The Postal Service Act was a piece of United States federal legislation that established the United States Post Office Department . It was signed into law by President George Washington on February 20, 1792.
153-617: William Goddard , a Patriot printer frustrated that the royal postal service was unable to reliably deliver his Pennsylvania Chronicle to its readers or deliver critical news for the paper to Goddard, laid out a plan for the "Constitutional Post" before the Continental Congress on October 5, 1774. Congress waited to act on the plan until after the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Benjamin Franklin promoted Goddard's plan and
306-508: 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
459-431: 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
612-455: 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
765-630: 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
918-429: A controversy between Generals Charles Lee and George Washington involving the acrimonious publication of Lee's account of Washington's alleged conduct during the war. One of the first issues for the delegates was how to collect and deliver the mail between the various colonies. Franklin, who had just come back from England, was made chairman of a Committee of Investigation to start a colonial postal system. The issue
1071-696: A critical source of information. The Crown Post also imposed a heavy tax on newspaper delivery. In 1773, the Pennsylvania Chronicle was finally forced to go out of business. General Charles Lee was passed over for command of the Continental Army by the Continental Congress who on June 15, 1775, unanimously appointed George Washington to be their commander. A disappointed Lee felt that the command should have been given to him and came to publicly criticize Washington as "...a certain great man who
1224-444: A dozen letters and papers for four times that number of families. ... [W]hen he returned, if no tidings came from loved ones, they did their best to suppress the silent tears that would often betray their sadness." Researchers have claimed that the widespread availability of newspapers contributed to a high literacy rate in the U.S. This in turn helped increase the rate of economic growth, thereby contributing to its dominant position in
1377-594: A federal office of the United States. In 1778, paper became very scarce because of the American Revolutionary War , prompting Goddard to establish a paper factory near Baltimore, making his own paper for the Maryland Journal . While Goddard was working for the post office, his sister Mary, in his absence, managed and edited the Maryland Journal single handedly. In its issue of May 5, 1778, appears
1530-639: A form of postal censorship that the British crown considered legal. Goddard's Pennsylvania Chronicle was sympathetic to the revolutionary ideas being put forth by Benjamin Franklin and others so Goddard's publications were routinely criticized by and under the constant scrutiny of the Crown Post authorities. Franklin had just fallen from grace with the British monarchy by exposing Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson with his own letters, showing him to be in collusion with British efforts to impose more laws and taxes on
1683-454: 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
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#17328451572501836-475: A journeyman. Samuel Farley arrived from Bristol, England , in 1760, and the following year established the New-York American Chronicle , a newspaper for which Goddard and Charles Crouch became his journeymen in his print shop. Then, in 1762, a fire gutted Farley's print shop, destroying most of his supplies, ending his newspaper. Goddard's father died in 1762 and soon after his mother moved
1989-403: A manner. He agreed to meet the club members in a civilized manner at a local coffee house but was doubtful that they would accept his offer. A mob led by Colonel Samuel Smith caught up with him later and carried him away. Overwhelmed and helpless, Goddard agreed to publicly apologize for publishing Lee's attack on Washington in his paper, which Goddard later repudiated. Goddard and Oswald informed
2142-573: 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,
2295-452: 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,
2448-535: A passage which read, "The first years of his long life were passed amid the turmoil of useful activities - the last in the bosom of domestic quiet." Online sources 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
2601-553: A printed title page as part of his prospectus of Lee's projected three-volume work. The title page read: Miscellaneous Collections from the Papers of the late Major General Charles Lee. Goddard's letter to Washington from Baltimore, dated May 30, 1785, said that the Manuscript Papers of General Lee came into his hands after Lee's death, and he was taking care to prepare them for publicizing by removing offensive material. Washington, in
2754-510: 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 ,
2907-529: A reply letter of June 11, 1785, to Goddard, referred to the news he had received from him objectively and wrote of his actions that were now in question. Goddard continued to publish his newspaper in Baltimore for thirteen more years and was never again harassed. After Lee died, he left Goddard a sizable portion of his estate. Goddard's relationship with his sister Mary Katherine became strained in his last years, possibly over money issues. In January 1784, his name
3060-535: A semi-weekly on March 14, 1783. Goddard would again take over the publication of the newspaper on January 2, 1784. Goddard's association with Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia would play an important role in the development of the Continental Congress postal system in the soon to be united colonies. Franklin was postmaster of Philadelphia from 1759 to 1775, when he was dismissed by the British Crown for exposing
3213-545: Is damnably deficient", following Washington's defeats at the battles of White Plains and Fort Washington , in the fall of 1776. Some years later Lee had requested Goddard to publish his account of the matter. In the July 6, 1779, issue of the Maryland Journal Goddard had printed General Lee's "Some Queries, Political and Military", which consisted of a three-volume work that contained twenty-five pointed questions about
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#17328451572503366-641: 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,
3519-620: 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
3672-655: 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
3825-550: The American Revolution and the ensuing American Revolutionary War that established American independence. The first printing press in 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
3978-413: The American Revolution he was dismissed from the royal postal service which resulted in widespread protests among the colonists, where Goddard was among the most outspoken. "Constitutional" post offices, were established in Baltimore and Philadelphia the same year in which Franklin was dismissed. "Constitutional post office" was the term employed by Goddard to distinguish them from the British system that
4131-512: The Battles of Lexington and Concord in the Spring of 1775. Goddard's Constitutional Post plan was ultimately implemented, assuring communication between the colonies and keeping them informed of various events during the conflict with Britain. Distrustful of the Crown, the colonial populace was turning to and using the postal system now provided by Goddard. Ultimately, Goddard and his revolutionary post
4284-594: 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
4437-589: 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
4590-583: 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
4743-667: 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
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4896-470: 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
5049-684: The Maryland Journal in 1785 to Edward Langworthy that ended her business dealings with her brother and the newspaper she had assisted in establishing. On May 25, 1785, Goddard married Abigail Angell of Johnston, Rhode Island , the daughter of Brigadier-General James Angell and Mary Mawney Angell. The wedding took place at Cranston . They had 5 children: 4 daughters and 1 son. In 1803, he left Johnston for Providence, so his children might have more educational advantages. His son William Giles Goddard graduated from Brown University in 1812 and received an appointment of Professor of Moral Philosophy and Metaphysics. Goddard in his retirement, helped with
5202-674: The Pennsylvania Assembly . Goddard meanwhile had joined the Sons of Liberty . Goddard was an anti-imperialist and a defender of the freedom of the press. He fought both the Loyalists and the Patriot to maintain freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Just before the Stamp Act of 1765 was to take effect in November, Goddard founded The Constitutional Courant which openly criticized
5355-513: The Pennsylvania Chronicle which summarized Franklin's involvement and underlying opposition to the passage of this act. The role Goddard and Franklin played through the Pennsylvania Chronicle in relation to the Stamp Act marked a significant change in Pennsylvania colonial history and its politics, as the passage of the act effected a division in the Quaker Party which had always prevailed in
5508-560: The Pennsylvania Chronicle , Goddard sold paper to the New York printer John Holt. On June 8, 1779, Colonel Eleazer Oswald , considered a distinguished officer in the Colonial army, formed a business connection with Goddard at Baltimore. He ended his activities as a printer by an almost twenty-year stay in Baltimore. Oswald left the Journal and moved to Philadelphia in 1782. Goddard helped set up
5661-452: The Publick , like notices of the departure of ships, current prices of goods, the course of exchange, accidents, deaths, and events of every kind. Goddard wanted to devote more time to the development of the colonial postal system , so he turned over the management of the Journal to his sister. It was published under her name Mary Katherine Goddard, starting on May 10, 1775. It later became
5814-661: 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
5967-546: 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
6120-642: The Board of War. The Board subsequently referred Goddard's appeal to General Washington, who, on July 29, 1776, in a letter to Congress, expressed the belief that the induction of Mr. Goddard "into the Army as Lieutt. Colo, would be attended with endless confusion." Thereafter no more was heard from Goddard about his military aspirations. In 1774, in response to the Boston Tea Party , the British Parliament passed what
6273-615: The Bonds he had on the Goddards to Bache in his last will and testament of 1788. Franklin died on the evening of April 17, 1790, at the age of 84. Feeling uninspired over his appointment to Surveyor of the Posts, Goddard, in a letter to Congress, dated June 21, 1776, had recited his services in the establishment of the Constitutional Post Office and reminded the delegates that they had given
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6426-613: 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
6579-451: The British crown to deliver his Chronicle so as to get the newspapers past the scrutiny of the Crown post, who was opposed to Goddard and his Chronicle for their revolutionary sympathies. So adamant was the Crown towards Goddard and the Chronicle, that the local Crown postmaster intercepted and refused to deliver mail and other newspapers from other cities and towns to Goddard, depriving him of
6732-598: The British hindered the delivery of them, even banning altogether the delivery of some. Because of this, Goddard decided to design a new post delivery system for them. He started with his first post office delivery point at the London Coffee House in Philadelphia, a meeting place for merchants which became the center of much of the political life of the city prior to and during the revolution. Goddard established another in Baltimore. Because of war time activity with few people sending mail, and mail thieves taking advantage of
6885-509: 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
7038-609: 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
7191-584: 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
7344-529: The Postmaster General no authority to reimburse him and his friends for their outlay of money in "establishing Postmasters, hiring Riders...", and establishing post offices throughout the colonies. Wanting to serve his country at the onset of war, and needing the opportunity to replenish his financial situation, he asked the Congress for an appointment as a lieutenant colonel. The Congress passed on his letter to
7497-403: 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
7650-450: 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
7803-430: 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
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#17328451572507956-421: 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
8109-425: The act in strong language. Under the assumed name of Andrew Marvel , Goddard secretly had the newspaper printed at Woodbridge, New Jersey , in the shop of James Parker, which was released on September 21, 1765. Its release caused much alarm and controversy resulting in extensive discussion and deliberations when it was sold on the streets of New York City. It consisted primarily of two essays that bitterly condemned
8262-418: The acts as an arbitrary violation of their rights, and in response they organized the First Continental Congress on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia to establish a representative political body to oppose such laws. When the Boston riots erupted in September 1774 over the Coercive Acts , the colonies had lost much trust of the British Crown entirely. Since most of the Colonists were born in
8415-557: 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
8568-441: The apology that was coerced from Goddard. The long-term consequence of this episode was that Goddard and General Lee became good friends. In September 1782, Lee, on his way to Philadelphia, stopped for a few days in Baltimore to visit the Goddards. He went on to Philadelphia, where he died October 2. It is not known exactly how the papers of General Lee came into the hands of his friend Goddard. Goddard's original plans to publish
8721-410: 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
8874-400: The business. He found a job with the New York City publisher John Holt and became a silent partner with him. After a couple of months, he returned to Providence and published on August 24, 1765, an issue of the Gazette about the controversy of the Stamp Act of 1765 . The newspaper was on the verge of going out of business, until Goddard published number 135 on August 9, 1766. At that time
9027-556: 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 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
9180-447: The colonies at that time and had never seen the actual 'mother land' they had very little sentiment left for King George III or for the British authorities in the colonies. As a result, the Continental Congress was convened at Philadelphia in May 1775 to create an independent government that would represent the colonists and oppose the arbitrary rules thrust upon them by the Crown. When Benjamin Franklin began to publicly lend support for
9333-421: The colonies in America. His involvement with the Chronicle further prompted the Crown in their dealings with Goddard's newspaper. In their effort to see the Pennsylvania Chronicle delivered, Franklin and Goddard persevered and in the midst of British scrutiny would create a separate postal system that ultimately became the postal system in use in the United States today. After the war, Goddard became involved in
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#17328451572509486-647: The colonies while serving as the postmaster of Philadelphia from 1737 and as joint postmaster general of the colonies from 1753 to 1774. He was dismissed as colonial postmaster general after the publication of private letters of Massachusetts Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson in Massachusetts; Franklin admitted to acquiring the letters (probably from a third party, and not in any sort of official capacity) and sending them to Massachusetts. While postmaster, Franklin streamlined postal delivery with properly surveyed and marked routes from Maine to Florida (the origins of Route 1 ), instituted overnight postal travel between
9639-407: 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
9792-446: The colonies. Goddard was a candidate for the position of postmaster-general, but instead Franklin was chosen. He then sought the secretaryship but was passed over when Franklin selected his son-in-law Richard Bache . Franklin, however, recognized and appreciated Goddard's many efforts in organizing the colonial post-office system and appointed him as Surveyor of the Posts. There has always been an American postal system in place ever since
9945-406: The colonists sympathetic to the revolutionary cause a private communication network free from British eyes. Officials of the British postal system at the time began opening private correspondence mail for investigating. They also were interfering with the delivery of newspapers, which was the main means of getting news to the colonies. Goddard's newspapers became a sympathizer to the Patriot cause, and
10098-446: 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
10251-400: The colonists. In the early years of colonial settlement, communication between the various colonies, which were often hundreds of miles apart, 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
10404-416: 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
10557-405: 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
10710-418: The controversial bill was inevitable, he acquiesced, while actually working for its repeal and appealing to colonial sentiment. In the meantime the people of Pennsylvania suspected Franklin of supporting the Act. To counter the criticism aimed at Franklin over his apparent involvement in the passage of the Stamp Act William Goddard reprinted almost the entire collection of Franklin essays from London papers in
10863-451: 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
11016-649: 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
11169-599: The critical cities of New York and Philadelphia and created a standardized rate chart based upon weight and distance. Samuel Osgood held the postmaster general's position in New York City from 1789, when the U.S. Constitution came into effect, until the government moved to Philadelphia in 1791. Timothy Pickering took over and, about a year later, the Postal Service Act gave his post greater legislative legitimacy and more effective organization. Pickering continued in
11322-426: 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
11475-411: The discontinuance of the British postal system. Known as Goddard's Post Offices, it was a private enterprise and competed with the British postal system. Goddard stressed the idea that the various Constitutional Post Offices should be under the jurisdiction of a central government. He ran the new mail service as a private concern. It was so efficient that the Continental Congress, on May 29, 1775, took
11628-443: 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
11781-573: 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
11934-471: 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
12087-492: The establishment of Goddard's post offices in 1774. Goddard was disappointed when Franklin was given the position of Postmaster-General by the Continental Congress. However, he conceded to Franklin, who was 36 years his senior and had many years of experience as postmaster, and reluctantly agreed to serve instead as Riding Surveyor for the new U.S. Post Office. Franklin drew up a pass that allowed Goddard to travel at his discretion in his new position. Franklin authored and signed
12240-487: 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
12393-542: The family to Providence, Rhode Island . Goddard opened his first printing office in Providence in July with a £300 loan from his mother, becoming the first printer of the city. With the help of his mother and sister, he started The Providence Gazette and Country Journal , with the first issue being printed on October 20, 1762. He competed for Rhode Island's business with Franklin's press already established in Newport. This
12546-428: The first American Postmaster General. Recognition of Goddard's role in the development and implementation of the U. S. Post Office has been largely ignored by many historians until recently. Goddard, a one time apprentice of Franklin and who was naturally influenced by his years of experience with the colonial postal system, still felt that he was the general creator of the postal system then in use in
12699-521: The first press in Alexandria, Virginia , as a silent partner. His newspapers, like many others, printed advertisements for slave sales , brokered through printing offices. As revolutionary sentiments grew and the revolution with Britain drew closer, Goddard's mother and sister took over operations at the Gazette for him, when he devoted his time and money in other business matters with Franklin and merchants. Franklin had made significant contributions to
12852-412: 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
13005-455: The first step and appointed a committee headed by Franklin and worked out its organization as an independent postal establishment. It was named The Constitutional Post . On July 26, 1775, Congress officially developed the new nation's first postal system. Goddard's oversight and organization at that time was operating from New Hampshire to Georgia. Congress, needing to deal with other urgent matters, delayed Goddard's proposed plan until after
13158-489: The following notice: "Rags for the paper-mill near this town are much wanted, and the highest price will be given for them by the printer", and again "Cash will be given in exchange for rags at this office." Mary was joined sometime after mid-1778 at the Maryland Journal by Eleazer Oswald, a former American artillery officer. Oswald printed criticisms of George Washington by the disgraced general Charles Lee and this led to public demonstrations against him. While publishing
13311-631: The foundation for the United States Post Office Department . A side benefit of Goddard's ideas ultimately lead to the United States Postal Inspection Service . Goddard had hired his own post riders and created a postal system that came to be known as The Constitutional Post, which would provide mail service to the colonies between New York and Philadelphia. Goddard established a system of postal routes and post offices, which presence and use brought about
13464-406: 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,
13617-600: 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
13770-405: The instability of the war, Goddard's experiment with the new postal route proved unsuccessful. He first made known his post office project in the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser on July 2, 1774. He brought into existence 28 other post offices in several colonies. The colonies paid a subscription to Goddard for the service which was further improved with the net revenues. This became
13923-472: The international economy today. William Goddard (U.S. patriot) William Goddard (October 10, 1740 – December 23, 1817) was an early American patriot, publisher, printer and postal inspector. Born in New London, Connecticut , Goddard lived through the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War , during which he opposed British rule of the colonies through his actions and publications. He
14076-595: 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
14229-820: The latter successfully manufactured the large iron screw required in the pressing mechanism of the printing press. This marked the beginning of printing press manufacturing in America. Goddard established as the mouthpiece of the Anti-Proprietary party the Pennsylvania Chronicle and Universal Advertiser on January 26, 1767. He founded the Pennsylvania Chronicle to rival David Hall 's Pennsylvania Gazette and William Bradford's Pennsylvania Journal , who became silent partners with Goddard. During this time Goddard had employed Isaac Collins in his print shop. The Galloway and Wharton partnership soon dissolved over disagreements about debts, and Goddard continued
14382-421: The letters of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson . Goddard's postal system ideas and concepts replaced the existing British postal system and helped Franklin to introduce many of the reforms and improvements needed in the colonial postal system currently in use. Goddard was given the post of surveyor in the system, and his sister was named postmistress of Baltimore, making her the first woman appointed to
14535-482: The management of the war by Congress, and the conduct of George Washington in particular. The "Queries" of the court-martialed general incited a Baltimore mob led by three Continental officers who confronted Goddard on the evening of July 8, They demanded at his home that he surrender and appear in front of the Whig club. Goddard grabbed his sword and called Eleazer Oswald to his side. He insisted that he not be treated in such
14688-463: 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
14841-547: 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
14994-410: The nation and economy instead of serving only existing communities." He illustrated its importance to people on the frontier by discussing the role of mail in the lives of people around Royalton, NY. Before they got a post office in 1826, "The neighbors would club together, put a boy on a horse, and about once a month he could be seen wending his way through forest and stream, ... to get, perchance, half
15147-481: The newspaper alone until the last issue, number 368 on February 8, 1774. Goddard published a seventy-two-page pamphlet The Partnership in 1770, accusing his partners Galloway and Wharton, two of the city's most creditable citizens, of attempting to destroy his business. In retaliation, Galloway and Wharton had Goddard imprisoned for debt in September 1771, having to serve three weeks. Goddard's Philadelphia business
15300-470: The newspaper was published under the name of "Sarah Goddard & Company," and the Stamp Act had been repealed. Later, Goddard then sent Samuel Inslee to assist his mother in the family business, but he retired with the issue printed on September 19, 1767. His friend John Carter, who had just left Franklin's print shop in Philadelphia, became a partner with the Goddard's family business. Carter assisted in printing
15453-522: 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
15606-429: The papers never reached fruition. Knowing the controversial and critical nature of the work and that its publication was likely to cause trouble, Goddard, in a letter of May 30, 1785, wrote to Washington informing him that he had received a letter from Lee asking him to publish his work which roundly criticized Washington. Goddard enclosed a hand-written copy of the proposed title page on June 14, and later sent Washington
15759-524: The pass and presented it to Goddard. When the newly created American government under the U.S. Constitution began, the American postal system had about seventy-five post offices and 1,875 miles of post roads to serve a total colonial population of three million people. Franklin served as postmaster for one year at which time the Postmaster's position was given to Bache. Deeply disappointed at being passed over again, Goddard resigned. Franklin would later leave
15912-612: The position until 1795, when he briefly served as secretary of war, before becoming the third U.S. secretary of state. Because news was considered crucial to an informed electorate, the 1792 law distributed newspapers to subscribers for 1 penny up to 100 miles and 1.5 cents over 100 miles; printers could send their newspapers to other newspaper publishers for free. Postage for letters, by contrast, cost between 6 and 25 cents depending on distance. This subsidy amounted to roughly 0.2 percent of US Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to McChesney and Nichols. The postmaster general's position
16065-419: The postal system in the colonies while serving as the postmaster of Philadelphia from 1737 to 1753, and as joint postmaster general of the colonies from 1753 to 1774. Because of Franklin's rebellious political stances, he was dismissed from the postal service in 1774, which brought about a flurry of protests from the Americans. Among the most outspoken was Goddard, who established his Constitutional Post to give
16218-425: The postmaster of New London, and was himself once postmaster of Providence for two years. His mother was Sarah Updike Goddard , the daughter of Lodowick Updike, whose English and Dutch ancestors were among the first settlers of Rhode Island, and who was also well educated and later ran the family printing business. Goddard had an older sister, Mary Katherine , who was involved with the family business because she
16371-622: The preparation of Isaiah Thomas 's History of Printing in America (1810) and was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813. He lived in Providence until his death, December 23, 1817, aged seventy-seven years. He is buried in the North Burial Ground at Providence, Rhode Island. Goddard's son William Giles Goddard wrote his father's obituary for the Rhode Island American newspaper. It contained
16524-407: 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
16677-459: 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
16830-577: 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
16983-601: 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
17136-513: 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
17289-448: The scarcity and subsequent great demand for bibles and other religious literature. By the mid-18th century, printing took on new proportions with 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
17442-549: The stamp tax. Goddard opened a print shop in June 1766 in Philadelphia in partnership with Joseph Galloway and Thomas Wharton and rented one of Franklin's old print presses. Galloway was the speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly and promised Goddard the government's printing jobs, and Wharton was a successful merchant. Goddard purchased the first printing press made in the American colonies in 1769 from Isaac Doolittle after
17595-489: The state authorities of the mob attacks while defending Lee. They also demanded public protection for themselves and their right to freedom of the press , but ultimately had their demands rebuffed. In the July 16 issue of the Maryland Journal, they subsequently published an acrimonious account about why and how they were treated. They championed Lee's cause, printed the correspondence between Oswald and Smith, and retracted
17748-499: 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
17901-657: 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
18054-593: 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
18207-472: The trash which every rancorous, illiberal, anonymous scribbler" submitted to a newspaper, and that any such freedom had to be employed with a measure of discernment and a responsibility to the truth. Goddard quit the family's printing company in Rhode Island because he was not making the income that he expected. He suspended the newspaper with issue number 134 on May 11, 1765, and left his mother in charge of
18360-442: 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
18513-466: 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
18666-461: The various patriotic causes. As a printer and publisher Goddard was highly critical of the Stamp Act in 1765 and joined the Sons of Liberty to that end. For a short time he was also a postmaster of Providence, Rhode Island . Later, Goddard's newspaper partnership with Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia would play an important role in the development of a new postal system in the soon to be united colonies. Through his association with Franklin, who
18819-418: 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
18972-448: The weekly newspaper until, he purchased the business from them in November 1768. He became the successor of Goddard's Providence Gazette newspaper and started publishing it alone, beginning with issue of November 12, 1768. Goddard's mother died on January 5, 1770. In 1765 Benjamin Franklin was in London as an agent for Pennsylvania. When he opposed the enactment of the Stamp Act in 1765, knowing beforehand, however, that passage of
19125-451: 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
19278-517: Was a major figure in the development of the colonial postal system, which became the U.S. Post Office after the American Revolution. Goddard served as an apprentice printer under James Parker. In 1762, he became an early American publisher who later established four newspapers during the American colonial period, including the Pennsylvania Chronicle , Pennsylvania Gazette , and The Constitutional Courant , , which frequently gave voice to
19431-440: Was a pressing one as the existing Crown Post was now routinely manipulating the mail of the colonists prior to the revolution. William Goddard experienced the abuse of authority of the Crown Post in Philadelphia after forming a partnership with Benjamin Franklin to publish the Pennsylvania Chronicle , a paper sympathetic to the revolutionary cause. Goddard was one among several publishers who used private carriers rather than those of
19584-705: 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,
19737-424: Was added to the colophon of the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser as the main editor while, his sister's name was dropped altogether. Goddard continued to be the head of the newspaper, and his sister remained in the city as a self-publisher. Goddard and his sister had published competing almanacs for 1785, which led him levying attacks at both his sister's almanac and her character. Mary sold her interest in
19890-405: Was appointed as the first postmaster general under the Continental Congress beginning on July 26, 1775, nearly one year before the Congress declared independence from the British Crown. Franklin's son-in-law, Richard Bache , took over the position on November 7, 1776, when Franklin became an American emissary to France . Franklin had already made a significant contribution to the postal service in
20043-470: 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
20196-519: 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
20349-593: Was considered a plum patronage post for political allies of the president until the Postal Service was transformed into a corporation run by a board of governors in 1971 following passage of the Postal Reorganization Act . JD Thomas said the Postal Service Act was shaped in part by the desire to avoid censorship employed by the Crown to try to suppress their political opponents in colonial times. He also claimed that "the promise of mail delivery [helped] grow
20502-449: 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
20655-492: Was currently in operation. During the few years leading up to the Revolution, Goddard became well noted for the innovations he introduced to the postal system as it came to be employed in mail delivery between the various colonies. Goddard's postal system came about as the result of a series of conflicts involving his newspaper the Pennsylvania Chronicle , and the Crown Post, a postal administration and mail delivery system that
20808-470: Was established and maintained by popular subscription and would be managed and controlled by a private committee that would be elected annually by the subscribers. The committee would appoint postmasters, determine postal routes, hire post-riders and fix the rates of postage. In what was to Goddard an unexpected turn of events, when the Continental Congress authorized a post office run by the government, it passed over Goddard and instead named Benjamin Franklin as
20961-616: Was floundering, so he decided to start over again. He bought the printing equipment and type from the widow of Nicholas Hasselbach , Baltimore's first printer, who had unexpectedly died a few years before. He then established Baltimore's first newspapers the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser , with the first issue on August 20, 1773. The newspapers were printed with the type obtained from Hasselbach. He informed his readers that he would publish all kinds of material of intelligence, foreign or domestic, that would be of interest to
21114-449: Was in great demand among 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
21267-522: Was in use in the British colonies prior to the advent of American independence, under the authority of the British crown. As the idea of revolution began to surface throughout the colonies, the British began manipulating the Crown Post by blocking the mail and communications between the various colonies in an effort to prevent them from organizing with each other. The Crown also resorted to the delay or destruction of newspapers and opening and reading private mail,
21420-552: Was inspired by her father to become a printer. William served as an apprentice printer for six years under James Parker starting in 1755 and worked in his New Haven, Connecticut , print shop. A few months after his arrival, he was given an assignment to travel through Connecticut to determine what it would cost to set up post offices for the colonial forces during the French and Indian Wars . Goddard later worked in Parker's printing house in New York City in 1758, where he functioned as
21573-541: 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
21726-571: 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
21879-545: 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
22032-678: Was referred to by the colonists as the Intolerable Acts . A bill known as the Boston Port Bill was presented at the House of Commons on March 14, 1774. The intrusive bill passed both houses of Parliament with little opposition and was signed by the King a couple of weeks later. Among other measures the Intolerable Acts closed the port of Boston and radically altered the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Many colonists viewed
22185-429: Was so successful that it finally forced the Crown post out of business in the American colonies by Christmas Day 1775, when the king's last postrider delivered mail. Goddard's Constitutional Post proved to be a success and by 1775, his post system was flourishing with 30 post offices delivering mail between Portsmouth, New Hampshire , and Colonial Williamsburg . Goddard's plan for a colonial post office would be one that
22338-571: 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
22491-454: 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
22644-589: 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
22797-574: 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
22950-402: Was the only newspaper printed in Providence before 1775. Goddard was the publisher and editor of Providence's first newspaper and his friend John Carter was the printer. As a newspaper printer and publisher, Goddard subscribed to the ideal of a free and open press. However, his commitment to the ideal was tempered; he maintained that a free and open press "does not consist in publishing all
23103-469: 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
23256-406: Was then serving as postmaster of British North America in Philadelphia, Goddard played a major role in the introduction of new postal routes, reforms and other improvements to the colonial postal system , efforts which are often only attributed to Franklin. Goddard was born to a well-to-do family in 1740 in New London, Connecticut . He was the son of William Giles Goddard, a wealthy doctor and
23409-621: 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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