Complete issue of the Gazette of the United States from December 19, 1789, four pages, 10 x 16.25, published by John Fenno of New York. The newspaper is packed with interesting items from the year the Constitution took effect. On the front page is a prominent feature on the visit to Marblehead, Massachusetts, by new president George Washington. It includes a preamble from a local newspaper describing the event, a congratulatory letter from the town leadership, and a response from Washington expressing thanks, all making a point to praise and respect the new republic.
The second page recounts the Virginia and Pennsylvania legislatures' deliberation and approval of the Bill of Rights, while the introductory passage from the first federal proclamation for Thanksgiving by George Washington is quoted. Early events from the French Revolution are also described here and on the next page.
On page three, a brief report that North Carolina has finally ratified the Constitution, "contrary to general expectation," while a lengthy discussion from South Carolina is presented on that state's government and its relationship to the federal system, in the "infancy of our country."
The last page excerpts earlier letters from the new Vice President John Adams, answering questions about the America character and practices while abroad in Amsterdam in 1780; presents summaries of the legislative activities from the inaugural session of the U.S. Congress establishing a government framework; and activities of the Ohio Company of that territory which would lead eventually to statehood. In fine condition, with trimmed edges, a few small edge tears, and a contemporary ownership inscription at the top.
The publisher, John Fenno, was a Federalist Party editor and major figure in the history of American newspapers. His Gazette of the United States played a major role in shaping the beginnings of party politics in the United States in the 1790s.
