The history of American newspapers begins in the 17th century with the publication of the first colonial newspapers. American newspapers began as modest affairs—a sideline for printers. They became a
A selection of American newspapers from 1885, with portraits of their publishers: Top row: The Union and Advertiser (William Purcell) - The Omaha Daily Bee (Edward Rosewater) - The Boston Daily Globe (Charles H. Taylor) - Boston Morning Journal (William Warland Clapp) - The Kansas City Times (Morrison Mumford) - The Pittsburgh Dispatch (M. O'Neill). Middle row: Albany Evening Journal (John A. Sleicher) - The Milwaukee Sentinel (Horace Rublee) - The Philadelphia Record (William M. Singerly) -
The New England Courant, the 7 August 1721 front page
Fanciful drawing of a rural general store . On the far left, a group of men listen to a reading of the weekly newspaper.
Lincoln spins the news—a Copperhead cartoon from 1862 (note the horns)
Penny press
Videos
Penny press newspapers were cheap, tabloid-style newspapers mass-produced in the United States from the 1830s onwards. Mass production of inexpensive newspapers became possible following the shift fro
History of American newspapers
…grew rapidly during the First Party System (1790s–1810s) when both parties sponsored papers to reach their loyal partisans. From the 1830s onward, the Penny press began to play a major role in American journalism. Technological advancements such as the telegraph and faster printing presses in the 1840s also helped…
The NY Herald penny press
Benjamin H. Day, founder of the first penny press in the USA
The Sun, Benjamin Day's paper
Some reporters used the electric telegraph to share information.