The Boston News-Letter
Encyclopedia
First published on April 24, 1704, The Boston News-Letter is regarded as the first continuously published newspaper
in British North America
. It was heavily subsidized by the British government, with a limited circulation. The colonies’ first newspaper was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
, which published its first and only issue on September 25 1690. In 1718, the Weekly Jamaica Courant followed in Kingston
. In 1726 the Boston Gazette
began publishing with Bartholomew Green Jr.
as printer.
was John Campbell, a bookseller and postmaster
of Boston. It was originally issued weekly as a half sheet – a single page printed on both sides. During its early years it was filled primarily with news from London journals describing English politics and the details of European wars. As the only newspaper in the colonies at the time, it also reported on the sensational death of Blackbeard
the pirate in hand-to-hand combat in 1718.
In 1722 the editorship passed to Bartholomew Green
, the paper’s printer, who focused more on domestic events. After his death in 1732 his son John Draper, also a printer, took the paper’s helm. He enlarged the paper to four pages and filled it with news from throughout the colonies.
Publishers included John Campbell (1704-ca.1723); Bartholomew Green (1723-ca.1732); John Draper (1733–1762); Richard Draper (1762–1774); John Boyle (1774); Margaret Draper (1774); and John Howe
(1775). Printers included Bartholomew Green (1704-ca.1732); and John Allen (1707).
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in British North America
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
. It was heavily subsidized by the British government, with a limited circulation. The colonies’ first newspaper was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick was the title of the first multi-page newspaper published in the Americas. Before then, single-page newspapers, called broadsides, were published in the English colonies and printed in Cambridge in 1689...
, which published its first and only issue on September 25 1690. In 1718, the Weekly Jamaica Courant followed in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. In 1726 the Boston Gazette
Boston Gazette
The Boston Gazette was a newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts, in the British North American colonies. It began publication December 21, 1719 and appeared weekly.-Brief history:...
began publishing with Bartholomew Green Jr.
Bartholomew Green (printer)
Bartholomew Green Jr. was a son of Bartholomew Green, printer of the Boston News-Letter.Green married Hannah Hammond in 1724 and they had five children. He apprenticed with his father until he went on his own in 1725. Almost immediately he began printing the Boston Gazette which was a rival to his...
as printer.
History
The News-Letter’s first editorEditing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
was John Campbell, a bookseller and postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
of Boston. It was originally issued weekly as a half sheet – a single page printed on both sides. During its early years it was filled primarily with news from London journals describing English politics and the details of European wars. As the only newspaper in the colonies at the time, it also reported on the sensational death of Blackbeard
Blackbeard
Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
the pirate in hand-to-hand combat in 1718.
In 1722 the editorship passed to Bartholomew Green
Bartholomew Green
Bartholomew Green was a printer and later the publisher of The Boston News-Letter. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, the paper’s printer, who focused more on domestic events. After his death in 1732 his son John Draper, also a printer, took the paper’s helm. He enlarged the paper to four pages and filled it with news from throughout the colonies.
Publishers included John Campbell (1704-ca.1723); Bartholomew Green (1723-ca.1732); John Draper (1733–1762); Richard Draper (1762–1774); John Boyle (1774); Margaret Draper (1774); and John Howe
John Howe (loyalist)
John Howe was a loyalist printer during the American Revolution, a printer and Postmaster in Halifax, the father of the famous Joseph Howe, a spy prior to the War of 1812, and eventually a Magistrate of the Colony of Nova Scotia...
(1775). Printers included Bartholomew Green (1704-ca.1732); and John Allen (1707).
Varying titles
- The Boston news-letter. Apr. 24, 1704-Dec. 29, 1726.
- The Weekly news-letter. Jan. 5, 1727-Oct. 29, 1730.
- The Boston weekly news-letter. Nov. 5, 1730-Aug. 25, 1757.
- The Boston news-letter. Sept. 1, 1757-Mar. 18, 1762.
- The Boston news-letter, and New-England chronicle. Mar. 25, 1762-Mar. 31, 1763.
- The Massachusetts gazette. And Boston news-letter. Apr. 7, 1763-May 19, 1768.
- Boston weekly news-letter. May 26, 1768-Sept. 21, 1769.
- The Massachusetts gazette; and the Boston weekly news-letter. Sept. 28, 1769-Feb. 29, 1776.
Further reading
- Steven J. Shaw. Colonial Newspaper Advertising: A Step toward Freedom of the Press. The Business History Review, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Autumn, 1959), pp. 409-420
- Thomas S. Martin. The Long and the Short of It: A Newspaper Exchange on the Massachusetts Charters, 1772. The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Jan., 1986), pp. 99-110
- Article on The Boston News-Letter
- American Antiquarian Society's images of the Boston News-Letter