party press era
-
What was the party press era in United States history?
The party press era in the United States, from the 1780s to the 1830s, was a period when news editors received support from political parties, often via government printing contracts. In exchange, editors endorsed candidates and promoted party principles, which usually aligned with their own views. This patronage was crucial for a paper’s financial stability and gave editors influence and status.
The era saw significant growth in the American press, from 35 newspapers in 1783 to 1,200 by 1833. Content was mainly political news and interpretation, including criticism of opponents. The era coincided with the emergence of the first party systems, such as Republicans versus Federalists and Democrats versus Whigs. The Sedition Act of 1798, which made criticizing the government illegal, posed a challenge to newspapers. The rise of the penny press in the 1830s, with its less expensive publications, led to the decline of the party press era.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
When did the party press era take place?
The party press era in United States history occurred from the 1780s to the 1830s. During this time, news editors commonly received support from political parties, often through government printing contracts, in exchange for endorsing candidates and promoting party principles. This patronage was crucial for the economic stability and prestige of newspapers.
The era saw significant growth in the American press, from 35 newspapers in 1783 to 1,200 by 1833. The content was mainly political news and interpretations aligned with party ideologies. The end of the party press era is generally marked by the rise of the penny press in the 1830s, which allowed for less expensive publications and greater independence from partisan support.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why were newspapers called 'party press' during this era?
During the party press era (1780s–1830s) in the United States, newspapers were called "party press" because news editors received support from political parties, often via government printing contracts. In return, editors endorsed a party’s candidates and supported its principles, usually aligning with their own beliefs. This patronage was crucial for the paper’s economic stability and gave editors prestige and power. The era coincided with the first party systems, such as the Federalists versus Republicans, with editors interpreting events through a specific party's ideology. The concept of a press representing diverse political views emerged from the civil liberties philosophy of James Madison, as reflected in the First Amendment.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did political parties influence newspapers in the party press era?
During the party press era (1780s–1830s) in the United States, political parties significantly influenced newspapers through patronage. News editors often received government printing contracts in exchange for endorsing a party's candidates and promoting its principles. This support was crucial for a newspaper's financial stability, and editors, who also served as printers, writers, and business managers, gained prestige and power.
Editors, many of whom were politicians, aligned with either the Republicans and Federalists or the Democrats and Whigs, interpreting events through a specific party's ideology. The era saw a surge in newspapers, from 35 in 1783 to 1,200 in 1833, filled with political news, interpretations, and partisan messaging.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What impact did the party press era have on public opinion and politics?
During the party press era (1780s–1830s) in the United States, news editors aligned with political parties, receiving patronage like government printing contracts in exchange for endorsing candidates and promoting party principles. This era saw a surge in newspapers, from 35 in 1783 to 1,200 in 1833, filled with political news, interpretations, and partisan abuse.
Editors, often politicians themselves, used their papers to promote party ideologies, influencing public opinion by printing speeches and government documents. The era's concept of diverse political viewpoints in the press stemmed from the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of the press. Though the Sedition Act of 1798 briefly criminalized criticism of the government, it was allowed to expire, reinforcing the press's role as a check on power. The rise of the penny press in the 1830s led to less expensive, more objective publications, signaling the end of the party press era.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the party press era end, and what replaced it in American journalism?
The party press era, characterized by news editors receiving patronage from political parties, ended in the 1830s with the rise of the penny press. This transition allowed newspapers to become less expensive and flourish free of partisan patronage. Publications that claimed objectivity grew in appeal to readers, although many American newspapers still retained a partisan nature in the decades that followed. The New York Herald was the first American paper to maintain complete political independence.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
party press era, period (1780s–1830s) in United States history when news editors received patronage from political parties, usually in the form of government printing contracts. An editor would readily endorse a party’s candidates and champion its principles, typically in line with his own beliefs, and in return would receive support for his six-cent paper. This gave the editor, who often also served as printer, writer, and business manager, a sense of prestige and power in society, and patronage was critical to the paper’s long-term economic stability.
The era is considered by some to have begun in 1783 with the end of the American Revolution, as some newspapers took a clearly partisan stance in the nascent country’s developing political system. Others, however, maintain that the era began in 1789 with the founding of the Gazette of the United States, considered to be the first newspaper founded as an official organ of a political party.
The American press saw extensive growth during the party press era. In 1783 the newly independent country had only 35 newspapers, but by 1833 it had 1,200. The nonadvertising content of the party press era was primarily political news and interpretation, including abuse hurled at opponents. Most editors prominently displayed the names of a party’s ticket for weeks. Editors also printed speeches of major national and state political leaders as well as significant government documents.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
The party press era coincided with the first party systems in the United States. First came the contest between the Republicans and the Federalists, followed by the battle between Democrats and Whigs. Editors, many of them politicians themselves, lined up on each side of these political divides and interpreted events of the day within the ideology of a particular party. The concept of having a press that represented a variety of political points of view came directly out of the civil liberties philosophy of James Madison, among others, as stated in the First Amendment, which guarantees no interference from Congress regarding freedom of the press. Implicitly, not having an official government newspaper was parallel to the idea of not having a single state religion.
Early in the party press era, newspapers had to survive the 1798 Sedition Act of Pres. John Adams, which made criticism of the federal government illegal. Several Republican editors were prosecuted under that law, but his successor and political opponent, Thomas Jefferson, let the renewable law expire. Jefferson believed that written criticism of the government did not necessarily lead to revolution and that the press could serve as a check on the abuse of power.
The party press era is generally held to have ended in the 1830s with the rise of the penny press, which, as its name suggests, allowed for a less-expensive publication. Newspapers were able to flourish free of partisan patronage, and publications that claimed to be objective grew in appeal to readers; these and other changes were ushered in during this time. Most American newspapers, however, still retained a partisan nature in the subsequent decades: according to 1860 census data, 80 percent of the press at the time was partisan.