National Gazette
The National Gazette was a biweekly newspaper in the early years of the United States . It was published in Philadelphia from October 31, 1791 to October 23, 1793 . The editor was the poet Philip Freneau .
The National Gazette was founded at the instigation of the opinion leaders of the anti-federalists , especially James Madison and Thomas Jefferson , to stand up to the Gazette of the United States , the journalistic mouthpiece of the Federalist Party around Alexander Hamilton .
Since Jefferson held the office of foreign minister in George Washington's cabinet until 1793 , the paradoxical situation arose that the National Gazette, as an opposition newspaper, was actually largely supported by a leading member of the government. The fact that Jefferson Freneau had secured a lucrative post as translator in the State Department shortly before the paper was founded in 1791 was criticized by their federalist opponents as nepotism.
Freneau's National Gazette made a name for itself in a short time with sharp attacks on Washington’s leadership style and especially on Hamilton’s financial policy, which she described around 1792 as "numerous evils ... pregnant with every mischief" . A celebration on the occasion of George Washington's 61st birthday titled the paper as a harbinger of monarchist airs.
In October 1793, the paper stopped publication. Jefferson's imminent resignation from the cabinet, but also a falling number of subscribers are cited as possible reasons for the rather abrupt end.
literature
- Eric Burns: Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism . Public Affairs, 2006. ISBN 1586484281