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Pages
from the Past
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In order to understand 18th century
America, it's a given that we identify
the era's milestone events, along with the
personalities who made them happen. But even as
we examine this period from the top down, it is
instructive also to see the view from the bottom
up.
One of the ways to take the pulse of a
society is to search through its primary source
materials. Inevitably our search will lead us
not only to those well-publicized events we're
familiar with....but also to the ordinary
every-day events that filled our forebears'
lives.
With that in mind Pages from the Past offers
some typical newspapers that span the
18th century. In addition to reading
the "news" on the front page of a newspaper
from the Revolutionary War, you can
also scan numerous ads on the back pages of a
newspaper from the colonial era
and another printed during George
Washington's presidency.
Pages From The Past features three
newspapers:
One is the January 2, 1750 issue of The
Pennsylvania Gazette published by
Benjamin Franklin. When you bring up the image,
look for Franklin's name as Post-Master at the
bottom of the page.
When you read The Boston Gazette,
note that this issue was printed during the
Revolutionary War, just three months after the
signing of the Declaration of Independence. The
front page of The Gazette is filled with letters
to and from George Washington and Lords Howe and
Drummond regarding peace overtures by Great
Britain.
The other newspaper is the Massachusetts
Centinel of Saturday, April 24, 1790,
published by Benjamin Russell. George Washington
was Russell's idol, and his paper soon became
the leading Federalist champion, its first great
cause the adoption of the Federal Constitution.
Numerous ads here identify the needs and wants
of Americans during the early days of
Washington's presidency.
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Archiving
Early America
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