and were instrumental in its repeal less than a year later. The Constitutional Courant was a single issue colonial American newspaper published in response to the Stamp Act. Printed by William Goddard under the assumed name of Andrew Marvel, the newspaper vociferously attacked the Stamp Act in strong language, which caught
6750-451: The years, despite all the efforts at censorship by the ruling class. In 1660, Marmaduke Johnson was sent over from England to work with Samuel Green in the printing of a Bible translated into an Indian language by John Eliot . When this enormous task was completed Johnson returned to England, and within a year came back to the colonies with his own printing press with the intention of starting his own private enterprise. Laws requiring
6840-705: Was a translation of the Geneva Bible into the Algonquian language commonly spoken by the Indians in Massachusetts. In 1752, Samuel Kneeland and his partner Bartholomew Green, commissioned by Daniel Henchman, printed an edition of the King James Bible that was the first Bible printed in America in the English language. As the British Crown owned the printing rights it was illegal to print this Bible in America. Subsequently,
6930-470: Was arrested and, for refusing to divulge the name of the writer of the newspaper article, was sent to jail and harsly interrogated for several days. Fowle became disgusted with the Government of Massachusetts and removed to Portsmouth and bought out New Hampshire Gazette , where he would publicly criticize the Stamp Act of 1765. Religious perspectives became prominent in colonial American literature during
7020-519: Was cause for great concern among many of the colonists who were already struggling financially and felt that they had already contributed heavily, with lives, property and money towards a war that was mostly fought on American soil. Before long colonial indifference turned into public protests and open revolt, while publishers and printers began turning out newspapers and pamphlets that pointedly expressed their anger and sense of injustice. Notable figures such as James Otis Jr. and Samuel Adams were among
7110-449: Was continued by Parker & Company till 1764, was briefly suspended, but was later revived by Benjamin Mecom. Its motto, printed on its front page read, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty, to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". The Gazette , like other newspapers of that period, was highly critical of the Stamp Act. The Providence Gazette , at
7200-426: Was generally restricted to dispatches, hand-written one at a time, then carried by private carriers to their destinations. Prior to 1700, there were no newspapers in the colonies, so official news came slowly, especially to those who lived away from the colonial seat of government in the major townships or in the remote countryside. Colonial law and news overall was therefore not available in comprehensive print form for
7290-541: Was looked upon by Puritan colonial authorities with a weary eye, requiring a license from the general assembly to operate, the printing trade emerged slowly. Salem was the third town in the Colonies, after Cambridge and Boston, to see the introduction of a printing press, and Newport soon followed. Many printers were accused of sedition and libel for publishing critical accounts of various colonial authority. The first such significant case of press censorship presented itself during
7380-571: Was published by Kneeland & Greene, with Thomas Prince Jr. , as editor and publisher, was issued regularly for two years, from March 5, 1743, to February 23, 1745. Prince authored other works, including his definitive 1744 work, An Account of the Revival of Religion in Boston in the Years 1740-1-2-3 . After the costly French and Indian War , Britain was heavily in debt and began taxing her colonies, without proper colonial representation in Parliament. This
7470-545: Was published on January 6, 1767, was the fourth newspaper to be printed in the English language established in Philadelphia, and the first newspaper in the northern colonies to have four columns to a page. John Dunlap was commissioned by the Second Continental Congress to print 200 broadsides of the Declaration of Independence , which was authored predominantly by Thomas Jefferson and unanimously adopted by
7560-625: Was the Ein Geistliches Magazin , by Sower in 1764. In 1719, the Boston Gazette was established in Boston and the first newspaper in Philadelphia , The American Weekly Mercury , was founded by Andrew Bradford . In 1736, the first newspaper in to emerge in Virginia was the Virginia Gazette , founded by William Rind in Virginia. Rind was soon appointed public printer. This gazette printed Thomas Jefferson 's A Summary View of
7650-454: Was the doctrine of devils." With the 1727 arrival of James Franklin , Newport, Rhode Island became the fourth New England town with a printing press. Franklin had removed to the more liberal town of Newport from Boston because of the ordeals he had experienced when he criticized various official and religious dignitaries in his newspaper, The New-England Courant , which he was jailed for in 1722. Another definitive example involved
7740-445: Was the editor prior to his death in 1799. For some time it operated from offices on Court Street formerly occupied by James Franklin . As of the 1820s, "the Chronicle [was] the oldest newspaper ... published in Boston; and has long been considered one of the principal republican papers in the state; and its influence has, at all times, been in exact proportion to the popularity of the cause which it has so warmly espoused." After 1840
7830-535: Was the first newspaper to publish the Declaration of Independence and the first daily newspaper to be established in the United States. In 1740, there were 16 newspapers, all published weekly, in British America . By the time the American Revolutionary War commenced in 1775, the number had grown to 37 with most of them editorialized in support of the American patriot cause and independence from Britain . Many printers in England who were printing literature promoting
7920-574: Was the first printer in the United States to publish a complete Hebrew Bible . Robert Aitken , a Philadelphia printer who arrived there in 1769, was the first to publish the Bible and the New Testament in the English language in the newly formed United States. The Christian History , a weekly journal, featured various accounts of the revival and propagation of religion in Great-Britain and America. It
8010-522: Was the public printer to the province of Maryland. Joseph Galloway , a close friend of Franklin, opposed the Revolution as a Tory , and by 1778 had fled to England. Like many Tories he believed, as he asserted in this pamphlet, that the Revolution was, to a considerable extent, a religious quarrel, caused by Presbyterians and Congregationalists and the circular letters and other accounts they had printed and distributed. Benjamin Franklin, however, raised as
8100-621: Was where the American newspaper emerged, and where it was nurtured through its initial stages. Initially newspapers were delivered through the mails at no charge for postage until 1758. On September 25, 1690, the first newspaper to emerge in the British colonies in America was the Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick , printed and published in Boston by Richard Pierce for Benjamin Harris . Harris had fled England for fear of religious persecution and speaking out against
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