In the second "era," from 1704 to 1748, the American press made a decided start. On the 24th of April, 1704; John Campbell, of Boston, issued the first number of the Boston _News- Letter. This is usually referred to as the first American newspaper, and indeed so it was, for it lived through many vicissitudes 72 years, up to the dawning of the revolution. In 1719 Campbell was superseded as postmaster by "William Brooker, who followed Campbell's example by starting a paper, the Boston Gazette, the second Ameri can newspaper; and then began newspaper quarrels, a feature of journalism still far too prominent. Campbell resented his removal from office, and the fight was hot and per sonal. The day after the starting of the Gazette in Boston, Andrew Bradford issued in Philadelphia the American Weekly Mercury, Dec. 2, 1719. Ile also was a postmaster; so the post-office and the press appear to have been early united in this Country. and the union has never been broken. In later years three notable editors, Benjamin Franklin, Amos Kendall. and John M. Niles became postmasters-general; and an ex-editor is now postmaster of New York. Bradford died in 1742, and the paper was continued by his widow. On the 7th of 1721, the two Franklins—James and Benjamin—issued the first number of the Nem England Courant. u Wars and contentions between jour nalists now increased, but ;he Franklins were too strong for their jealous opponents, one of whom, ex-postmaster Campbell, sold his .Yews-Letter to Bartholomew Green, and became a justice of the peace. Newspaper warfare, however, though conspicuously violent in America, is a true British inheritance; for a century before Ben. Franklin's caustic pen was sharpened the writer of one London newspaper, referring to two of his contemporaries, said: "I have discovered the lies, forgeries, insolences, impieties, pro fanities, blasphemies of the two sheets." American journalism was now fairly established. The New York Gaiette was begun by William Bradford in Oct., 1725; the Nein England Weekly Journal, the fourth Boston newspaper, in 1727; the Maryland Gazette at Annapolis in 1727; Benjamin Franklin's Universal Instructor in all the Arts and Sciences, and Pennsylvania Gazette in Phila delphia in 1728; the Weekly Rehearsal in Boston in 1731, became the Boston Evening Post in 1735, and died of loyalty to the king in 1775; the New York Weekly Journal, Nov. 5, 1733, by John Peter Zenger, whose imprisonment for libel on the government, prosecution, trial, and acquittal through the efforts of Andrew Hamilton, the leader of the Pennsylvania bar, marked the first great triumph of the freedom of speech and of the press that is now one of the great foundation stones of our temple of liberty. The Weekly Post Boy, another New York paper, was speedily absorbed by Bradford's Gazette, Sept. 27, 1732; the Rhode Island Gazette ,vas begun at Newport by James Franklin, but it lived only three months, and Franklin himself died in 1735. About the same time the printing press, the invention that long afterwards gave the south so much annoyance, began to invade that section. The South Carolina Gazette was begun in Charleston, Jan. 8, 1731; the Virginia Gazette at Williamsburg in 1736. Both these papers died young on the death of their proprietors, and both were resuscitated soon afterwards. Returning north we find the Boston Weekly Post Boy begun in 1734, by the old postmaster, Ellis who recommended the passage of the stamp act. In 1742, Bradford, grandson of the New York printer, started the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser, one of the earliest and most vigorous supporters of colonial free dom. On the day before the odious stamp act was to go into effect the Journal inclosed its pages in black lines, and placed over its title the picture of a skull and cross-bones, with the legend "Expiring; in hope of a resurrection to life again;" with elsewhere, " Adieu, adieu, to the liberty of the press I Farewell liberty I" and as an epitaph, "The last remains of the Pennsylvania Journal, which departed this life the 31st of Oct., 1765, of a stamp in her vitals; aged 23 years." The paper, however, was not actually suspended. The Maryland Gazette, which had been suspended in 1736, was revived in 1745. A newspaper in the German language was issued at Germantown, Penn:, in 1739, and another in Philadelphia in 1743. The last paper started in the
colonial period was the New York Evening Post, begun in 1746, but it lived only about a year.
About the middle of the century the political heavens began to show signs of the coming revolution. Naturally, the cities where newspapers were issued became centers of political agitation Though few in number, they were important in influence. In 1748journals were issued in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Annapolis, Williamsburg, and Charleston; only six places in all America that could boast of newspapers. In the same year Samuel Adams established in Boston the Independent Advertiser, an organ of the more ardent of those who were anxious to become "rebels." Then came the New York Mercury, begun by Hugh Gaine, Aug. 3, 1752. In 1753 the Boston Gazette, or Weekly Advertiser, appeared and lived until killed by the stamp act. The voices of free dom were growing in number and boldness; the Adamses, Otises, Warrens, Mayhews, Quineys, and others, filled newspapers and pamphlets with demands and arguments for freedom from England. The real organ of the New England patriots appeared April 7, 1755—the Boston Gazette and Country Gentleman. On the first day of the same year the Connecticut Gazette was begun at New Haven. The Boston Gazette, however, was the mouthpiece of the men who created the revolution; but it was not much of a "news paper" in comparison with those of our day. It had two pages only, on half a sheet of crown paper—about the size of a single leaf from an ordinary ledger. 'While the British troops occupied Boston the Gazette was issued in Watertown, but returned to Boston after the troops left. The next new issue was the North Carolina Gazette, begun at Newbern, Dec., 1755. Then came the New Hampshire Gazette, Oct. 7, 1756—the oldest American living journal, having been published without intermission and without a radical change of name to the present time. Other papers appeared as follows: Boston Weekly Advertiser, Aug. 22, 1757; South Carolina and American General Gazette, 1758; Newport (It I.) Mercury, June 12, 1758, still living; the New London Summary, Aug. 8, 1758; another New York Gazette, Feb. 16, 1759; the Wilmington (Del.) Courant, 1761; the Providence (R. I.) Gazette and County Journal, 1762; the Georgia Gazette, Savannah, April 17, 1763; and the New London Gazette, afterwards the Connecticut Gazette, Nov. 1, 1763. The Connecticut Courant was begun at Hartford Nov. 19, 1764, and still lives; the Cape Fear Gazette and Wilmington Advertiser was begun in 1763; the Portsmouth (N. 11.) Mercury and Weekly Advertiser, 1765; the Maryland Gazette, 1765; the Gazette and Country Journal at Charleston, 1765; the Constitutional Courant, Burlington, N. J., 1765 (one issue only); the Virginia Gazette, 1766, the first newspaper to publish, ten years later, the full copy of the declaration of independence. At the commence ment of the revolution there were seven newspapers published in New England, four in New York, and two in Virginia. One of the most important of the revolutionary news papers was the New York Journal, or General Advertiser, started May 29, 1767, by John Holt, undwr the auspices of George Clinton and Philip Schuyler, two prominent patriot leaders. When the British took possession of New York, the Journal was removed to Kingston, thence to Poughkeepsie. The British were not without a voice amid all this array of revolutionary prints. Their organ in New York Was the Royal Gazetteer, better known as Rivington's Gazette, from the proprietor, James Rivington, who enjoyed the distinction of several mohbings by the "Sons of Liberty" and other mysterious organ i zations. In Boston the royalist paper was the Chronicle, the proprietors of which-3Ieln Fleming—received similar treatment. This paper died in 1770 for want of patronage, but Rivington's paper lived until the war was over, then pretended to be converted, but was not trusted, and soon died. One of Rivington's best contributors was Major Andri:. In 1767 appeared the Pennsylvania ChrOnicle; in 1768, at Salem, Mazes., the EsNar Chwette, now the Salem Gazette; also the New York Chronicle, short lived; and Oct. 13, 1769, the Cape Fear Mercury, at Wilmington, N. C.