Aurora de Chile facts for kids
The Aurora de Chile (which means Dawn of Chile in English) was the very first newspaper in Chile. It mainly talked about politics and ideas about how a country should be run.
This important newspaper was printed every Thursday from February 13, 1812, until April 1, 1813. After that, it changed its name to El Monitor Araucano. Each issue had four pages with two columns of text on each page.
Why a Newspaper Was Needed
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Before the Aurora de Chile started, the only newspapers people could read came from far away places like Lima, Buenos Aires, or Spain. They often arrived very late!
Important ideas from the Age of Enlightenment were known in Chile. These ideas were about freedom and how people should govern themselves. People also knew about the revolutions in the United States and France. But there was no local way to print these ideas or any Chilean revolutionary news.
This changed when the first proper printing press arrived in Chile in 1811.
After Chile's first revolutionary government started on September 18, 1810, leaders felt they needed to talk to the public. They wanted to share news and ideas directly with the people.
They tried to get a printing press from the Spanish government and then from Buenos Aires, but it didn't work out.
Finally, on November 24, 1811, a Swedish-American man named Mathew Hoevel arrived in Valparaiso. He brought a printing press, American printers, and even supplies for the independence fighters. These printers, including Samuel Burr Johnston, soon began working. They started printing the Aurora de Chile, which became Chile's very first local publication!
The first issue of the Aurora de Chile came out on February 13, 1812. It was led by Camilo Henríquez González. He was not only the first editor but also the first person to strongly argue for Chile's independence.
The Aurora was the first newspaper to introduce its Chilean readers to the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. Thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire influenced Henríquez's writings.
Other writers, such as Manuel de Salas, Juan Egaña, Manuel José Gandarillas, and Antonio José de Irisarri from Guatemala, also contributed. Through the Aurora de Chile, they shared important principles. These included the idea that people should have the power to govern themselves (popular sovereignty). They also wrote about choosing leaders through elections and dividing government power into different parts (separation of powers).
Camilo Henríquez also used the paper to share his smart and timely comments about the monarchy. The influence from America was very strong. The Aurora even republished speeches by American revolutionaries like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. These leaders became heroes in the Chilean press.
On April 1, 1813, the newspaper changed its name and became El Monitor Araucano.
See also
In Spanish: Aurora de Chile para niños
