American Newspapers: History up to the XIX Century

1690 - the early European newspapers printed in the American colonies. The Public Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestic, a three-page paper, was published that year in Boston, but it was suppressed (запрещено) by the government after one issue.

The first continuously published American newspaper was the Boston News-Letter, established in 1704 by John Campbell. - contained financial and foreign news, recorded births, deaths, and social events.

In 1721 James Franklin founded the New England Courant in Boston

Benjamin Franklin in 1723 went to Philadelphia and published the Pennsylvania Gazette and the General Magazine.

1725 - the Gazette - The first New York City newspaper

Soon was followed by several others including the New York Weekly Journal, edited by John Peter Zenger. Zenger published criticism of the British colonial governor of New York and his administration, so he was arrested and jailed on charges of seditious (бунтарский) libel (клевета). Zenger was tried and found not guilty, and his case created an important precedent for the tradition of a free press in America.

By 1775 the population of the colonies had increased to 2.5 million, and the number of newspapers had jumped to 48.

· became weekly, contained only 4 pages

· had a circulation of no more than 400 copies

· papers printed more essays than news

· were libertarian in tone, anticipating the American Revolution.

The colonial culture with its strong loyalty to England was changing. This loyalty was severely strained in 1765 when the British Stamp Act imposed a heavy tax on all legal documents, official papers, books and newspapers. To ensure that the tax was collected, all printing had to be done on taxed paper. The pre-Revolutionary press denounced the act and refused to pay the tax. Even though the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, it had united many editors and publishers in support of the cause of independence. The American patriot Samuel Adams (edited the Boston Gazette) organized the Committees of Correspondence, comprising agents who kept track of events throughout the colonies. In 1776 the patriot papers carried on their front pages the Declaration of Independence.

 The  press found itself deeply divided—first, when the Articles of Confederation were ratified and, later, when the new U.S. Constitution was adopted. On one side of most issues were the conservative Federalists; on the other side were the agrarian Republicans, or Democratic-Republicans. On one issue, however, the newspapers of the country were united: support of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, which declared that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom (урезание свободы) of speech, or of the press.”

+ the amendment also guaranteed freedom of religion, the right of assembly, and the right to petition Congress. The 1st Amendment has been under fire many times during the succeeding years, but it has remained the cornerstone of the free press in the U.S.

7 years after the First Amendment, The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 (это название закона) called into question the freedom of the press.

It placed serious restrictions on a person’s right to criticize the government, the president or any members of his cabinet. The law, supported by the Federalists, was used to jail editors who opposed their party, but was not invoked against editors who attacked such Democratic-Republicans as Thomas Jefferson. Reaction against this repressive law helped to elect Jefferson president in 1800. The laws expired with the end of the Federalist reign.

                                                   

                                                              

American Newspapers: Penny Press, Yellow Journalism Era

Penny press

The first daily newspaper in the U.S., the Pennsylvania Evening Post and Daily Advertiser, had begun daily publication in 1783 in Philadelphia.

In the first three decades of the 19^th century as the Industrial Revolution spread, newspapers did not reach out to the general public but in 1833 Benjamin Henry Day published the first edition of the New York Sun creating the penny press. This paper differed from previous newspapers in terms of its content, cost and target audience. This modern newspaper includes news about crime and violence, other sensational topics. The newspaper cost only 1 cent and includes new urban masses. Hired newsboys were selling the four-page newspaper on the streets.

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