Changes

===First Party System===

===First Party System===

During the [[First Party System]], newspapers proliferated because they were sponsored by the two main parties, the [[Federalists]] and the [[Jeffersonian Republicans]]. [[John Fenno]] began publishing his ''Gazette of the United States'' in April 1789 hoping it would become the official paper of the newly formed national government; soon [[Alexander Hamilton]] was encouraging and subsidizing him.  [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Madison]], leading the opposition to Hamilton, persuaded [[Philip M. Freneau]], a brilliant poet, to found the ''National Gazette'' in Philadelphia in October 1791. Jefferson even put Freneau on the State Department payroll.  The ''National Gazette'' at first served as a successful political tool for the Jeffersonians as it defined arguments against Hamilton's policies while rebutting Fenno's editorials. The ''National Gazette'' collapsed in 1793 due to weak circulation and the political fallout over Jefferson and Madison's financial involvement in founding the paper.  

During the [[First Party System]], newspapers proliferated because they were sponsored by the two main parties, the [[Federalists]] and the [[Jeffersonian Republicans]]. [[John Fenno]] began publishing his ''Gazette of the United States'' in April 1789 hoping it would become the official paper of the newly formed national government; soon [[Alexander Hamilton]] was encouraging and subsidizing him.  [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Madison]], leading the opposition to Hamilton, persuaded [[Philip M. Freneau]], a brilliant poet, to found the ''National Gazette'' in Philadelphia in October 1791. Jefferson even put Freneau on the State Department payroll.  The ''National Gazette'' at first served as a successful political tool for the Jeffersonians as it defined arguments against Hamilton's policies while rebutting Fenno's editorials. The ''National Gazette'' collapsed in 1793 due to weak circulation and the political fallout over Jefferson and Madison's financial involvement in founding the paper.  

[[Image:NEWS1800.JPG|thumb|275px|left|rapid growth of party newspapers]]

[[Image:NEWS1800.JPG|thumb|left|rapid growth of party newspapers]]

Hamilton set uip his own stable of Federalist papers. His editor in New York City was [[Noah Webster]]. In 1793, Hamilton loaned him $1500 to move to New York City and edit a newspaper for the new [[Federalist Party]]. In December Webster  founded New York's first daily newspaper, ''American Minerva'' (later known as ''The Commercial Advertiser''). He edited it for four years, writing the equivalent of 20 volumes of articles and editorials. He also published the semi-weekly publication, ''The Herald, A Gazette for the country'' (later known as ''The New York Spectator''). As a partisan, he soon was denounced by the Republicans as "a pusillanimous, half-begotten, self-dubbed patriot," "an incurable lunatic," and "a deceitful newsmonger ... Pedagogue and Quack."  Fellow Federalist Cobbett labeled him "a traitor to the cause of Federalism", calling him "a toad in the service of sans-cullottism," "a prostitute wretch," "a great fool, and a barefaced liar," "a spiteful viper," and "a maniacal pedant." The master of words was distressed. Even the use of words like "the people," "democracy," and "equality" in public debate bothered him, for such words were "metaphysical abstractions that either have no meaning, or at least none that mere mortals can comprehend." <ref>Joseph Ellis, ''After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture'' (1979) pp 199, 206.</ref>

Hamilton set uip his own stable of Federalist papers. His editor in New York City was [[Noah Webster]]. In 1793, Hamilton loaned him $1500 to move to New York City and edit a newspaper for the new [[Federalist Party]]. In December Webster  founded New York's first daily newspaper, ''American Minerva'' (later known as ''The Commercial Advertiser''). He edited it for four years, writing the equivalent of 20 volumes of articles and editorials. He also published the semi-weekly publication, ''The Herald, A Gazette for the country'' (later known as ''The New York Spectator''). As a partisan, he soon was denounced by the Republicans as "a pusillanimous, half-begotten, self-dubbed patriot," "an incurable lunatic," and "a deceitful newsmonger ... Pedagogue and Quack."  Fellow Federalist Cobbett labeled him "a traitor to the cause of Federalism", calling him "a toad in the service of sans-cullottism," "a prostitute wretch," "a great fool, and a barefaced liar," "a spiteful viper," and "a maniacal pedant." The master of words was distressed. Even the use of words like "the people," "democracy," and "equality" in public debate bothered him, for such words were "metaphysical abstractions that either have no meaning, or at least none that mere mortals can comprehend." <ref>Joseph Ellis, ''After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture'' (1979) pp 199, 206.</ref>

By 1796, both parties had a national network of newspapers, which attacked each other vehemently.  In 1802 the New York ''Evening Post,'' with large amounts of advertising by Federalist merchants, published a daily edition for 1100 subscribers in the city, and a weekly edition that circulated to 1600 subscribers nationwide. The Federalist and Republican newspapers of the 1790s traded vicious barbs. Hamilton's vices, both personal and political, were favorite targets.

By 1796, both parties had a national network of newspapers, which attacked each other vehemently.  In 1802 the New York ''Evening Post,'' with large amounts of advertising by Federalist merchants, published a daily edition for 1100 subscribers in the city, and a weekly edition that circulated to 1600 subscribers nationwide. The Federalist and Republican newspapers of the 1790s traded vicious barbs. Hamilton's vices, both personal and political, were favorite targets.