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New Jersey's first newspaper... America's independence to be acknowledged?
New Jersey's first newspaper... America's independence to be acknowledged?
Item # 687204
January 12, 1780
THE NEW JERSEY GAZETTE, Trenton, Jan. 12, 1780
* First publication in this state
* American Revolutionary War
* Independence in America coming ?
Titles from New Jersey are very uncommon, particularly from the 18th century. Of greater significance is that this was the very first newspaper in New Jersey, having begun just 2 years prior in 1778.
The entire front page is taken up with an Act of the New Jersey legislature titled: "An Act for Limiting the Prices of Various Articles, and to Prevent the Withholding from Sale the Necessaries of Life" which includes set prices for a wide variety of items.
Page 2 has a letter from London concerning freedom of speech & which includes in part: "...to expose the secret designs of the Crown against the liberties & grandeur of Britain, in speaking of the contest with America, observes, that 'to the cruelty & injustice of drawing the sword, were added insult & alumni. Both Houses of Parliament were prodigal in their abuse of the Americans, who they stigmatized as cowards & as blockheads. Allowing these stigmas to have been just...sued to these very COWARDS and BLOCKHEADS for peace, after a contest of FOUR YEARS in which the strength of this country had been in vain exerted to subjugate them?'...".
Another letter mentions: "...Though we are seemingly in the midst of war, a peace is on the tapis, under the direction of the very man who made the last honourable peace of Paris...Notwithstanding all the reports about peace being on the carpet, we can assure the public there is no such thing, though a servile begging pardon and a train of unmanly, unconstitutional concessions are offered to the Courts of France & Spain...A peace we understand to be a mutual acquiescence in two or more powers, to put an end to war...".
Then from Paris: "A peace begins again to be talked of here between the Court & that of England to which his Catholic Majesty and the Americans are to be allowed to accede as the preliminary to a cession of hostilities by which American Independence will be confirmed in the face of all the powers in the globe...".
There are some additional war-related reports as well.
Four pages, browning at the margins of the back leaf are archivally strengthened with no loss of type, otherwise in very nice, clean condition.
AI notes: The New-Jersey Gazette, originally established in Burlington in 1777 and relocated to Trenton on March 4, 1778, under the direction of printer Isaac Collins, was New Jersey’s first newspaper and a vital source of information during the American Revolutionary War. Published continuously in Trenton until November 27, 1786, it provided local residents with news of military developments, political debates, and public notices, playing a crucial role in shaping public opinion and sustaining support for the Continental Army. Notably, the March 4, 1778 issue featured an open letter from General George Washington appealing to the residents of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia for provisions to aid the army, reflecting the paper’s importance as a conduit for official communications. The Gazette also covered broader national and international news, advertisements, and legal announcements, offering modern researchers a detailed glimpse into Revolutionary-era life, society, and politics in New Jersey. Its preservation in archives such as the New Jersey State Library, GenealogyBank, and the New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project ensures continued access for historians and genealogists seeking to explore its historical significance.
Category: Revolutionary War
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