American Journalism

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American Journalism

• 0456748001

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James Franklin

• More than a printer.
• New-England Courant, started 1721
• Attacked clergy, opposed inoculations.
• Allied with Rev. John Checkley, who opposed
  Puritan-controlled (Calvinist) government.
• Prior restraint ordered by royal government
  against Checkley.
• Checkley refused, fined six pounds.

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Trouble in New England

• Franklin and Checkley allied against Increase
  Mather and Cotton mather.

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Increase Mather

• Hated the Courant.
• Part of the old Guard.

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Cotton Mather

• Controversy over smallpox.
• Inoculate healthy people with blood of the
  infected.
• Cottons son Rev. Thomas Walter publlished the
  Anti-Courant, favoring inoculation.

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The Courant

• Accused Rev. Walter of drunkenness.
• Checkley and Franklin fought over how to proceed.
• Courant supporters called The Hell-Fire club.
• Continued to publish anti-inoculation pieces.
• Mather supporters used the Boston Gazette to
  support inoculation.

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Smallpox innoculation

• Inoculation introduces smallpox virus into the
  recipient. Vaccination introduces vaccinia virus
  into the recipient. Vaccinia confers protection
  against smallpox infection, but with far fewer
  side effects, since it is a much less virulent
  virus. Edward Jenner, the inventor of
  vaccination, should be high on everyone's list of
  greatest-ever human beings.

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Inoculation actualy worked, though poorly

• John Adams, later to be president, was inoculated
  in 1764.
• Adams was spent three weeks in the hospital,
  suffering headaches, backaches, knee-aches,
  gagging fever, and eruption of pock marks.

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James Franklin

• His journalistic rambunctiousness came when the
  governors licensing power was being disputed.
• Governor asked for licensing power.
• Printers gained some freedom.
• 1722 Courant criticizes Massachusetts General
  Court on pirates.

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Franklin imprisoned

• Got one months term.
• Ran the paper from jail while his younger brother
  Benjamin did the work.
• Ben was 17.
• General Court studied the Courant
• Paper mocked religion, profanely abused the
  Scriptures
• Affronted government.

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James Franklin

• Ordered to be on his best behavior.
• Refused to obey.
• Instead, he went into hiding.
• Reappeared, rearrested.
• Grand jury refused to indict.
• James released Ben from indenture.

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Ben Franklin

• 1723 Ben emerges as a front man for James.
• Wrote essays under the name of Silence Dogwood.
• Even James didnt know the author.
• Amusing, spirited, Ben was set to have a life as
  a publisher.

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Ben leaves

• He quarreled with James.
• Left Boston for Philadelphia.
• Courant not financially successful.
• James got sick and died in 1732, leaving the
  Courant to his wife Anne.
• She made it successful, after it moved to Rhode
  Island.
• Her two daughters were geniuses in publishing. So
  was Annes son James Jr.
• James Jr. established the Newport Mercury in
  Philadelphia, which ran until the 20th century.

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Ben Franklin as Silence Dogwood

• Tis true, drinking does not improve the
  Faculties, but it enables us to USE them and
  therefore I conclude, that much Study and
  Experience, and a little Liquor, are of absolute
  Necessity for some Tempers, in order to make them
  accomplishd Orators.

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William Bradford
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The Bradfords

• First newspaper in Pennsylvania, The American
  Mercury.
• Later, The American Magazine.
• Cornelia, Bradfords stepmother, competed with
  him.

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Ben Franklin now in Philadelphia, 1720s

• Pennsylvania Gazette
• Published ads
• Printed both sides of the page.
• The merchant may buy and sell with jews (cq),
  Turks, Hereticks and Infidels of all sorts, and
  get money by every one of them, without giving
  offense to the most orthodox but not the
  publisher.

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Competition

• The Gazette vs. the Mercury
• Franklin sponsored printers in the South. (The
  Virginia Gazette)
• Poor Richards Almanack.
• Southern printer Lewis Timothy died his wife,
  Elizabeth, took over successfully.

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Elizabeth Timothy
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Elizabeth Timothy

• First successful female publisher in colonies.
• How wretched is a womans Fate,
• No happy change her Fortune knows,
• Subject to Man in every state.
• How can she then be free from woes?
• In Youth a Fathers stern Command,
• And jealous Eyes control her will
• A lordly Brother watchful stands,
• To keep her closer Captive still.
• The tyrant Husband next appears,
• With Awful and Contracted Brow
• No more a lovers form he wears.
• Her slaves become her Sovreign now.

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Conclusions

• 15th century revolution changed the world from
  oral and scribal to printed.
• Printing developed in England despite edicts
  prohibiting it.
• Information became highly prized.
• Intolerance characterize early use of the
  printing press in America.

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More conclusions

• Proclamations, religious and later political
  pamphlets.
• James Franklin introduced controversy, wit and
  humor.
• Franklin helped to proliferate printing.
• Women were crucial to early success.
• Soon, everyone had a press.

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Next

• Resistance and liberty.
• Zenger, Bradford, Alexander
• The Boston Tea Party was for journalism!