''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, especially as it related to the Stamp Act, and the

Townshend Acts The Townshend Acts () or Townshend Duties, were a series of British acts of Parliament passed during 1767 and 1768 introducing a series of taxes and regulations to fund administration of the British colonies in America. They are named after the ...

History

The newspaper was first published in 1728 by

Samuel Keimer Samuel Keimer (1689–1742) was originally an English printer and emigrant who came to America and became an Early American printer. He was the original founder of ''The Pennsylvania Gazette.'' On October 2, 1729, Benjamin Franklin bought thi ...

and was the second newspaper to be published in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

under the name ''The Universal Instructor in all Arts and Sciences: and Pennsylvania Gazette'', alluding to Keimer's intention to print out a page of

Ephraim Chambers Ephraim Chambers ( – 15 May 1740) was an English writer and encyclopaedist, who is primarily known for producing the '' Cyclopaedia, or a Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences''. Biography Chambers was born in Milton near Kendal, Westmor ...

' '' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences'' in each copy. On October 2, 1729,

, the owner of the ''Gazette'', fell into debt and before fleeing to

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

sold the newspaper to

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

and his partner Hugh Meredith,Benjamin Franklin Historical Society, Essay
/ref> who shortened its name, as well as dropping Keimer's grandiose plan to print out the ''Cyclopaedia''. Franklin not only printed the paper but also often contributed pieces to the paper under

aliases A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

. His newspaper soon became the most successful in the colonies. On December 28, 1732, Franklin announced in ''Gazette'' that he had just printed and published the first edition of ''The Poor Richard'', (better known as ''Poor Richard's Almanack'') by Richard Saunders, Philomath. On August 6, 1741 Franklin published an editorial about deceased Andrew Hamilton, a lawyer and public figure in Philadelphia who had been a friend. The editorial praised the man highly and showed Franklin had held the man in high esteem. On October 19, 1752, Franklin published a third-person account of his pioneering

kite experiment The kite experiment is a scientific experiment in which a kite with a pointed, conductive wire attached to its apex is flown near thunder clouds to collect electricity from the air and conduct it down the wet kite string to the ground. It was p ...

in ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'', without mentioning that he himself had performed it. Primarily a publication for classified ads, merchants and individuals listed notices of employment, lost and found goods and items for sale; the newspaper also reprinted foreign news. Most entries involved stories of travel. The gazette also published advertisements for

runaway slaves In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th century to describe people who fled slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. Such people are also called free ...

and

indentured servants Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, ...

. This newspaper, among other firsts, would print the first

political cartoon A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine ...

in America, ''

Join, or Die ''Join, or Die.'' is a political cartoon showing the disunity in the American colonies. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the original publication by '' The Pennsylvania Gazette'' on May 9, 1754, is the earliest known pictorial representation of ...

'', authored by Franklin. The paper ceased publication in 1800, ten years after Franklin's death. It is claimed that the publication later reemerged as the '' Saturday Evening Post'' in 1821.About the ''Saturday Evening Post''
There are three known copies of the original issue, which are held by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Wisconsin State Historical Society. Today, ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' moniker is used by an unrelated bi-monthly alumni magazine of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, which Franklin founded and served as a trustee. Archives are available online for a fee.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{Authority control Defunct newspapers of Philadelphia Publications established in 1728 Publications disestablished in 1800 1728 establishments in Pennsylvania Newspapers of colonial America

History

See also

References

Sources

External links