The Tree of Liberty, published weekly from 1800 to about 1810, was the second newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.[2] John D. Israel established the paper and issued it from a building owned by Hugh Henry Brackenridge.[3] Israel's columns promoted the Democratic-Republican politics of Thomas Jefferson while denouncing Federalists and their local organ, the Pittsburgh Gazette.[4]
 Front page, 13 February 1802 | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | John D. Israel |
| Founded | 16 August 1800[1] |
| Political alignment | Democratic-Republican |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | circa 1810[1] |
| City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
With the issue of 24 December 1805, Walter Forward assumed control of the paper with the participation of his friends Henry Baldwin and Tarleton Bates.[5][6] In that time of disunity among Pennsylvania's Democratic-Republicans, the Tree sided with the moderate wing of the party supporting Governor Thomas McKean and clashed with the Commonwealth, a mouthpiece for the party's radical anti-McKean faction.[7] Abuse from the Commonwealth led to Bates assaulting that paper's editor with a whip, and finally to the death of Bates in a duel.[8] The Tree changed hands from Forward to William Foster in April 1807,[9] after which it remained in publication for approximately three years.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b "About The Tree of liberty". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
- ^ a b Iacone, Audrey Abbott (Summer 1990). "Early Printing in Pittsburgh, 1786–1856". Pittsburgh History. 73 (2): 68.
- ^ Field 1937, p. 233.
- ^ Field 1937, pp. 233, 261.
- ^ Field 1937, p. 234.
- ^ Van Trump & Cannon 1974, p. 310.
- ^ Van Trump & Cannon 1974, pp. 310–311.
- ^ Van Trump & Cannon 1974, pp. 311–314.
- ^ "[untitled]". The Commonwealth. Pittsburgh. 29 April 1807. p. 2, col. 1.
Bibliography edit
- Field, Alston G. (December 1937). "The Press in Western Pennsylvania to 1812". The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine. 20 (4): 231–264.
- Van Trump, James D.; Cannon, James Brian (July 1974). "An Affair of Honor: Pittsburgh's Last Duel". The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine. 57 (3): 307–315.
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