The Pennsylvania Evening Post facts for kids
The Pennsylvania Evening Post was a very important newspaper in early American history. It was the first daily newspaper ever published in the United States. Benjamin Towne started it in 1775, and it ran until 1783. This newspaper was also the first English-language paper to print the United States Declaration of Independence. A German newspaper, Der Pennsylvanische Staatsbote, reported the Declaration first, but in German. English readers had to wait one more day to read it in the Post.
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The Story of The Pennsylvania Evening Post
Benjamin Towne launched the Pennsylvania Evening Post on January 24, 1775. He even borrowed paper to get started! The newspaper supported the American Revolution, which was the fight for America's independence. It became famous for being the first to print the United States Declaration of Independence. This historic document filled the front page of the July 6, 1776, issue.
When it first started, Towne's newspaper came out three times a week. It was published on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings. Each paper cost "two pennies," or "three Shillings the quarter" for a three-month subscription. His printing shop was in Philadelphia, on Front Street.
The Newspaper During the Revolution
During the American Revolutionary War, British forces took control of Philadelphia in 1778. At this time, the Post's views changed. It began to support the British side, known as loyalism. Other newspapers that supported the British stopped publishing when the British started losing control. But Benjamin Towne kept his paper going. Because of this, the government of Pennsylvania listed him as a "traitor." The Post was even chosen to print this list of names! This might have happened because other printers had not yet returned to the city.
In 1779, the Post published articles by Whitehead Humphreys. He used the pen name "Cato." These articles criticized the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. They also claimed that Thomas Paine, a famous writer for American independence, was secretly a loyalist. On July 24, a group of people who supported the Constitution became very angry. They confronted Benjamin Towne and demanded to know who "Cato" was. Towne told them it was Humphreys. The group then went to Humphreys's house.
Challenges and Daily Publication
These disagreements caused the newspaper to lose money. By 1780, Towne had to advertise for people to sell his papers on the streets. These sellers were called "hawkers." In the spring of 1783, the Post started publishing every day. It was the first newspaper in the country to do this! The paper continued daily until 1784. It's even said that near the end, Benjamin Towne himself sold copies of the newspaper on the street.
A Historic Sale
In June 2013, a very special copy of the Pennsylvania Evening Post was sold. This copy was the one that first printed the U.S. Declaration of Independence. David Rubenstein, a businessman, bought it for $632,500 at an auction. At that time, it was the highest price ever paid for a historic newspaper! Rubenstein later loaned his copy to the Newseum in Washington, D.C. It was part of an exhibit called "1776—Breaking News: Independence," which opened in 2016.
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