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Announcing: Catalog #355 for June, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
May 30, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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The June catalog (#355) is now available. Shown below are links to various segments of the catalog, our currently discounted
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Our History Unites Us – Celebrating Paul Revere with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow…
May 26, 2025 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
I must admit, a buzz is in the air as we approach America’s 250th anniversary (dare I say … Semiquincentennial). Our family is already starting to make plans on how we will celebrate this tremendous mile mark for our country, and we are relishing the thought of sharing our enthusiasm with others who are equally stirred. So, you can understand my excitement today when I was looking through this month’s catalog and noticed THE ESSEX JOURNAL & NEW HAMPSHIRE PACKET, Newburyport, Massachusetts, Feb. 9, 1776 with a Paul Revere Masthead. Almost instantly, the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem popped into my head…
“LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,”
A moment later, after a quick online search, I identified the 1st printing of Longfellow’s poem contained within THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY , Jan. 1, 1861. Heading into the Archives, I was hoping to find a copy and soon returned to my desk with this new treasure in hand. Below, you will find listed interesting insights from an article by… Historic Boston Incorporated:
“What is perhaps more interesting, is that Longfellow’s poem and its story are actually rooted in the bubbling national unrest unfolding in April 1860, when Longfellow began writing it and more than 85 years after Revere’s now famous ride. By the time Longfellow’s most well-known poem was published in The Atlantic Monthly out of the Old Corner Bookstore in January 1861, numerous states had seceded from the Union and by April the nation was at war.
With war on the horizon, Longfellow reflected on the nation’s past as much as its future. A staunch abolitionist, Longfellow wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride” to unify a nation at odds, to remind America of its sacred oath to uphold liberty as the Civil War beckoned. The final stanza has largely been interpreted as a call to action for his fellow Americans to wake up “in the hour of darkness and peril and need” and recall those sacred ideals the United States was founded upon”
So many memorable events to commemorate this next year… so many happenings to celebrate. Here is hoping (and praying) that by focusing on our history we may unify our nation as Longfellow hoped his poem would over 160 years ago.
Yesterday & Today… Memorial Day & Tariffs…
May 23, 2025 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Without a doubt, when Memorial Day arrives, the feel of summer settles in and Patriotism seems to fill the air as the Red, White & Blue flaps gracefully on the warm breezes. Life seems to take a few steps back intime as we gather with family and friends over plates full of deviled eggs and Grandma’s potato salad. On May 29, 1913, Life Magazine featured a beautiful print by Norman Price showing the passing of our heritage of Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) from one generation to the next. In an odd turn of congruency, this issue also has a political cartoon which could not be more in line with today’s headlines on Tariffs and the possible pluses and minuses they may bring to our country. How fitting for both of images to be contained in one publication as America is so much defined by push and pull, delight and difficulty, light and dark. May your Memorial Day Weekend be both lighthearted in celebration and heavy in remembrance of those who gave so much for our Freedom… and may we figure out an answer to that political cartoon.
“The Compromise of 1850” – Daniel Webster’s costly plea for unity…
May 19, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Whereas it is hard for those of us living today to imagine any “compromise” regarding slavery as a good thing (i.e., if it was wrong – and it was, how could anything less than abolishment be acceptable?), but the passionate antislavery politicians who lived through this era had to navigate the treacherous path between what they knew to right and the likely fracturing of what had increasingly become a fragile union. If they pushed too hard too fast, such a splintering would most assuredly result in an all-out Civil War with countless deaths, and if lost, the Southern institution of slavery would continue unabated by abolitionist sentiment. Even if it is agreed that an attempt at arriving at a compromise is in order, as with any deep-rooted, entrenched disagreement, any move to the middle requires someone to risk taking the first step.
It is with the above in mind history declares Daniel Webster’s “Seventh of March Speech” as being pivotal in bringing both sides to a compromise. Although it cost this anti-slavery Senator from Massachusetts his reputation and career, all are agreed his multi-hour oration was instrumental in holding succession/war at bey for over 10 years (although it may have ultimately deepened the divide). We are thankful to have found a lengthy report in a New York Tribune (March 8, 1850) which included excerpts, paraphrases, and commentary on the speech.
The following is the result of our research regarding its significance (Wiki, ChatGBT, Grok, etc.):
Summary of Daniel Webster’s “Seventh of March” Speech and Its Impact
Daniel Webster’s “Seventh of March” speech, delivered in 1850, was a heartfelt appeal for national unity and compromise amid escalating tensions over slavery that threatened to tear the United States apart. Webster declared, “I speak today for the preservation of the Union. ‘Hear me for my cause,’” emphasizing his alarm at the prospect of secession and civil war. He urged both the North and South to make concessions to safeguard the Union, a stance that significantly influenced the passage of the Compromise of 1850. However, this plea for moderation sparked widespread controversy and exacted a heavy toll on Webster’s career and reputation.
Key Points of the Speech
- Call for Unity: Webster positioned himself as an American, not merely a representative of Massachusetts or the North, advocating for the Constitution and the Union against the specter of disunion.
- Support for Compromise: He endorsed measures like the Fugitive Slave Law, hoping to bridge the divide between Northern and Southern interests and avert conflict.
Impact on Public Opinion
- In the North:
- Abolitionist Backlash: Northern abolitionists and anti-slavery Whigs felt betrayed by Webster’s support for the Fugitive Slave Law, which mandated their participation in returning escaped enslaved people—a stark departure from his earlier anti-slavery rhetoric.
- Regional Fallout: In Massachusetts, his home state, Webster’s reputation plummeted as he was branded a traitor to the anti-slavery cause, eroding his political base.
- In the South:
- Cautious Approval: Southern leaders appreciated Webster’s defense of the Fugitive Slave Law, seeing it as a gesture of respect for their rights under the Constitution.
- Lingering Distrust: Despite this, many Southerners remained wary of Webster due to his prior anti-slavery positions, viewing the Compromise of 1850 as a stopgap rather than a solution.
- Nationally:
- Passage of the Compromise: The speech rallied moderates across regions, providing Northern politicians with the justification to back the Compromise of 1850 without seeming disloyal to the Union.
- Deepened Divide: While it delayed immediate conflict, the speech underscored the irreconcilable differences over slavery, setting the stage for future strife.
Cost to Webster’s Career and Reputation
The “Seventh of March” speech marked a turning point that ultimately derailed Webster’s political career and tarnished his legacy:
- Northern Alienation: His endorsement of the Fugitive Slave Law alienated his Northern supporters, particularly in Massachusetts, where he lost the goodwill of abolitionists and anti-slavery advocates. This backlash effectively dashed his presidential ambitions.
- Incomplete Southern Acceptance: Although the South valued his compromise efforts, his earlier anti-slavery stance prevented him from fully gaining their trust, leaving him without a solid regional alliance.
- Political Isolation: Webster’s attempt to occupy a middle ground failed to heal the nation’s fractures. The Compromise of 1850, while a temporary success, only postponed the inevitable Civil War, and his role in it left him isolated as sectional tensions intensified.
Conclusion
Daniel Webster’s “Seventh of March” speech was a critical moment in American history, encapsulating both a desperate bid to preserve the Union and the profound challenges of compromise in a divided nation. While it facilitated the Compromise of 1850, it came at a steep personal cost, shattering Webster’s reputation in the North, limiting his influence in the South, and ending his political aspirations. The speech remains a poignant symbol of the era’s turmoil—a warning of division and a missed chance to confront slavery head-on.
Accusatory reporting is nothing new… Callender vs. Jefferson…
May 9, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
In a world where partisan politics and accusatory reporting seem rampant, it is nothing new in the media world. Nor is it more vicious, at least compared to one interesting event in American history of over 220 years ago.
As a bit of background, one needs to appreciate the acrimonious relationship between newspaperman James Callender and Thomas Jefferson.
James Callender was one of America’s earliest “scandalmongers”. A political journalist, his writings were often controversial. He curried favor with Republican interests early on, landing a job with Benjamin Franklin Bache’s newspaper, the Aurora General Advertiser. Firing darts at Federalists like Washington, Adams, and Hamilton made him good friends with Republicans like Jefferson. In fact, Jefferson called Callender “a man of genius”.
He became a central figure in the press wars between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties. Pleased with Callender’s attacks on his rivals Hamilton & Adams, Jefferson viewed him as a journalistic ally, even supporting Callender financially.
But Callender’s attack on President Adams had him jailed under the Sedition Act. But after Jefferson won the presidency he pardoned Callender, who then solicited employment as a postmaster which he felt was owed him by Jefferson. Jefferson denied it.
Callender then began publishing existing rumors claiming President Jefferson had children with slave Sally Hemings.
Now more to the point. An issue of the “Windsor Federal Gazette” of Vermont has much content on the feud between Thomas Jefferson and James Callender. Included is a letter from Richmond, dated Sept 2, 1802, signed by James Callender, that notes in part: “Sir, I am extremely tired of these long stories…attempting to show that Mr. Jefferson disapproved of the contents of ‘The Prospect’ and that he paid me these hundred dollars without being aware what kind of a book it was to be…”.
It continues on and includes a very dramatic statement: “…Sally’s business makes a prodigious noise here. You may save yourself the trouble of a moment’s doubt in believing the story. But what will you pious countrymen upon the Connecticut say to such African amours? After this discovery I do not believe that, at the next election of 1804, Jefferson could obtain two votes on the Eastern side of Susquehanna; and I think hardly four on this side of it. He will, therefore, be laid aside…”.
The key content, without question, is the report of Callender’s “Sally” accusation, obliquely referenced above. Taken from the now infamous report in the Richmond Recorder, Calender’s newspaper, it begins: “It is well known that the man, whom it delighteth the people to honor, keeps, and for many years has kept, as his concubine, one of his own slaves. Her name is Sally. The name of her eldest son is Tom. His features are said to bear a striking although sable resemblance to those of the president himself. The boy is ten or twelve years of age. His mother went to France in the same vessel with Mr. Jefferson and his two daughters. The delicacy of this arrangement must strike every person of common sensibility. What a sublime pattern for an American ambassador to place before the eyes of two young ladies!…” with more.
The “Sally” discussion in this letter includes details that mention Jefferson having had several children by her: “…By this wench Sally, our President has had several children. There is not an individual in the neighbourhood of Charlottesville who does not believe the story…”.
Callender’s letter concludes with a pointed challenge to Jefferson: “…The allegation is of a nature too black to be suffered to remain in suspense. We should be glad to hear of its refutation. We give it to the world under the firmest belief that such a refutation never can be made. The African Venus is said to officiate as housekeeper at Monticello. When Mr. Jefferson has read this article, he will find leisure to estimate how much has been lost or gained by so many unprovoked attacks upon J. T. CALLENDER.”
This report was not to be found in many newspapers of the day, not even in all those opposed to Jefferson’s politics. Two years later Jefferson would win a second term as President.
They Put It In Print – but should they have? Lewis & Clark edition…
May 5, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Over the years we have amassed a series of posts under the heading, “They Put It In Print”. However, we recently came across a letter William Clark (of Lewis & Clark fame) wrote to his brother while on his famous expedition, which made us wonder if it was intended to end up printed in a handful of newspapers for others to read. While the line between private and public affairs is often blurred for those in the public eye, in this case a citizenry who was anxiously awaiting any news from the frontier probably never gave this tension a thought. Regardless of whether lines were crossed, over 200 years later we still benefit from the details provided regarding this historic trek through the wilderness.
The entire letter, warts and all, is shown below as printed in the Boston Gazette dated November 13, 1806. We hope you enjoy. We also have a note following the letter.
Whereas educators are welcome to use the photos above as a teaching resource for no cost (or credit given to us), in addition to the actual collectible issue which may still be available, we also have high-resolution digital photos of the above available through our Etsy Store: “THEY PUT IT IN PRINT – Historical news from the day it was first reported.”
Announcing: Catalog #354 for May, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
May 2, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
|
The May catalog (#354) is now available. Shown below are links to various segments of the catalog, our currently discounted
|
[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]