The Capital
Encyclopedia
The Capital is a daily newspaper
published in Annapolis, Maryland
. It serves the city as well as all of Anne Arundel County and neighboring Kent Island
in Queen Anne's County. It is an evening newspaper during the week and offers morning delivery on the weekend. Philip Merrill
was the publisher until his suicide in June 2006. The editor is Tom Marquardt. One of its subsidiary papers is the Gazette, originally titled the Maryland Gazette, founded by William Parks in the Eighteenth Century, and one of the oldest newspapers in the United States
.
. Today, the Gazette, published twice weekly, is a subsidiary of the Capital that covers northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland
. The first paper to feature the word "Capital" rolled off the presses in 1884 as the Evening Capital. It was a weekly until 1955. The word "Evening" was dropped in 1981.
In 1766, the Maryland Gazette was one of the venues for a war of words between a future signer of the Declaration of Independence
and several loyalist members of the Annapolis political establishment. In the Maryland Gazette Extraordinary of June 19, 1766, Walter Dulany, George Steuart (1700–1784), John Brice
(1705–1766) and others published an article excoriating Samuel Chase
, co-founder of the Anne Arundel County chapter of the Sons of Liberty
and a leading opponent of the 1765 Stamp Act. The article called Chase "a busy, reckless incendiary, a ringleader of mobs, a foul-mouthed and inflaming son of discord and faction, a common disturber of the public tranquility". Chase responded with an open letter accusing Steuart and the others of "vanity...pride and arrogance", and of being brought to power by "proprietory influence, court favour, and the wealth and influence of the tools and favourites who infest this city."
In 1772 Charles Carroll of Carrollton
engaged in a debate conducted through the Maryland Gazette, maintaining the right of the colonies to control their own taxation. Writing in the Gazette under the pseudonym "First Citizen," he became a prominent spokesman against the governor's proclamation increasing legal fees to state officers and Protestant clergy. Opposing Carroll in these written debates and writing as "Antillon" was Daniel Dulany the Younger
, a noted lawyer and loyalist
politician. In these debates, Carroll argued that the government of Maryland
had long been the monopoly of four families, the Ogles, the Taskers, the Bladens and the Dulanys, with Dulany taking the contrary view. Eventually word spread of the true identity of the two combatants, and Carroll's fame and notoriety began to grow. Dulany soon resorted to highly personal ad hominem attacks on "First Citizen", and Carroll responded, in statesmanlike fashion, with considerable restraint, arguing that when Antilles engaged in "virulent invective and illiberal abuse, we may fairly presume, that arguments are either wanting, or that ignorance or incapacity know not how to apply them".
After the death of Philip Merrill
, Landmark Communications took full control of The Capital' s parent company Capitol-Gazette Communications.
On January 3, 2008, it was reported that the family-owned Landmark Communications, parent company of The Capital, was for sale.
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...
published in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. It serves the city as well as all of Anne Arundel County and neighboring Kent Island
Kent Island, Maryland
Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay, and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is separated from Sandy Point, an area near Annapolis, by...
in Queen Anne's County. It is an evening newspaper during the week and offers morning delivery on the weekend. Philip Merrill
Philip Merrill
Philip Merrill was an American diplomat, publisher, banker, and philanthropist who committed suicide while traveling alone on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay.- Career and philanthropy :...
was the publisher until his suicide in June 2006. The editor is Tom Marquardt. One of its subsidiary papers is the Gazette, originally titled the Maryland Gazette, founded by William Parks in the Eighteenth Century, and one of the oldest newspapers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
William Parks originally founded The Maryland Gazette in Annapolis in the early Eighteenth century. Eventually Parks moved to Virginia, and the paper was later published by Anne Catherine Hoof GreenAnne Catherine Hoof Green
Anne Catherine Hoof Green was a printer and publisher.-Biography:Anne Hoof was most likely born in the Netherlands around 1720. She emigrated to America and lived in Annapolis, Maryland. She married Jonas Green of Boston in 1738 and had fourteen children, with six surviving infancy.Green's paper...
. Today, the Gazette, published twice weekly, is a subsidiary of the Capital that covers northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
. The first paper to feature the word "Capital" rolled off the presses in 1884 as the Evening Capital. It was a weekly until 1955. The word "Evening" was dropped in 1981.
The Maryland Gazette and the American Revolution
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
and several loyalist members of the Annapolis political establishment. In the Maryland Gazette Extraordinary of June 19, 1766, Walter Dulany, George Steuart (1700–1784), John Brice
John Brice, Jr.
John Brice, Jr. was an early American settler and Loyalist politician in colonial Maryland. He was a member of the Governor's Council, twice Mayor of Annapolis, and a chief justice in the colony's court. Two of his sons would in their turn become Mayors of Annapolis.-Early life:John was born in...
(1705–1766) and others published an article excoriating Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and earlier was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. Early in life, Chase was a "firebrand" states-righter and revolutionary...
, co-founder of the Anne Arundel County chapter of the Sons of Liberty
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
and a leading opponent of the 1765 Stamp Act. The article called Chase "a busy, reckless incendiary, a ringleader of mobs, a foul-mouthed and inflaming son of discord and faction, a common disturber of the public tranquility". Chase responded with an open letter accusing Steuart and the others of "vanity...pride and arrogance", and of being brought to power by "proprietory influence, court favour, and the wealth and influence of the tools and favourites who infest this city."
In 1772 Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
engaged in a debate conducted through the Maryland Gazette, maintaining the right of the colonies to control their own taxation. Writing in the Gazette under the pseudonym "First Citizen," he became a prominent spokesman against the governor's proclamation increasing legal fees to state officers and Protestant clergy. Opposing Carroll in these written debates and writing as "Antillon" was Daniel Dulany the Younger
Daniel Dulany the Younger
Daniel Dulany the Younger was a Maryland Loyalist politician, Mayor of Annapolis, and an influential American lawyer in the period immediately before the American Revolution...
, a noted lawyer and loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
politician. In these debates, Carroll argued that the government of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
had long been the monopoly of four families, the Ogles, the Taskers, the Bladens and the Dulanys, with Dulany taking the contrary view. Eventually word spread of the true identity of the two combatants, and Carroll's fame and notoriety began to grow. Dulany soon resorted to highly personal ad hominem attacks on "First Citizen", and Carroll responded, in statesmanlike fashion, with considerable restraint, arguing that when Antilles engaged in "virulent invective and illiberal abuse, we may fairly presume, that arguments are either wanting, or that ignorance or incapacity know not how to apply them".
Modern era
Today, The Capital has a circulation of 50,000 and a website, hometownannapolis.com (which is also accessible via capitalonline.com).After the death of Philip Merrill
Philip Merrill
Philip Merrill was an American diplomat, publisher, banker, and philanthropist who committed suicide while traveling alone on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay.- Career and philanthropy :...
, Landmark Communications took full control of The Capital
On January 3, 2008, it was reported that the family-owned Landmark Communications, parent company of The Capital, was for sale.
External links
- HometownAnnapolis.com The Capital. Retrieved February 23, 2010
- Maryland Archives. Retrieved February 23, 2010