Isaiah Thomas (publisher)
Isaiah Thomas was an early American printer, newspaper publisher and author. He performed the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Worcester, Massachusetts, and reported the first account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. He was the founder of the American Antiquarian Society.
Oil on canvas by Ethan Allen Greenwood in 1818 (American Antiquarian Society)
Early American publishers and printers
Early American publishers and printers played a central role in the social, religious, political and commercial development of the Thirteen Colonies in British America prior to and during the American Revolution and the ensuing American Revolutionary War that established American independence.
A typical printing press of the 18th century. Religious enthusiasm and the great demand for bibles and other religious works is largely what promoted the first printing efforts in the American colonies. Before and during the American Revolution colonial printers were also actively publishing newspapers and pamphlets expressing the strong sentiment against British colonial policy and taxation.
The May 9, 1754 issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, published in Philadelphia
The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to publish the Declaration of Independence following its unanimous adoption on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress
In 1939, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp depicting John Day's printing press and commemorating the 300th anniversary of publishing during the colonial era.
