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Very detailed reporting on the beginning of the French Revolution: storming the Bastille...
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Very detailed reporting on the beginning of the French Revolution: storming the Bastille...

Item # 703755 ·
GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES, New York, Sept. 26, 1789  

* French Revolution beginning
* Storming of the Bastille - Paris

The most notable content is the lengthy, and terrific day-by-day account o the beginning of the French Revolution with the storming of the Bastille in Paris. Across France and the rest of Europe the consequences of the Revolution were huge. There were many new developments including the fall of the monarchy, changes in society with the rise of the middle class, and the growth of nationalism.
Beginning on the front page is the report with notes dated July 8, then the 9th, the 11th, the 12th, the 13th, and then with the 14th: "...were then went to ask arms of M. de Launai, governor of the Bastille: They found a great collection of people already before the place & they immediately planted a flag of truce...and in that instant a discharge from the Bastile killed four people...They took all the arms, discharged the prisoners...cut off their heads & sent them through the city in triumph to the Palis Royal..." then much, much more on the events.
Further on: "The demolition of the Bastille is going on, and the malice Bourgeoise organizing and training...They believe still that 3000 people have fallen victims to the tumults of Paris...In the storming of the Bastille, the Governor, the door keeper...were massacred..." and even more.
Pages 2 & 3 have some continued reports on: "Proceedings Of Congress". Page 3 has: "Western Posts" beginning: "We have it from good authority, that THE PRESIDENT of the United Sates has lately dispatched Capt. Guion...to Canada to inquire of Lord Dorchester  whether he has orders to surrender to the United States the Posts within the territory thereof now garrisoned y British forces...".
The entire back page is then up with: "An Act for Registering & Clearing Vessels, Regulating the Coasting rate, and for Other Purposes", continued in a future issue.
Four pages, very nice condition.

Background: This September 26, 1789 issue of the Gazette of the United States stands as a monumental historical artifact, offering a dual window into the simultaneous birth pangs of the modern French Republic and the fragile stabilization of the infant American government. Its lengthy, visceral day-by-day reporting on the storming of the Bastille captures the exact flashpoint of the French Revolution—including the graphic description of the governor's decapitation—which signaled the violent collapse of the absolute monarchy, the rise of the middle class, and a wave of nationalism that would permanently reshape the geopolitical landscape of Europe. Simultaneously, the newspaper documents the high-stakes birthing pains of American sovereignty happening right down the street in New York, the temporary capital. By detailing President Washington’s tense diplomatic maneuvering over British-occupied frontier forts ("Western Posts") and publishing sweeping federal maritime legislation to salvage a debt-ridden economy, the issue underscores a profound historical contrast: while France was descending into a chaotic, bloody reinvention, the United States was aggressively codifying its laws, securing its borders, and attempting to transition from a revolutionary experiment into a stable, functional global power.

Considered by many as the most significant newspaper of the 18th century, particularly during this, the formative year of the new federal government, as this paper was the mouthpiece of all matters political. Most pronouncements from Congress & the President were printed first in this newspaper.

Item from last month's catalog - #366 - released for May, 2026

Price
$265
100% Authentic: Original printing, never a reproduction.