 The November 14, 1791 issue of the National Gazette | |
| Type | Semiweeklynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner | Philip Morin Freneau |
| Editor | Philip Morin Freneau |
| Founded | 1791 |
| Ceased publication | 1793 |
| Political alignment | Anti-Administration Party Democratic-Republican Party |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
TheNational Gazette was aDemocratic-Republicanpartisan newspaper that was first published on October 31, 1791. It was edited and published semiweekly inPhiladelphia byPhilip Freneau until October 23, 1793.
TheNational Gazette was founded at the urging of Democratic-Republican leadersJames Madison andThomas Jefferson in order to counter the influence of the rivalFederalist newspaper, theGazette of the United States. Like other papers of the era, theNational Gazette centered on its fervent political content. TheGazette's political content was often written pseudonymously, and was directed against theFederalist Party. Many prominent Democratic-Republicans contributed articles, often pseudonymously, including Madison and Jefferson.[1]
TheGazette is unique among early Americanpartisan newspapers for being substantially supported by a major player within a sitting administration (thenSecretary of State Thomas Jefferson) while simultaneously attacking that administration's own policies. Jefferson enticed Freneau to come toPhiladelphia to edit theGazette by hiring him as a translator at theUnited States Department of State for an annual salary of $250. Federalist writers, includingAlexander Hamilton, attacked this as aconflict of interest. Hamilton and other Federalists also financially supported their own partisan newspaper, theGazette of the United States,[2] although their publication did not attack Washington and his policies, but praised them effusively.
Freneau'sGazette spent much of its time criticizing the policies of theWashington administration. The paper described Alexander Hamilton's financial policies in 1792 as "numerous evils...pregnant with every mischief" and describedGeorge Washington's 61st birthday celebration as "a forerunner of othermonarchical vices." TheGazette's strident polemics and screeds against the Washington administration led President Washington to despise theGazette, and to refer to its editor pejoratively as "that Rascal Freneau."
TheNational Gazette unofficially stopped publishing in October 1793, two years after its establishment, citing "a considerable quantity of new and elegant printing types from Europe" to be obtained, but it is believed that the outbreak ofyellow fever in Philadelphia, combined with dwindling subscriptions contributed to the paper's demise. In December 1793, Jefferson resigned asU.S. Secretary of State, ending Freneau's main source of income aside from the paper.
Another newspaper of the same name was being published in Philadelphia in 1830.[3]
  | This article about a Pennsylvania newspaper is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
