Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick

Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick. It was the first multi-page newspaper published in the British American colonies, produced by Benjamin Harris in Boston. The publication was swiftly suppressed after just one issue by the colonial authorities of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, making it a landmark case in the history of press freedom. Its brief existence and controversial content set a precedent for the adversarial relationship between the press and government in Early American history.

History and publication

The newspaper was printed on September 25, 1690, by Richard Pierce at his shop on Marlborough Street in Boston. Its publisher, Benjamin Harris, was a seasoned printer and bookseller who had previously faced persecution in London for his anti-Catholic publications and his alleged involvement in the Popish Plot. After fleeing England following the ascension of King James II, Harris established himself in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The publication emerged during a period of political uncertainty following the Glorious Revolution and amidst ongoing conflict in King William's War, which pitted New France against the New England Colonies. The governing council of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, led by Governor Simon Bradstreet and Lieutenant Governor Thomas Danforth, took immediate action against the paper. Just four days after its publication, on September 29, the Massachusetts Governor's Council issued an order suppressing it, condemning the publication as offensive and requiring a license for any future printing.

Content and format

The publication was a three-page broadsheet, with a fourth page left blank for readers to add manuscript news before passing it along. It promised to appear monthly, or more frequently if major events warranted. Its content mixed reports on international affairs, such as the ongoing Great Turkish War and the actions of the Grand Alliance, with local colonial news. Domestically, it included a critical account of the colonial militia's conduct alongside allies from the Mohawk Nation during campaigns against the French and their Wabanaki allies. It also reported on a smallpox outbreak in Boston and the tragic suicide of a prominent local man. Stylistically, it featured editorial commentary, including harsh criticism of the Iroquois for their treatment of captives, which violated contemporary norms of objective reporting. The paper notably omitted any coverage of the official activities of the British monarchy or the Parliament of England.

Suppression and legacy

The suppression order from the Massachusetts Governor's Council declared the publication contained "sundry doubtful and uncertain Reports" and was printed without the required license, a violation of the Licensing of the Press Act 1662. Authorities specifically objected to the "reflections" upon the conduct of the colonial militia and the Iroquois allies. No further issues were ever printed, and Benjamin Harris returned to London several years later. The episode became a foundational reference point for later colonial printers and advocates of a free press. Figures like James Franklin and his younger brother Benjamin Franklin, who published the New-England Courant, and later John Peter Zenger, whose trial in New York City became a landmark, drew upon this early example of official censorship. The sole surviving original copy is housed in the British Library in London.

Historical significance

As the first attempt at a serial newspaper in the colonies, it represents the genesis of the American newspaper tradition. Its suppression highlighted the absence of press freedoms under British colonial law and foreshadowed the conflicts that would lead to the Zenger trial and, ultimately, the inclusion of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The episode demonstrated the colonial government's fear of unlicensed public discourse, especially regarding sensitive topics like military affairs and relations with indigenous nations like the Wampanoag and the Abenaki. It established a template for an independent press that would later flourish in cities like Philadelphia and New York City during the American Revolution. Scholars often contrast its fate with the successful establishment of The Boston News-Letter in 1704, which operated under official sanction, underscoring the contentious path toward a free press in British America.

Category:1690 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Category:1690 disestablishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Category:Defunct newspapers published in Massachusetts Category:History of Boston