Accusatory reporting is nothing new… Callender vs. Jefferson…

May 9, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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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.

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They Put It In Print – but should they have? Lewis & Clark edition…

May 5, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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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.”

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Announcing: Catalog #354 for May, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

May 2, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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The May catalog (#354) is now available. Shown below are links to various segments of the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.

CATALOG #354 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: an extremely rare title: “Frederick Douglass’ Paper”, a quartet of issues with the historic “Funding Act”, a Philadelphia newspaper dated 1736, an issue with a Paul Revere engraving in the masthead, the Gettysburg Address (from just 102 miles away), an issue on the “Thomas Jefferson – Sally Hemings” affair, and more.

 

Helpful Links to the Catalog:

 

————–
DISCOUNTED ISSUES – What remains of last month’s discounted issues may be viewed at: Discount (select items at 50% off)
————–
Thanks for collecting with us.

 

Sincerely,

 

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

570-326-1045

[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days

upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]

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The Continuation of a Genre… The American West Still Keeps Giving…

April 28, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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Yesterday, I heard a podcast discussing the growth-arc a genre typically takes over the course of time. In this podcaster’s opinion, when a movie/TV genre begins to produce shows which are a parody of their kind, the sunset for this genre has arrived. As an example, the speaker discussed superhero movies, and although some might argue with their analysis, there seems to be a decline in quality and enthusiasm for these sorts of movies. Later in the day, as I was looking through our archives, my attention was caught by an issue of THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH from Arizona, October 31, 1880, and my mind quickly went to thoughts of the many great Westerns I’ve viewed over the decades including the 1993 blockbuster: TOMBSTONE, which told of the well-storied shoot-out at the OK Corral. In fact, from John Wayne in True Grit…  Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday…  to today’s hit show Yellowstone and its endless spinoff’s, unlike superhero movies, the western is still alive and well and nowhere near its final curtain-call no matter how many cowboys and their trusty steads slowly ride into the sunset.

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Prior to the November 22,1963 assassination of JFK… History does repeat itself!

April 25, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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I would imagine every American is familiar with the assassination of JFK – perhaps even more so since his nephew has joined our most recent presidential survivor of a similar attempt. Additionally, the JFK Papers everyone has spent decades clamoring for may soon be released for public perusal. In light of all the newly ignited interest, the August 29, 1961, NEW YORK TIMES had an interesting article describing an earlier assassination attempt on JFK where the killer was stopped by the fact that Jackie and the kids were with Kennedy at the time. Below is a description of the event written by Smithsonian Magazine.

“On December 11, 1960, JFK was the president-elect and Richard Paul Pavlick was a 73-year-old retired postal worker. Both were in Palm Beach, Florida. JFK was there on a vacation of sorts, taking a trip to warmer climates as he prepared to assume the office of the President. Pavlick had followed Kennedy down there with the intention of blowing himself up and taking JFK with him. His plan was simple. He lined his car with dynamite — “enough to blow up a small mountain” per CNN – and outfitted it with a detonation switch. Then, he parked outside the Kennedy’s Palm Beach compound and waited for Kennedy to leave his house to go to Sunday Mass. Pavlick’s aim was to ram his car into JFK’s limo as the President-to-be left his home, killing them both.

But JFK did not leave his house alone that morning. He made his way to his limousine with his wife, Jacqueline, and children, Caroline and John, Jr. who was less than a month old. While Pavlick was willing to kill John F. Kennedy, he did not want to kill Kennedy’s family, so he resigned himself to trying again another day. He would not get a second chance at murderous infamy. On December 15, he was arrested by a Palm Beach police officer working off a tip from the Secret Service.”

For JFK collectors, this is a nice addition to the most famous issues covering Oswald’s successful attempt just 2.5 years later.

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Americana at it’s best… The annual Egg Roll on the lawn of The White House…

April 20, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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I apologize upfront for the fact that so many of my posts lean heavily on nostalgia. Truth be told, I often have to apologize to my kids for how quickly I tear up when I think of the past. Keeping my soft pot for the “good” of the past in mind, it will come as no surprise that I chose the following issue for today’s installment.

The FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED for April 23, 1887 featured a delightful full-page illustration of the annual White House Egg Roll. Whoever the artist was (it was described as being from a “staff artist”), they perfectly captured the best of America in all its innocence and deep-felt sense of community. American traditions are part of our core essence as a unified people and they build bonds between us which help us stand firm during the hardships of life. Keep in mind, as Spring and Summer arrive, we are about to be flooded with National Holidays drenched with American traditions. Especially during the upcoming year, in light of our nation’s 250th birthday, may we all pause to appreciate the small but powerful traditions which help define us as Americans.

PS  “Red and yellow back and white”… playing out in 1887 🙂

PPS  As much as I get weepy when thinking about the past, I do find myself very misty-eyed at what I see and experience in my present as well. Perhaps I’m just a softie?!!

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Words spoken softly would prove to be extraordinarily prophetic…

April 14, 2025 by · 1 Comment 
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Some of the newspapers that are so desired by collectors are those with innocent reports–often inconspicuous amongst the jumble of lengthier articles–that would only find relevance in the passing of years. Such is the case with the “New York Semi-Weekly Tribune” issue of May 15, 1860. Keep in mind that at this date, the Republican National Convention in Chicago had yet to formally begin (May 16-18) and Abraham Lincoln was pretty much an unknown in the world of national politics. He did capture some attention with his famous “…house divided…” speech two years earlier, and more contemporarily with his Cooper Union address in February, 1860, but he was–at best–an outsider for the Presidency.

Page 5 has a column headed: “The Chicago Convention” “The People Gathering” “Prospects of Various Candidates” “Seward Leads Them All” and more. However, the report suggests Seward’s work will be difficult, noting in part: “The crowd gather thick & fast…The Seward leaders are also very confident and profess the utmost faith, but it is impossible to see how his nomination can be carried…”. As for the candidates, it notes: “…Mr. Seward will lead, Mr. Bates will come next, and Mr. Chase will be third…Mr. Cameron will come next, and then Mr. Lincoln…”. By the reporter’s reckoning, Lincoln was a distant 5th.

Ultimately, as the following days would give evidence, Seward led on the first ballot but fell short of a majority, while Lincoln would finish in a strong second place. Cameron’s delegates shifted to Lincoln on the second ballot, leaving Lincoln essentially tied with Seward. Lincoln clinched the nomination on the third ballot after consolidating support from more delegates who had backed candidates other than Seward.

All of this is intriguing and noteworthy, but of special collector interest is a comment in the page 4 editorial. It is a simple, yet very prophetic statement: “…Mr. Lincoln of Illinois, however, is rising in prominence.” And so he did, becoming unquestionably one of the most well-known names in all of American history.

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Hidden Gems – What’s that above the story by Charles Dickens?

April 11, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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One of the pleasures of the hobby of collecting Rare & Early Newspapers is the “hidden gems” we find almost daily. Today I was photographing a story written by Charles Dickens within the Concord Daily Monitor (NH) dated December 21, 1865, and low and behold directly above the heading for the story was a poem titled, “Snow Flakes”, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Having contemporary selections from both literary giants within a few inches of each other was certainly something I did not expect. Yet, the discovery at this point was only partly realized. Thanks to the internet I took a few minutes to see what I could unearth about this particular poem, and with little effort I discovered it was a “Poem of the Week” selection in 2023 for The Guardian. Revealing my deficient 6th sense for poetry (or perhaps betraying my hidden affection for snow), at first blush I was a bit surprised that after so many years it had garnered such recognition – that is, until I learned Longfellow had written it in response to his grief over the death of his beloved wife. I love this collectible!

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Snapshot 1768 – Ben Franklin’s thoughts on the poor…

April 7, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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I am currently reading “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” (by Walter Isaacson), and often struggle to put it down. One of the many new things I’ve learned about Franklin: he was always a “work in progress”. Many of his views on significant topics of the day changed over his lifetime – often as a result of his ongoing quest for new information. He was certainly the poster-child for a “life-long learner”.

Two among these adjustments were his thoughts regarding the capabilities of blacks (specifically slaves), and his royalist (devotion to England) inclinations – both which morphed into positions more in line with current thought. However, one stance which stood the test of time and adjusted only microscopically (if at all) was his strong posture towards personal industry – regardless of one’s societal rank. If you were poor, you should work to the best of your abilities in all you do. If you were wealthy, your industry should overflow into looking for ways to contribute to the betterment of society – which included caring for those who were less fortunate. While he was always compassionate toward those at the bottom of the economic ladder, he was also a firm believer in the mantra: “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” He was convinced that handouts to those who were not industrious would only inspire others to join the ranks of the lazy. As harsh as this sounds, his attitude towards those who personally consumed the bulk of their own abundance was no less gracious.

While he spoke on this topic quite often, he put his thoughts to paper through a letter printed in The Gentleman’s Magazine for April, 1768: “Hardheartedness to the Poor Considered”. As was often the case, he signed it using one of his many pseudonyms (Medius). The entire letter is shown below. Whether you agree with his stance or not, one can not argue that he was being vague.

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Contribution from N.G. – Anson Burlingame’s historic 1856 speech…

April 4, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 
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Many are familiar with the anti-slavery speech of Senator Charles Sumner which was greeted with his near-death caning (repeated blows from a walking stick) by Senator Preston Brooks was pro-slavery. However, I was not aware of Congressman Anson Burlingame’s fiery defense of Sumner’s position which is credited for being instrumental in galvanizing the pro-abolition resolve of Northern citizens. It is interesting to note how often good grows from the pain and suffering of adversity, suffering, and ill-intent. What Brooks intended to silence abolitionist views spawned quite the opposite.

I am indebted to one of our collecting friends, N.G., who brought this historic speech to our attention.  The full text was printed in several newspapers of the day, including the New York Daily Tribune dated June 25, 1856. Whereas a snippet is shown below, the text of his entire speech is available online.

Background (source – GROK):

The Burlingame Speech of 1856, formally titled “Defense of Massachusetts,” was delivered by Anson Burlingame, a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, on June 21, 1856, in the House of Representatives. Its significance lies in its bold confrontation of the escalating tensions between the North and South over slavery, its defense of Northern principles, and its role in galvanizing anti-slavery sentiment during a pivotal moment in American history.

The speech was a direct response to the brutal caning of Senator Charles Sumner by Representative Preston Brooks on May 22, 1856, an event that shocked the nation and intensified sectional conflict. Sumner, a Massachusetts senator, had delivered an anti-slavery speech titled “The Crime Against Kansas,” which provoked Brooks, a pro-slavery Southerner from South Carolina, to attack him with a cane on the Senate floor. Burlingame’s address condemned Brooks’ actions as an assault not only on Sumner but on free speech, Massachusetts, and the broader cause of liberty. He described the attack vividly, stating that Brooks “stole into the Senate, that place which had hitherto been held sacred against violence, and smote [Sumner] as Cain smote his brother,” framing it as a moral outrage that transcended personal violence.

The significance of the speech is multifaceted. First, it marked a turning point in Northern resolve. Burlingame’s fiery rhetoric and unapologetic stance signaled that Northern leaders would no longer tolerate Southern aggression passively. He defended Massachusetts’ anti-slavery efforts, including its personal liberty laws that resisted the Fugitive Slave Act, and praised its role in opposing the spread of slavery into Kansas. This defiance challenged the South’s expectation of Northern compliance and asserted a willingness to fight for democratic principles.

Second, the speech had immediate political repercussions. Burlingame’s scathing denunciation of Brooks as a coward provoked a challenge to a duel, which Burlingame accepted. His choice of rifles and a location on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls—knowing Brooks would hesitate to travel through hostile Northern territory—forced Brooks to back down, enhancing Burlingame’s reputation as a fearless anti-slavery advocate. This episode amplified the speech’s impact, turning Burlingame into a Northern hero and further polarizing the nation.

Finally, the speech contributed to the growing momentum of the Republican Party and the abolitionist movement. Delivered at a time when the nation was fracturing over slavery, it rallied Northerners to the cause of freedom and democracy, reinforcing the idea that the conflict was not just about policy but about fundamental values. Historians note that it resonated widely, with one observer calling it “the most celebrated speech” of Burlingame’s career, reflecting its emotional and political resonance.

In summary, the Burlingame Speech of 1856 was significant for its bold stand against Southern violence, its defense of Northern ideals, and its role in mobilizing anti-slavery sentiment, making it a key moment in the lead-up to the Civil War.

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