Aurora & General Advertiser Nov. 15, 1794 pub. by Benjamin Franklin Bache RARE

Description: The Aurora and General Advertiser for Saturday, November 15, 1794. Complete issue. Published in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin Bache, grandson of Benjamin Franklin. The issue is printed on a single leaf of paper measuring about 19" x 23.5", folded in half to make four pages. The condition is very nice. The issue is from a bound volume -- holes from the binding are visible, but do not affect the text. The paper is quite well-preserved, with some browning at the edges and occasional foxing. This issue, published during the runup to the Napoleonic Wars, contains multiple articles on troop and ship movements of France, Britain, and Spain. On page 3, the paper prints a letter from May 28, 1794, in which President George Washington appointed James Monroe as the United States' minister to France (see enlargement). Page four contains an ad offering a twenty-dollar reward for the capture of an escaped slave named Reuben (see enlargement). The publisher, Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769 – 1798), was an American journalist, printer and publisher. He founded the Aurora and General Advertiser, a newspaper that supported Jeffersonian philosophy. Bache frequently attacked the Federalist political leaders, including Presidents George Washington and John Adams, and historian Gordon S. Wood wrote that "no editor did more to politicize the press in the 1790s." His paper's heated attacks are thought to have contributed to passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts by the 5th United States Congress and signed by President John Adams in 1798. The grandson of Benjamin Franklin, Bache was often referred to as "Lightning Rod Junior" after his famous grandfather's experiment. The son of Sarah Franklin and Richard Bache, he died at 29 in the yellow fever epidemic of 1798. Around 1781, Bache began working as a printer at his grandfather's shop at the family's Franklin Court property on Market Street. As his grandfather was starting to fade, Bache oversaw the print shop's operations, but under the older man's watchful eye. Following his grandfather's death in 1790, Bache inherited Franklin's printing equipment and many of his books. He founded The Philadelphia Aurora, a newspaper with an editorial position that surpassed Franklin's fierce pro-French and democratic position. Bache promised, "This paper will always be open, for the discussion of political, or any other interesting subjects, to such as deliver their sentiments with temper and decency, and whose motives appear to be, the public good." Starting November 8, 1794, Bache renamed his paper The Aurora and General Advertiser; its purpose was to “diffuse light within the sphere of its influence, dispel the shades of ignorance, and gloom of error and thus tend to strengthen the fair fabric of freedom on its surest foundation, publicity and information.” The name “Aurora” represented the ascent and accessibility of information promised to its readers. Bache adopted the motto "Surgo Ut Prosim" (I rise to be useful), to honor his grandfather. For Bache, the motto symbolized the dawning, not the setting of the sun on the new republic. Dated November 15, 1794, this issue.was one of the first published under the new name. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate. Take a look at all our items for sale. We combine shipping upon request. Please LET US KNOW if you’ve purchased multiple items so we can combine.

Price: 164.25 USD

Location: Slingerlands, New York

End Time: 2023-12-22T01:26:08.000Z

Shipping Cost: 10 USD